Antonio in The Tempest: The Significance of Betrayal - Essay
Summary : The Tempest is Shakespeare's last play, written in the early 17 th century. The play features the character Antonio, whose attitude towards power mirrors the political spirit of the time. Renaissance in Europe was a time of political turmoil- treaties were made and broken, and rulers held thrones for progressively smaller stretches of time. Machiavelli, who was still influential in Shakespeare's time, held the viciously ruthless view that power is to be attained by any means. In The Tempest Antonio conspires with the King of Naples and usurps the throne of his own brother Prospero, the Duke of Milan. Later in the story he conspires again, this time against the King of Naples, who was previously his ally. Thus Antonio, involved in schemes to seize power throughout the entirety of the story, is the embodiment of the precarious political balance of the era. Essay The Tempest is Shakespeare's last play, written in the early 17 th century. It is thought b