Knowledge as a Downfall: An Analysis of The Tempest — Presentation Detail — Celebration of Scholars

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Jun Wang
Kim Instenes
John Kirk
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James Ripley

Knowledge as a Downfall: An Analysis of The Tempest

Name: Molly Skoda
Major: Elementary Education/Cross-Categorical Special Education
Hometown: Frankfort, IL
Faculty Sponsor:
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Course project

Abstract

This paper was written in my Western Heritage II course in the spring of 2020 after reading The Tempest by William Shakespeare. Throughout the play, the relationship between knowledge and power is explored. In my paper I argue that knowledge is not a power but a weakness in this story. It is often believed that knowledge is powerful, and I personally agree that it is a powerful tool to have. However, I challenge this idea as I argue in my paper, Shakespeare’s work The Tempest is expressing that knowledge is actually a weakness. In the play, Prospero loses his power due to his dedication to gaining knowledge, his daughter Miranda must hide her intelligence in order to gain power as a female, and the spirit Ariel is used as a tool because of his extensive knowledge and skill. The direct evidence I provide and quotes I analyze in this paper clearly support the argument that William Shakespeare portrays knowledge as a weakness in his work.

Poster file