How does Ariel interpret the tempest in his speech as the harpy? What effect is his speech meant to have on the “men of sin”? Is this an effective way of getting revenge? Why or why not? Incorporate quotations from the speech to support your answers.
This entry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.
Ariel interprets the tempest as being some sort of otherworldly punishment for the sins that have been committed by the conveniently named “men of sin”. He first talks about how the tempest made the nobles get on the island in the first place, and now continues as the men of sin stay around. “You are three men of sin, whom Destiny, That hath to instrument this lower world And what is in ’t, the never-surfeited sea Hath caused to belch up you, and on this island” (3.3 70-73). I think this speech by Ariel as the Harpy was effective in planting the seeds for revenge. She threatens “Ling’ring perdition, worse than any death Can be at once, shall step by step attend You and your ways, whose wraths to guard you from—Which here, in this most desolate isle, else falls Upon your heads—is nothing but heart’s sorrow”(3.3 95-100). Not only does this hint at a grave future for the men of sin, but what makes it so good for revenge is that it already instills fear into them. They are now going to be living in a constant state of stress and worry with no control over what happens due to the fact that they are against super natural forces. If Prospero’s goal with this harpy visit was to make their lives significantly worse, he definitely succeeded.
I think Ariel interprets the tempest in his speech as an otherworldly being. He is pretending to be a higher power in order to scare off the “men of sin”. I think Ariels speech to the “men of sin” is a threat. I think that because Ariel states that “You fools, I and my fellows Are ministers of fate.” which basically shows that they have power over them and can do anything do them, good or bad. Ariel is also saying that they don’t deserve to live because they took away Prosperos throne and left him and his innocent daughter at the mercy of the sea. ” But remember— For that’s my business to you—that you three From Milan did supplant good Prospero, Exposed unto the sea, which hath requit it, Him and his innocent child.” Then he finishes off saying he has orders to finish them slowly and the only way to avoid is to live innocently from now on. This is not an effective way of getting revenge because it looks like a warning to me. They can choose to heed to the warnings, or continue without care. The more effective way would be to demonstrate Ariels powers and make it so they understand the consequences.
Ariel interpret the tempest in his speech as the harpy to distract them. In act 3 the men from the boat ship are awake from the sleep spell that Ariel put them in before and are now trying to find the prince.While doing so Ariel does many ways to distract the men. One way is through music. For example, in act 3 the men was trying to find a way out and Ariel plays his music. The men suddenly forgot the task at hand and started to pay attention to the music that they heard. The speech that he said was meant to make them think about the actions that they made. Ariel talked to them like that since he wanted them to reflect on themselves and see the things they had done was wrong. I think that this was an effective way because it made Alonso scared. He says “ 105Therefore my son i’ th’ ooze is bedded, and
I’ll seek him deeper than e’er plummet sounded
And with him there lie mudded“ which demonstrates to the audience how he regrets something’s and reflects on his life.
During this part of the play, Prospero is angry with his Antonio for sending him and his daughter to the sea, seeking revenge on him. A feast is given to all, but shortly taken awake and they are met with the Harpy, who is portrayed by Ariel. A harpy is a mystical monster that has the form of half women, half bird, symbolizing punishment and torture. In Ariel’s speech as the harpy, he calls Alonso, Sebastian and Antonio “three men of sins”, trying to frighten them and drive them mad. Ideally, this is not an effective way of seeking revenge on them, but in this case it is. The men were terrified and scared as Alonso expresses that “the clouds were talking to me, the winds were singing to me, and the thunder, like an awful organ pipe, roared Prospero’s name. It sang about my crimes. Because of my crimes my son is dead on the ocean floor” (100-105).
Ariel, appearing as a harpy, tells Alonso, Sebastian, and Antonio, they are the reason for the tempest that brought them to the island to be stranded. The freak storm that caused the shipwreck was due to karma coming back to them. He explains that the powers of the world did not forget about their treachery against Prospero, but it was merely waiting for the perfect time to get them back for their sins. This is all part of Prospero’s plan for revenge, making the three men responsible for his downfall to go ‘mad.’ This is a good plan for vengeance, because this plan actually prolongs the suffering the men have to go to. Caliban’s plan for revenge against Prospero, on the other hand, is a quick murder, and that is the end of the story. Prospero wants these three men to be in agony for a long time. This is also why Prospero makes sure to make Alonso realize that the reason why Ferdinand is gone is because of him. A father’s worst nightmare is being the cause of their own child’s death. Ariel telling Alonso, “The powers—delaying, not forgetting—have
Incensed the seas and shores, yea, all the creatures
Against your peace. Thee of thy son, Alonso,
They have bereft; and do pronounce by me
Ling’ring perdition, worse than any death” (3.3.91-95)
Prospero is utilizing cruel psychological attacks on the “men of sin” instead of using violence, and it is a powerful way of getting revenge on your enemies.
