Prospero’s Problem With Perfection Essay -- Prospero Tempest shakespea

Prosperos Problem With Perfection why Magic Isnt ampleGiovanni Picos Oration on the Dignity of Man promotes the perfectibility of mankind. In the oration, Pico presents a specific, attendant computer programme for mans spiritual ascendancy to godly flawlessness. And hitherto Picos program is dealt a literary blow in William Shakespeares The storm when the protagonist, learned mage Prospero, is unable to complete Picos curriculum and quits his magic trick entirely. The divergent view of man expressed in these two works exists on many levels, notwithstanding I believe the essential tension is revealed in the role of a single character in The disturbance the misshapen manservant Caliban. Caliban is marvellous and base. Arguably, his external ugliness reflects a clean hideousness within. Cosmo Corfield, in his scholarly article Why Does Prospero Abjure His Rough Magic? explicates this relationship when he associates Calibans zooerasty with a propensity to evil. However , Calibans consignment to the realm of evil and debility must be examined more closely. Is Caliban so evil? Is earthiness necessarily linked to darkness? Understanding the character of Caliban is essential to understanding why Prospero is unable to get hold of perfection. Picos program for mans perfectibility consists of three stages. He sees men as first being purified, then illuminated, then finall(a)y made perfect (16). These stages also follow in rigid sequence. Purification is achieved by refraining the impulses of our passions through moral science . . . by dissipating the darkness of reason by dialectic (16). at one time cleansed of the filth of ignorance and vice, we may then suffuse our purified souls with the light of natural philosophy (16). afterward illuminat... ...ke us remember what is significant. We may accumulate books and be filled with magical promise, yet still be as Prospero until the very end clueless. Picos program is best appreciated as a wa y of living a desire to be the best person possible. Mans perfection is solely distinct from the perfection of God. The perfected man remains grounded in all that is human and natural his eyes set not only on the heavens, but focused also on the world before him. Works CitedCorfield, Cosmo. Why Does Prospero Abjure His Rough Magic? Shakespeare Quarterly, Vol.36, No.1 (Spring, 1985), 31-48.Mirandolla, Giovanni Pico della. Oration of the Dignity of Man. Trans. A. Robert Caponigri. Washington D.C. Regnery Publishing, 1999.Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. unsanded York Washington Square Press, 2004. Prosperos Problem With Perfection Essay -- Prospero Tempest shakespeaProsperos Problem With Perfection Why Magic Isnt EnoughGiovanni Picos Oration on the Dignity of Man promotes the perfectibility of mankind. In the oration, Pico presents a specific, sequential program for mans spiritual ascendancy to godly flawlessn ess. And yet Picos program is dealt a literary blow in William Shakespeares The Tempest when the protagonist, learned mage Prospero, is unable to complete Picos curriculum and quits his magic entirely. The divergent view of man expressed in these two works exists on many levels, but I believe the essential tension is revealed in the role of a single character in The Tempest the misshapen manservant Caliban. Caliban is grotesque and base. Arguably, his external ugliness reflects a moral hideousness within. Cosmo Corfield, in his scholarly article Why Does Prospero Abjure His Rough Magic? explicates this relationship when he associates Calibans bestiality with a propensity to evil. However, Calibans consignment to the realm of evil and vice must be examined more closely. Is Caliban so evil? Is earthiness necessarily linked to immorality? Understanding the character of Caliban is essential to understanding why Prospero is unable to achieve perfection. Picos program for man s perfectibility consists of three stages. He sees men as first being purified, then illuminated, then finally made perfect (16). These stages also follow in rigid sequence. Purification is achieved by refraining the impulses of our passions through moral science . . . by dissipating the darkness of reason by dialectic (16). Once cleansed of the filth of ignorance and vice, we may then suffuse our purified souls with the light of natural philosophy (16). After illuminat... ...ke us remember what is significant. We may accumulate books and be filled with magical promise, yet still be as Prospero until the very end clueless. Picos program is best appreciated as a way of living a desire to be the best person possible. Mans perfection is wholly distinct from the perfection of God. The perfected man remains grounded in all that is human and natural his eyes set not only on the heavens, but focused also on the world before him. Works CitedCorfield, Cosmo. Why Does Prospero Abjure H is Rough Magic? Shakespeare Quarterly, Vol.36, No.1 (Spring, 1985), 31-48.Mirandolla, Giovanni Pico della. Oration of the Dignity of Man. Trans. A. Robert Caponigri. Washington D.C. Regnery Publishing, 1999.Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York Washington Square Press, 2004.