Paper Summary:

In Sophocles's "Antigone" and William Shakespeare's "The Tempest", two very different, yet similar, displays of power on the parts of Creon and Prospero are the basis of the plots of their respective stories. This paper explains how both Creon and Prospero use their power relations to impose their own ideals on the societies in which they live. Creon uses his power on the throne to impose his own laws and beliefs on the people, while Prospero uses his supernatural powers, ultimately, for the good of his community, as well as personal gain. It explains that these examples of power relations, as shown by Sophocles and Shakespeare, serve the purpose of demonstrating to the readers that authority figures and government are capable of imposing whatever they wish on the people, in some cases causing unnecessary grief for many.

From the Paper:

"Traditionally, authority figures tend to flaunt their power in search of personal gain and intimidation. In The Tempest, Prospero uses his magical powers to employ the use of a servant and a spirit to assist him in his personal chores and to keep the island running smoothly. In Antigone, Creon uses his royal power, more or less, to his personal advantage, with no obvious benefit to society. Prospero's supernatural abilities are made evident when Miranda accuses him, "by your art thy dearest father, you have / put the wild waters in this roar."(Shakespeare, I. ii. 1-2). In light of this, one may be led to believe that Prospero is trying to hurt those on the ship who have hurt him in the past but, in fact, Prospero only creates this storm out of love for his daughter who is in search of a mate, and Ferdinand, who is on board the ship seems to be a logical candidate. Prospero ensures that no one is harmed by the storm by sending his spirit, Aerial, to keep watch over the ship."

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