In Act III, Ariel appears as a “harpy” to Alonso, Sebastian and Antonio, representing the tempest as a half bird, half woman mythological creature. In his speech claims that the men have been stranded on this uninhabitable island by the sea because of their actions against Properso and Miranda, saying,
“you three
From Milan did supplant good Prospero,
Exposed unto the sea, which hath requit it,
Him and his innocent child, for which foul deed,
The powers—delaying, not forgetting.”(3.3.87-91)
Ariel’s speech is intended to enact justice or revenge on the men for thier actions against Prospero and it definitely has the intended effect on Alonso. Alonso thinks that his son, Ferdinand, has drowned as his punishment and decides to drown himself too, saying
“Therefor my son i’ th’ ooze is bedded, and
I’ll seek him deeper than e’er plummet sounded,
And with him there lie mudded.”(3.3.121-123)
However, Sebastian and Antonio are less affected by the speech and want to fight.
“You are three men of sin, whom Destiny, That hath to instrument this lower world, And what is in ’t, the, never-surfeited sea, Hath caused to belch up you, and on this island, Where man doth not inhabit, you ’mongst men.” (3.3.58-62) The way Ariel interprets his speech is as if he was an mighty angel that God sent to send the “men of sin” a message that God knows what sins they have committed and reason for the shipwreck was a punishment to them. This would seem to be an effective way of getting revenge because Alonso is shocked when Prosperos name was said ” O, it is monstrous, monstrous! Methought the billows spoke and told me of it; The winds did sing it to me, and the thunder, That deep and dreadful organ pipe, pronounced The name of Prosper.” (3.3.116-120) ” You fools, I and my fellows are ministers of Fate,” (3.3.78-79) Ariel is letting them know that he and his fellow harpy’s will carry out orders if given by the higher power, God.
During this scene we see the difference between what is real and what is fake as the banquet in fact not real. Ariel appears as a mix between a creature and a woman (a harpy) and her voice seems to come from a different place as well. Prospero is the person behind all of this as this was just used as a tool to punish Prospero’s enemies. The “men of sin” are prosperous enemies, Antonio, Sebastian, and Alonso and this is Prosperos way of getting revenge through the use of his magic. “My high charms work, And these, mine enemies, are all knit up In their distractions. They now are in my power. (III.iii.)” Here Prospero feels fully in control as reveals himself as the master manipulator behind these illusions that he controlling to get revenge on his enemies. I think this was an effective way of getting revenge as he caught his enemies in a time of weakness when they were tired and hungry and so way able to use that weakness to his advantage and scare them.
Ariel appears as a harpy and accuses Alonso, Antonio and Sebastian of being three men of sin (3.3.70 “You are three men of sin”) and dooms them to madness. Ariel calling himself an instrument of Fate and Destiny, he goes on to accuse Alonso, Sebastian, and Antonio of driving Prospero from Milan and leaving him and his child at the mercy of the sea (3.3.87-3.3.90 “But remember—For that’s my business to you—that you three From Milan did supplant good Prospero, Exposed unto the sea, which hath requit it, Him and his innocent child, for which foul deed”). For this sin, he tells them, the powers of nature and the sea have exacted revenge on Alonso by taking Ferdinand and says that the only way for them to be saved is through repentance and a righteous life.
I think Ariel by saying that things to Alonso, Sebastian, and Antonio just tried to terrify them and it doesn’t really look like the way of getting revenge, because Alonzo becomes desperate, Sebastian and Antonio in a fierce frenzy and they scatter around the island.
Ariel uses his speech and the Tempest to aggravate Alonso, Sebastian, and Antonio to the point where they drew their swords midway through. “you ’mongst men Being most unfit to live. I have made you mad; And even with such-like valor, men hang and drown their proper selves.” ‘(3.3.74-77). Here Ariel talks about how the sins of the men and mentions that men with sins such as these are unfit to live. This was an effective way to get revenge on the men because Ariel only agitated the men to create a far more hostile environment which he hoped and to hint at the upcoming revenge.
Ariel seems to believe it was destiny that the tempest kept the men alive to live on the island knowing they were not fit to survive. “The powers – delaying, not forgetting – have incensed the seas and shores, yea, all the creatures against your peace.” (3.3.91-93) His speech is meant to insight fear within each of them revealing that the environment is not fit for them and for revenge will continue to torture them for the evils they have done. Ariel offers a deal for them in which they can protect themselves from further torture by being genuine in their regret while moving forward leading a more wholesome life. This may be effective as long as they are willing to trade their innate arrogance and need for power.
In Ariel’s speech about the tempest, he states “You are three men of sin, whom Destiny, that hath to instrument this lower world and what is in ’t, the never-surfeited sea hath caused to belch up you, and on this island…”(The Tempest, 115) Ariel mentions that the Tempest forcing the men to land on the island was not by mere coincedence, but “Destiny” for them, hinting Prospero’s vengeance for the men. Ariel’s speech is meant to scare off Alonso, Sebastion, and Antonio, which is evident from Gonzalo’s quote, “All three of them are desperate. Their great guilt, like poison given to work a great time after, now ’gins to bite the spirits.” (The Tempest, 118) I would say this strategy of scare factors is not enough for Prospero’s lust of revenge although it is a great start.