Wednesday, January 11, 2012

The Tempest as a Romantic Romance: a Redundancy?

Describing something as a Romantic Romance seems to be a redundant statement.  However, Romance can have two meanings, both of which are found in The Tempest.  First, there is the common definition of Romance as a love story, as seen through Ferdinand and Miranda's relationship.  The second involves the idea of belief in something better beyond the horizon, as seen when Miranda romanticizes the new world full of people to which she is introduced, saying "Oh Brave New World that has such people in't."  Another example of this idea is when Pochahontis sings the song "Just Around the River Bend"  in the Disney Movie.  She has a belief in something better somewhere else.

*Note:  Shakespeare was the Disney of his time.

2 comments:

  1. Loved this discussion in class tonight! Definitely gave me something to think about. And, what if they had Shakespeare World/Land like they have Disney today?! What would those rides be like? Sa-weet!

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  2. Ha! I never thought of that. It would be totally awesome, I am sure. It would be fun to walk into the "wonderful world of Shakespeare".

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