셰익스피어와 정의:「태풍」을 중심으로

Shakespeare and Justice: An Essay on The Tempest.

This essay attempts to define ‘justice’ in The Tempest, focusing on the character of Prospero. The argument of this study is that Shakespeare emphasizes ‘political justice’ through the character of Prospero. To develop the argument, this paper has mainly focused on the act of Prospero. Prospero is a philosopher as well as a ruler. He is deposed by his brother, Antonio, who is aided by Alonso. He finally forgives his brother’s offences. However, Prospero’s success is not complete, for Antonio and Sebastian never repent. Strikingly, Antonio and Sebastian are not transfigured. Thus the play’s ending is far from being perfectly stable. In The Tempest, Shakespeare acknowledges that there are Antonions who will refuse justice, and Prosperos who cannot forget injustice. Nevertheless, Prospero has reconciled with his old enemies. He uses his magic to create an atmosphere of forgiveness and reconciliation. Prospero sacrifices both his dominion over the island and his love of magic. In doing so, he restores a measure of justice to human society.