The Power Of Master And Servant Relationship In The Tempest

The Tempest, written by William Shakespeare in 1610, is a tragicomedy that thematically focuses on power. Throughout the play, power is manifested in several different ways: the power of love, the power of master-servant relationships, the power of magic, and the power between men. The power of the master and servant relationship is portrayed through the political characters, while being mimicked through the comic characters. Specifically, Stefano and Trinculo serve as the comic characters. Though Stefano and Trinculo are not major characters, they do play a major role throughout The Tempest. Stefano and Trinculo’s main purpose is to serve as comic relief, as well as to further portray the power of the master and servant relationship. The†¦show more content†¦Trinculo is a relatively boring fool in the play, seeing how he does not participate in any real action, but does help to provide comic relief. The other character that Trinculo mainly interacts with is Stefano, a drunken butler for the King, and a friend of Trinculo’s. A butler is often recognized as a male servant in charge of the wines and liquors. Stefano is a jovial and intoxicated character, who also provides comic relief. However, it is important to note that these characters are not funny in themselves, meaning their lines are not funny. Rather, it is their actions that provide the comic relief. Trinculo and Stefano are first introduced in Act II, Scene II. This scene is pure comedy, as the events occurring are very impractical and ridiculous. Trinculo who is terrified by thunder, looks around for places to hide. Trinculo identifies something that looks like a man but smells like a fish. However, Trinculo ends up hiding from the storm under a gabardine, despite smelly Caliban being under it, as Trinculoe states the memorable words â€Å"Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows† (Jacobus, 249). Once drunken Stefano arrives, he mistakes Trinculo and Caliban for a four legged monster, stating â€Å"â€Å"Four legs and two voices: a most delicate monster! His forward voice now is to speak well of his friend; his backward voice is to utter foul speeches and to detract† (Jacobus, 250).Show MoreRelatedMaster Servant Relationships in the Tempest and Dr Faustus1547 Words   |  7 PagesMaster-Servant Relationships in ‘The Tempest’ and ‘Dr Faustus’ Prospero, in ‘The Tempest’, resides on the island with his daughter Miranda and two mythical creatures; his favourite being Ariel who performs magic for him and is a trustworthy servant- this would cause controversy with the audience as magic was a concept both feared and believed in at the time this play was performed. 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