Tempestas, Tempestatis

Tempestas, Tempestatis (genitive), means "storm" in Latin. Having taken Latin for 6 years, I have always been promised that learning Latin will greatly enhance my understanding of words and other languages in general. While there are some similarities in the derivative of Latin words, I have always felt as this promise has always been such a let-down. Afterall, Latin is a dead language and has little significance compared to that of the Roman culture that is still studied. This promise might not be as empty as I had assumed, as finally, I have been able to utilize my Latin knowledge and apply to this play, especially the title. "The Tempest" begins with a storm that demolishes a ship due to the manifestation of Prospero's rage and resentment that he still holds of his stolen dukedom. The word "tempest" has greater significance to me and stuck out to me due to its Latin roots and caused me to pay close attention to the storm and its significance.

Interestingly, Prospero does not want to harm his brother, Antonio or Alonso (the accomplice) through the storm. Prospero's anger can be compared to a storm, just as a storm will pass, so will his anger. A storm will pass with time, and it seems as if the same happened with Prospero's rage and resentment as he forgave Antonio and Alonso. This ties into the large motif of forgiveness in this play. It seems as if the entire play was building up to the confrontation of Prospero to his brother, Antonio, but ends with forgiveness and with their problems resolved. Overall, the storm in the play, plays a huge role in leading to the confrontation between Antonio and Prospero with a resolution between the two.

Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 28, 2017 at 8:30 PM

    Camille,

    I have been thinking about the suddenness of Prospero’s capacity for forgiveness as well. As you said, the storm plays a large role in defining Prospero’s character progression throughout the course of the play. All of his actions, although manipulative and deceiving, are geared towards creating a conciliatory ending and return to Milan. Although his reliance on magical powers and his cruel exploitation of the other characters make Prospero an unsympathetic character, it is clear that his obsession over control is just an undesirable means to a joyful end (as evidenced by the marriage between Ferdinand and Miranda). Once we begin to understand the world as Prospero does, he emerges as a loving father focused on his daughter’s happiness.

    Ben

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