Does Shakespeare set The Tempest as a comedy in the exposition scene, through the Boatswain's comment "You do assist the storm"?
Shakespeare's The Tempest is widely recognized as a controversial Elizabethan comedy, mostly because of the ambiguous resolution and the stereotypes of comic characters such as the usurped kinds and court jesters. Comedy as an overall subject is defined as a dramatic play which entertains the audience through a journey from a tragic situation to happy ending. If looked through into modern context, a comedy is only shown to be the release of laughter with different theories. During this comedy the character 'Boatswain' who is known to be the senior crewman of the deck department who supervises of other members of the ship's deck department is briefly introduced in the beginning of the play. Even though this Boatswain is briefly shown through Act 1 Scene 1, this character plays a large part in the play as introduces class issues. These class issues are dependant on how the upper class would treat the working class in that era as a completely different species. The character Sebastian reveals this ill treatment towards the working class Boatswain clearly during the chaos of the storm, with the comment ' A pox o' your throat, you bawling, blasphemous, in-charitable dog.' Due to the chaos happening while this comment was aimed from an upper class character, shows to the audience that upper class people, no matter what life threatening situation they're in, feel the need to insult and curse those lower and vulnerable than help straighten a situation out. These class issues continue through out the play from either characters who already maintain the upper class status towards those lower, or characters who have managed to climb up the social class ladder before turning against those who are weaker. This class issue rapidly becomes a major part of the story when the Boatswain is shown to respond 'You do assist the storm'. The fact that the Boatswain is shown to try and climb the social ladder against the own King and hierarchy can be a comedy towards a modern audience, due to the superiority theory, but a threat to the Elizabethan audience, due to the fact that it would generally become a crime to upset or threaten the hierarchy. By using the quote 'You do assist the storm', the Boatswain explains, how the upper class, those in which have an extreme amount of money, are able to make things worse for themselves or create upon more chaos through the play. This all fits into the structure of the exposition scene in Freytag's theory. The only reason, that Act 1 is able to fit into the exposition scene is because we are introduced to the Boatswain and the king with his hierarchy, upon a boat on the way back from the king's daughters arranged marriage. What seems to happen during this journey 'home', is a storm in which creates the conflict between the Boatswain and hierarchy.
Firstly, those who forget their own station and challenge the monarchy, only make things worse. The situation upon the characters actually challenging the monarchy does not only create the Elizabethan audience to tense up, but it also creates negative emotions rather than the actual humour within itself. Boatswain is considered under this situation as he would be seen to do the 'daring' by challenging the hierarchy in which terms Sebastian with 'Work you, then.' Due to this becoming the huge conflict in the Exposition scene itself, it only proves that those who do not follow society's rules can make the conflict worse for themselves and others. Continuing on from this, those who forget their own stations can actually make the situation worse for themselves instead of the upper class taking on the action. Caliban takes on this role quite well, as he is confronted by Prospero, for violating the upper classes own daughter 'till thou didst seek to violate the honour of my child.'. To release the tension on such a strong topic of discussion during the play, Shakespeare chose to use the Benign theory, to both threaten yet create a benign situation. 'O ho, O ho! Would't have been done! Thou didst prevent me; I had peopled else This isle with Calibans.' is the benign part to the comedy theory, as while Caliban is actually admitting to his wrong doing, but once again only making the situation worse by challenging his own master. The upper class audience can only find this the release of laughter, due to the way Caliban tries to gain upper status by admitting to the chaos he has caused whilst contrasting this with the excuse that he was providing the island with his own 'Calibans.'
Alternatively, Trinculo and Stephano who are actually apart of the upper class, try to move further up the social even more. This causes their own downfall which would finally give the lower class Elizabethan audience the superiority theory from humour, as they become more 'knowledgeable' than the characters who's roles lie within the upper class. This downfall is through the unwise actions of becoming under the influence of alcohol. Even though it originally began with Stephano becoming the drunken man who's 'cellar is in rock by th'sea- side' where his 'wine is hid.', the taste of the 'not earthly ' substance influences Trinculo into questioning Stephano; 'O Stephano, hast any more of this?', both the Elizabethan and modern audience are able to interpret the come down of the situation in which would unravel for the worst. Furthering on from this, Stephano and Trinculo continue to keep digging a bigger hole in their lives, as they become so lazy to the point they both don't actually achieve their own aim. This becomes a dramatic irony because they only became manipulated by Prospero, after he slipped up on his own work, where else Stephano and Trinculo could have overthrown Prospero all along.
http://www.enotes.com/topics/tempest/critical-essays/tempest-vol-84
Firstly, those who forget their own station and challenge the monarchy, only make things worse. The situation upon the characters actually challenging the monarchy does not only create the Elizabethan audience to tense up, but it also creates negative emotions rather than the actual humour within itself. Boatswain is considered under this situation as he would be seen to do the 'daring' by challenging the hierarchy in which terms Sebastian with 'Work you, then.' Due to this becoming the huge conflict in the Exposition scene itself, it only proves that those who do not follow society's rules can make the conflict worse for themselves and others. Continuing on from this, those who forget their own stations can actually make the situation worse for themselves instead of the upper class taking on the action. Caliban takes on this role quite well, as he is confronted by Prospero, for violating the upper classes own daughter 'till thou didst seek to violate the honour of my child.'. To release the tension on such a strong topic of discussion during the play, Shakespeare chose to use the Benign theory, to both threaten yet create a benign situation. 'O ho, O ho! Would't have been done! Thou didst prevent me; I had peopled else This isle with Calibans.' is the benign part to the comedy theory, as while Caliban is actually admitting to his wrong doing, but once again only making the situation worse by challenging his own master. The upper class audience can only find this the release of laughter, due to the way Caliban tries to gain upper status by admitting to the chaos he has caused whilst contrasting this with the excuse that he was providing the island with his own 'Calibans.'
Alternatively, Trinculo and Stephano who are actually apart of the upper class, try to move further up the social even more. This causes their own downfall which would finally give the lower class Elizabethan audience the superiority theory from humour, as they become more 'knowledgeable' than the characters who's roles lie within the upper class. This downfall is through the unwise actions of becoming under the influence of alcohol. Even though it originally began with Stephano becoming the drunken man who's 'cellar is in rock by th'sea- side' where his 'wine is hid.', the taste of the 'not earthly ' substance influences Trinculo into questioning Stephano; 'O Stephano, hast any more of this?', both the Elizabethan and modern audience are able to interpret the come down of the situation in which would unravel for the worst. Furthering on from this, Stephano and Trinculo continue to keep digging a bigger hole in their lives, as they become so lazy to the point they both don't actually achieve their own aim. This becomes a dramatic irony because they only became manipulated by Prospero, after he slipped up on his own work, where else Stephano and Trinculo could have overthrown Prospero all along.
http://www.enotes.com/topics/tempest/critical-essays/tempest-vol-84
