When I read the Tempest I thought of it as a lighthearted piece of work because of the different elements in the play. When one uses magic in a play, it starts to become surreal. This is because the play no longer can happen in real life. It seams to me that a drama is usually one that happens in real life. That is how the audience relates to the actors so well. But when that relation is taken out of the picture the, in my opinion, it takes it away from a drama and into a more lighthearted play.
I can see how you think that the play has a more lighthearted appeal to it since it uses magic and fantasy but also this is what makes the play dramatic. I think this is what makes people like the play so much. As we discussed in class, people went to see drama plays in those times to feel better about their lives. Knowing of the fantasy/magic plays perhaps made these people feel blessed that this could only happen in plays and not in real life.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the use of magic can probably be a surreal experience even when reading about it. That is not to say, at the time, that Shakespeare or the people who watched the plays did not believe in magic in the first place though.
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