Forgiveness is Better Than Revenge by Hillary Futch

Mazursky’s Tempest shows the audience that everyone goes through tough times. Phillip went through a mid-life crisis and hated everyone and everything going on in his life. Phillip and Miranda, unlike Prospero and Miranda, go to this deserted island to get away from “society”; Prospero and Miranda go to the island because they are forced there. Shakespeare introduces these characters during the time of the storm. You are first introduced to the characters on the ship, and then you are introduced to Prospero, who is responsible for the storm, and the people on the island. In the film we are introduced to Phillip, who is based on the Prospero character, on the island living his life every way he wants to. He lives with a beautiful woman and his daughter Miranda. We do not find out till later that Phillip dreams of this storm and bodies lying in water and that he is also responsible for the storm.

Phillip travels to Greece to get away from his life in New York City. His wife leaves him and he is unhappy with his job. When in Greece he meets Aretha, who based on the character Ariel, and she introduces him to the island. Unlike Phillip, Prospero has no choice but to go to the island; his plan of action is to seek revenge on the people that put him there.

Both Shakespeare and Mazursky show their audiences that forgiveness is always better than revenge. In Mazursky’s film, when Phillip finds out that the boat that is nearby is Alonzo’s, he wants to sink the boat out of revenge, but quickly finds out that revenge isn’t always the best route to take. Phillip forgives his wife and leaves the island with his daughter and his wife back in his arms. Prospero leaves the island with his daughter and his future son-in-law.

Mazursky tells a captivating tale to the audience and his interpretation of the play is successful. He tells the story and pulls the audience in to show the similarities and differences between the play and the movie. It’s a modern twist to the classical and Shakespearian tale of Prospero, Miranda, and all the people they meet along the way. His interpretation of the play shows how even in modern day society people go through the same things that the people in Shakespeare’s time went through. In this time period, people look at Shakespeare’s works and say “I do not understand,” but most people do not give them a chance. Mazursky took an ordinary occurrence and changed it to fit in with what Prospero went through; the language and overall tone was different but the storyline was still basically the same thing: forgiveness is better than revenge.