Topic > The story of Joseph in The Tempest vs. The spirit of revenge in Montaigne's cannibals

James Hoyle theorizes that the main sources of the Tempest revolve around the biblical story of Joseph and his brothers in which the spirit of envy and consequent reconciliation and forgiveness predominates. This plot contrasts sharply with the spirit of revenge depicted in Michel de Montaigne's On Cannibals (1580). A possible source of inspiration for Shakespeare's The Tempest is the news of the shipwreck and settlement of British colonizers during the period of American exploration and colonialism. There is a serious lack of specific and authoritative Shakespearean sources for The Tempest, however, the three suggestions put forward are the Italian commedia dell'arte, Die Schone Sidea and Jason and Medea. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayAlthough there are commonalities such as the shipwreck and the love of a princess for a shipwrecked prince, they do not correspond to the main motifs of The Tempest which include sibling rivalry, forced separation, experience in a new land , providential help, the casual reunion with the brother-enemy, the test of conscience and the final triumph of the spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation. These motifs harmonize perfectly with the biblical story in Genesis of Joseph and his brothers and therefore can be considered an authoritative source for The Tempest. Modern scholars often ignore biblical influence in literature, yet no other solid sources exist in classical mythology, nor in Renaissance literature to support Shakespeare's inspiration for The Tempest. Some parallels are evident in both the biblical story of Joseph and Prospero in The Tempest. Both are endowed with spiritual gifts: supernatural intelligence, clairvoyance and divination. Prospero also shares the power of magic wands in the biblical stories of the Exodus of Moses and Aaron. Prospero and Joseph are alike in their luck and prosperity despite adversity. The name Prospero derives from the Latin prosperus (favorable), prosper (to make lucky) and from the Hebrew prosperitie (peace and prosperity). Likewise, Joseph was a “man who prospered because God made him prosper” (Genesis 39:2, 3). As a test to probe the consciences of the rival brothers, both Joseph and Prospero accuse their brothers of being spies. In both cases the rival brothers express true guilt, experience a change of heart, and repent. The apparent degradation of the places of exile, Egypt on the one hand and Bermuda, does not prevent the heroes, Joseph and Prospero respectively, from prospering. In both situations with Prospero and Joseph, it is the undeniable hand of Providence that guides and preserves the innocent heroes. In both cases, Providence transforms misfortune into a greater good, hence the theme of felix culpa. In a literary context, the term "felix culpa" can be used to describe how a series of miserable events will ultimately lead to a happier outcome. In the end, the spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation prevails in both the story of Joseph and his brothers and in The Tempest, even in the face of the wrongs and injustices of the past. The central idea of ​​The Tempest is not about the wild man represented by Caliban, the Cannibal but focuses on the idea of ​​forgiveness. Shakespeare reacts to Michel de Montaigne's classic work, On Cannibals (1580), because it goes against the principle of forgiveness, justifies and ennobles the spirit's insatiable hunger for revenge. Indeed, Montaigne's essay rejects grace and supports primitivism, retaliation, calculated retaliation. His teaching goes against the Christian principle of entrusting vengeance into the hands of God. Let it be. 358 – 362.