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What literary devices are used in The Tempest?

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In The Tempest, Shakespeare uses various literary devices to explore themes of illusion and power. The storm symbolizes Prospero's anger and desire for revenge. Personification gives nature a "personality," as seen when the sea "sighs." Similes are used to compare freedom to "mountain winds" or to criticize characters, like Alonso, who "receives comfort like cold porridge." Allusions to Greek mythology enhance the mystical setting, enabling Prospero's magical control.

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Various literary devices are employed in William Shakespeare's The Tempest to advance themes of illusions and power.

The storm, or tempest, which opens this play is used as a symbol. Prospero has been waiting for a dozen years to exact revenge on those who once betrayed him. His anger is felt as those aboard the ship believe that "all [is] lost" as they are tossed in the wind, thunder, and waves.

Acts of nature are often so significant in The Tempest that sometimes Mother Nature seems to be a character herself; personification helps to develop nature's "personality":

There they hoist us
To cry to th’ sea that roared to us, to sigh
To th’ winds, whose pity, sighing back again,
Did us but loving wrong.

Nature seems to capture the pain of humans, "sighing" as she blows it back onto them.

Similes are used throughout the play. When Ariel asks about the possibility of his freedom, Prospero promises that this request will be granted in exchange for Ariel's loyalty in this endeavor:

Thou shalt be as freeAs mountain winds; but then exactly do
All points of my command.

A simile that is not quite so inspiring is used in Act 2, Scene 1, when Sebastian assesses Alonso's character:

He receives comfort like cold porridge.

Cold porridge isn't exactly an appetizing proposition, so Alonso is thus described as a man who looks with distaste upon attempts to "comfort."

Shakespeare also utilizes allusions to classical Greek mythology; several characters, such as Iris and Ceres, appear in the play. These references advance the mystical and imaginative setting which allows Prospero the ability to cast powerful spells and thus control the fates of his enemies.

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