Before I do that, I created a sketch in honor of William Shakespeare's play "The Tempest", which was the first piece of literature we read last semester. My favorite character is Ariel, who I admire for his wit, charm and loyalty. Even Grady Harp believes that "Taymor and Shakespeare together make the important character of Ariel, Prospera's obedient sprite, a thing of magic." Ariel, a magical being of great power, was saved from a tree by Prospero, the castaway Duke of Milan who claims to be a sorcerer. To repay Prospero for his rescue, Ariel is in debt to him until he has completed his servitude. Although Ariel has a good relationship with Prospero, he has outgrown his service and does everything in his power to be free from service. Personally, I relate to Ariel on an emotional level.
It's interesting how Ariel has all the power in the world to create whatever he wants, even the tempest that brought Ferdinand's crew to the uncharted, mythical Island where Prospero and his daughter reside. He respects Prospero, to an extent, and doesn't disagree with his terms, no matter how deceiving. It isn't because that Prospero has a greater power than Ariel—in fact, Prospero is probably not a "sorcerer" at all. His true power comes from his sense of leadership and a great knowledge of his studies, which makes him the authority of Ariel.
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| "Power Vs. Authority" by myself. (You can see my self-insert in the upper left corner. Ariel from "The Tempest" is in bottom right corner.) |
So I made this sketch as a visual of power vs. authority. No matter how much power Ariel had, his abilities are overshadowed by Prospero's authority. I also drew out the parallels between Ariel and myself—his respect for the duke, and mine for my parents. We have to power to create what we desire, but we still have a certain respect for our respective authority figures.
Ariel has done his job and is free to be his own leader, as I am ready to graduate and go off to college to be my own individual. It's good to be accountable for your own being. So with that mind, have a great summer!
Grady Harp's review of "The Tempest": http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1274300/reviews
