What is the reality? And how can we be sure that the reality we live in is not false? For some people the answer is clear, but for others the answer is fuzzy. Part of a person's individual psyche is more powerful than reality itself, and this can be triggered by strange experiences and revive repressed material. Although what is considered strange in real life is not always so in literature, strange literature can be very informative about certain aspects of ourselves. Throughout The Tempest, magic is used to create a strange ambiguity between reality and illusion to depict Prospero's coming awareness of his pent-up resentment towards the noble characters. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay To begin with, the setting of the island itself is an excellent representation of the blurred line between reality and illusion and is a “ magical scene under the orchestration of Prospero. The “author initially creates a kind of uncertainty” about how he can “take us into the real world or into a fantasy world of his choice” (139). The noble characters of The Tempest reside in Europe but recently attended a wedding in Africa and, on their way back, they are brought to an island by a mysterious storm. This island is that in-between space between the world that is familiar to them and the foreign land that they had visited before – an ambiguous in-between between two distinctly different places. This island functions as a strange and fantastical setting for the characters, and magic is the only reason the nobles end up on the island. Prospero asks Ariel if he has "faced the storm that I commanded you," and Ariel asserts that the magically created fantastic storm did indeed land the nobles on the island (1.2.194-206). This magic cannot exist elsewhere, and because the nobles have left the security of their homeland, they have been susceptible to Prospero's magical power, leading them to this insular "stage" where they are under Prospero's influence. The fact that Prospero's magic is the cause of the arrival of the nobles on the island contributes to the strangeness of the island, making it even more ambiguous between reality and illusion as well as a place where the repressed material of society can exist outside. of the “real” world, because otherwise it would distort civilization. The character of Prospero himself is that of a somewhat ambiguous figure, a blur between what is real and what is not. Through the use of "his books, for without them he is but a fool," Prospero wields attained magical power and uses it to manipulate both the nobles and the unusual events on the island (3.2 .87-88). However, Prospero is not a native of the island but was previously "the Duke of Milan and prince of power", as he tells Miranda (1.2.53-54). These two qualities give him an essence of the "real world" as well as the "illusory world" of the island he currently resides and controls, which creates the ambiguity between what is real and what is illusory simply because Prospero possesses these qualities. magical powers despite the fact that he comes from the "real world". In this way, "the host has become 'strange' and Prospero, being the 'host' of the island and controlling what happens, has indeed become this strange figure (146). As previously stated, the island is a “stage” where Prospero orchestrates his magical powers, thus making him the strange “host” of the production. However, we can only "qualify a living person as strange" by stipulating that they havebad intentions. “with the help of special powers” ​​(149). Prospero does indeed benefit from special magical powers throughout the play, but it is questionable whether or not Prospero has evil intentions. Caliban wishes that "all the infections that the sun sucks out of the bogs and swamps and plains" would come to Prospero, indicating that Prospero could be seen as "bad" to Caliban, and Prospero is also rather unkind to Caliban throughout the room (2.2.1-2). Prospero also has a lot of influence over the nobles through Ariel's music to put them to sleep in many scenes to orchestrate their behaviors. This use of control could be seen as evil intent when taken on its own, but it is through this use of magic and blurring reality that Prospero ultimately gains insight into his pent-up resentment towards the nobles. For this reason, towards the end of the play he says "I will break my staff" and "I will drown my book", thus renouncing his magical powers so that he can become entirely "real" (5.1.54-57). ). Additionally, in the first scene of act five, Prospero forgives Antonio, returns his son to Alonso, and snaps the nobles out of their mystical daze, showing that Prospero ultimately lacks the "evil intent" required by definition to be strange. Perhaps this is because it was his use of magic as well as the ambiguity between reality and illusion on the island that ultimately led him to observe his pent-up resentment, which could imply that his character might indeed be strange only until he recognizes it. pent-up resentment and renounces aspects of his character that make him strange. The third scene of the third act of The Tempest also elicits very strong characteristics of the uncanny which are indicative of Prospero's repressed resentment. In this scene there are “strange forms, bringing a banquet” which “dance around him with sweet actions of greeting” (3.3.19-20). The noble witnesses of this event are rather amazed because these strange shapes are not necessarily representative of human physiology, but rather something more mysterious and unexpected. The strangeness lies in the idea that no one particularly knows where these forms come from and that they are in awe (perhaps even frightened) by their existence. Here, the uncanny is presented by the idea that “human minds” exist with “carefully gauged magical powers” ​​that are “against the unmistakable sanctions of reality” (147). The strange forms are not human, but "their manners are gentler" compared to the rest of the human race, making them strange figures (3.3.32). In this, the ambiguity between reality and illusion is established because these forms do not look human, but they behave like the most courteous aristocrats. They are also the result of certain "magical powers" which are necessary by definition to make them strange. Ariel appears soon after in the form of a harpy and explicitly tells the nobles "I have driven you crazy" while informing them that it was their previous actions that brought them to their fate on the island (3.3.52 -80). This madness is caused by the magical practices practiced on the island by Prospero which blur the line between reality and illusion. The noble characters are very disturbed by these forms, and it becomes clear that Prospero intended to frighten the nobles with his magical powers, which is indicative of Prospero's suppressed resentment towards them since he intended to seeking some sort of justice or perhaps even revenge on others. noble in that way. The strangeness can be.