Abstract
The Tempest by William Shakespeare pursues the idea of a celebratory exploration of the nature of theatrical art. More than this, the whole play is set on a duality between art and nature, sometimes combining and sometimes contrasting each other. Art would be defined as grace, civility and virtue; this representation is embodied by Prospero, noble men and their servants. The courtly world can be seen as a world of art in the play, as the atmosphere is guided by good manners, grace and sophistication. On the other hand, nature could be described as natural elements, bestial behaviors, brutishness and savageness.
This element is mostly embodied by Caliban, and the natural world where he lives would be where the stage is set, that is to say the island, the forest, the sea, the tempest… But nature also refers to human nature - Shakespeare deals with human ways of acting, of creating plots and manipulating their fellows. The civilized man belongs here to the nobility, he is self-controlled and inhabited by good manners, whereas the natural man is described as a savage - a brutal and intemperate character. Whilst the sophisticated man is full of knowledge and is powerful, the uncivilized - natural - man is artless. In his last play, Shakespeare has portrayed neither nature nor art as perfect but as having a complex relationship, where one is reflected in the other. While nature calls forth the authoritative power of art to correct it, art can descend to, and even sink below, the level of nature.
Art and nature are two extremes brought together, which leads to an inevitable debate. We can wonder to what extent Shakespeare created characters who embody the binary relationship between Art and Nature.
It would firstly be relevant to study nature as an element confronted by its magic art, then to understand art as civilization and nature as savageness, and finally to look at art and nature as a Renaissance debate.
