Everything in the past is the source of the prologue

"What's past is prologue" comes from Shakespeare's play "The Tempest". The original text of this sentence is: What's past is prologue. There is another common translation of this sentence, as follows: Everything in the past is a prologue. The meaning of this sentence is: the past is past, what happened in the past will become the prelude to today's events, and we should focus on the present.

Introduction to "The Tempest"

Prospero, Duke of Milan, was obsessed with magic, and his brother Antonio usurped the throne together with Alonzo, King of Naples. Prospero and his young daughter Miranda lived on a desert island. With the help of magic, they conquered the island's elves and only inhabitant, the extremely ugly native Caliban. Twelve years later, the King of Naples, his son Ferdinand, Antonio and others passed by the island by boat. Prospero gets the chance and uses his magic to summon a storm that capsizes their ship. The King of Naples and his party were tortured and finally found their lost nature. Prospero forgives their sins and marries his daughter Miranda to Ferdinand, and everyone ends happily. The main character of "The Tempest"

Prospero

William Shakespeare's Prospero is a wise man who has no greed for power and is completely devoted to his otherworldly career. the image of the person. Prospero was originally the Duke of Milan. Because he was obsessed with learning and magic, he left all political affairs to his brother Antonio. Prospero has no regrets about this experience of indifference to politics that brought him disaster. There is no criticism of the king's indulging in art as the Chinese traditionally did. On the contrary, he praised his learning, art and magic until his death.

When Prospero told his daughter about the past, he still called it "better than any cause praised in the world." Prospero, who suffered the hatred and murder of his country, did not regret it. He is obsessed with learning and magic. Because that was the real cause in his heart. As the king of the country, there is no evidence that he seeks the welfare of the people in accordance with his position as king. What he pursues is non-utilitarian and intrinsic. The magic he is obsessed with symbolizes human beings' pursuit of the other side beyond life.

Miranda

As the daughter of Prospero, Miranda has no worldly ideas at all. She was raised by her father on an isolated island, thus symbolizing an absolute purity. She is kind-hearted and compassionate. The play repeatedly emphasizes that she is a virgin, which seems redundant. Because as she herself said: "Except for you, my best friend, and my dear father, I have never met anyone I can call a man." Miranda's virginity in the play here symbolizes a kind of lack of Purity tainted by sociality.

Ferdinand

Ferdinand’s identity was the son of Alonzo, King of Naples, and the son of Prospero’s enemy. Unlike the children and friends of Hamlet's enemies in "Hamlet", this Ferdinand is a kind and pure young man, no matter how treacherous his father is. The character of Ferdinand is the embodiment of goodness in the heart of the forgiven. Likewise, it is also the basis for the redemption of his father's sins. He is in a sense the good in the evildoer. And this kindness is expressed through love for Miranda.

Ariel

From the beginning when the ship of the King of Naples suffered a storm, to all the subsequent magical acts, almost all of them were done by the elf Ariel. She was originally a servant driven by Sycorax, the witch on the island, but due to her good nature, she was unable to obey the evil orders and was imprisoned in pain. Finally, he was rescued by Prospero and served Prospero from then on.

Ariel symbolizes the power of transcendent knowledge itself. As a kind and docile elf, she cannot be driven by the evil witch Sycorax, which illustrates that the power of transcendent knowledge cannot be harnessed by evil. From here we can see a kind of sustenance of Shakespeare. That is, true reason is virtue.

Caliban

In "The Tempest", Caliban is very different from the others in both appearance and personality. However, despite being an important and interesting character in the play, Caliban's appearance has not been specifically described, and it is difficult to figure out what he looks like, or even whether he is a man or a beast.

The impression I get from others in the play is that Caliban must have looked strange, like a half-man, half-animal monster. Prospero talks about Caliban's appearance in one word: ugly.

Appreciation of "The Tempest"

"The Tempest" is obviously a fairy tale. In the play, there are not only mortals, but also ghosts, elves, charming princes and beautiful princesses. In a sense, this play shows the victory of good over evil. A storm isolates the characters in the play and brings them to a mysterious island. Like the other three plays of Shakespeare's later years, this play shows the themes of offense, repentance, punishment, forgiveness and reconciliation between people.

Although in this play, the sinner's repentance and the insulted's magnanimity seem to be superficial and formal. As for Prospero, there is also a lack of sincerity in reconciliation in his forgiveness. It's just because he understands that he is at an advantage and the enemy is at his mercy. But Prospero is admired for his talents and prestige. He is calm-minded and has a realistic attitude and objective perspective on the natural world and the relationship between people. This is just a wonderful metaphor for the calm appearance of reason and humanity in the context of the Renaissance.

Of course, "The Tempest" does not just allude to storms in nature, it especially expresses the inner world of the characters in the play, which is full of turbulent and complicated emotions. But this human passion is like a storm in nature. Once the rain clears, it magically turns into reconciliation, forgiveness and peace. The story of "The Tempest" embodies the perfection that Shakespeare longs for most: the repentance of the wicked, the immortality of the righteous, and the return of justice. Most importantly, human frailties are also mended and forgiveness is redeemed in The Tempest.

What is more important in "The Tempest" is the author's thorough understanding and open-minded attitude towards human nature. Sufferings and changes are inevitable in life, but as a "person" one should have the courage and tolerance to face life head-on, not be alarmed when encountering changes, and respond calmly, so that one can fully appreciate the "beauty of humanity" in life. The creative background of "The Tempest"

"The Tempest" is a product of the times. In the UK where Shakespeare lived, capitalism was in the ascendant and was exerting its influence in all directions; the Renaissance was in full swing, humanists were keen on the new ideas of the rising bourgeoisie, and the entire country was moving towards a renaissance.

This imprint of the times cannot but be reflected in the work. This idea of ??equality has got rid of the medieval thinking and eulogized human beings from a humanistic perspective. In "The Tempest", Pross Instead of being jealous and seeking revenge to seize his title, Piero managed to get his daughter Miranda to meet, fall in love with, and get married to his enemy's son Ferdinand. This Christian-like spirit of tolerance reflects the writer's mentality in his later years. .

He wants to resolve hatred, repay hatred with kindness, and love the world. And all this should start from young people and not let hatred continue. "The Tempest" was written around 1611, premiered in late 1611, and first officially published in 1623. Introduction to the author of "The Tempest"

William Shakespeare was an English Renaissance dramatist and poet. Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564, in Stratford, central England, to a wealthy citizen family. He studied Latin, literature and rhetoric at the grammar school in his hometown when he was young. Later, when his family fell into decline, he helped his father in business. Around 1578, he went to London alone to make a living. It is said that he worked as a groom or a servant, which was regarded as the "lowest profession" at the time.

Later, he became an actor and screenwriter. He toured various places with the troupe and had extensive contact with the lives of all walks of life. He has played supporting roles in the troupe, such as the ghost in "Hamlet", and has also served as a director, but mainly wrote scripts. At first, he just processed old scripts, and gradually rewritten or created his own scripts through processing. He later became a shareholder of the theater company, returned to his hometown from London around 1613, and died on April 23, 1616.