Claps of thunder and flashes of lightning illuminate a swelling sea, as a ship buckles beneath the waves. This is no ordinary storm, but a violent and vengeful tempest, and it sets the stage for Shakespeare’s most enigmatic play. As the skies clear, we are invited into a world that seems far removed from our own, but is rife with familiar concerns about freedom, power, and control.
Udari groma i sevanje munja osvetljavaju nadošlo more dok se brod povija pod talasima. Ovo nije obična oluja, već nasilna i osvetoljubiva bura, i ona postavlja pozornicu za Šekspirovu najzagonetniju dramu. Kako se nebo razvedrava, pozvani smo u svet koji se čini prilično udaljenim od našeg, ali je ispunjen nama bliskim brigama o slobodi, moći i kontroli.
The Tempest is set on a desert island, exposed to the elements and ruled with magic and might by Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan. Betrayed by his brother Antonio, Prospero has been marooned on the island for twelve years with his daughter Miranda and his beloved books. In this time he’s learned the magic of the island and uses it to harness its elementary spirits. He also rules over the island’s only earthly inhabitant, the dejected and demonized Caliban.
„Bura” se dešava na udaljenom ostrvu, izloženom silama prirode, a kojim putem magije i moći vlada Prospero, izgnani milanski vojvoda. Kada ga je izdao brat Antonio, Prospero je proveo u izolaciji na ostrvu dvanaest godina sa svojom kćerkom Mirandom i svojim voljenim knjigama. Za to vreme, savladao je ostrvsku magiju i koristi je kako bi ovladao duhovima prirode. On je i vladar jedinom zemaljskom stanovniku ostrva, utučenom i satanizovanom Kalibanu.
But after years of plotting revenge, Prospero’s foe is finally in sight. With the help of the fluttering sprite Ariel, the magician destroys his brother’s ship and washes its sailors ashore. Prospero’s plotting even extends to his daughter’s love life, whom he plans to fall for stranded prince Ferdinand. And as Prospero and Ariel close in on Antonio, Caliban joins forces with some drunken sailors, who hatch a comic plot to take the island.
Međutim, nakon godina spremanja osvete, Prosperov zlotvor je konačno na vidiku. Uz pomoć vazdušnog duha Arijela, mađioničar uništava bratovljev brod i njegove mornare izbacuje na obalu. Prosperovo spletkarenje se čak proteže i na ljubavni život njegove kćerke, za koju je isplanirao da se zaljubi u nasukanog princa Ferdinanda. A kako Prospero i Arijel sateruju Antonija u ćošak, Kaliban se pridružuje nekakvim pijanim mornarima koji smišljaju komičnu zaveru da preuzmu ostrvo.
The play strips society down to its basest desires, with each faction in hot pursuit of power- be it over the land, other people, or their own destiny. But Shakespeare knows that power is always a moving target; and as he reveals these characters’ dark histories, we begin to wonder if this vicious cycle will ever end.
Drama ogoljava društvo na osnovne nagone, gde svaka frakcija grabi moć - bilo nad zemljom, drugim ljudima ili sopstvenom sudbinom. Međutim, Šekspir zna da je moć meta koja je stalno u pokretu; i kako razotkriva mračne prošlosti svih tih likova, počinjemo da se pitamo ima li kraja ovom vrzinom kolu.
Although Prospero was wronged by Antonio, he has long inflicted his own abuses on the island, hoarding its magical properties and natural re-sources for himself. Caliban especially resents this takeover. The son of Sycorax, a witch who previously ruled the island, he initially helped the exiles find their footing. But he’s since become their slave, and rants with furious regret: “And then I loved thee,/ And showed thee all the qualities o’ th’ isle/ The fresh springs, brine pits, barren place and fertile./ Cursed be I that did so!”
Iako se Antonio ogrešio o Prospera, on je i sam naneo štetu ostrvu, grabeći njegova magična svojstva i prirodne resurse za sebe. Naročito Kaliban prezire ovu vlast. Sin Sikorakse, veštice koja je nekada vladala ostrvom, u početku je pomagao izgnanicima da se smeste. Međutim, kasnije je postao njihov rob koji izgovara tirade sa besnim kajanjem: „Tada sam te voleo, sve ti pokazivao na ostrvu: i sveže izvore i škrape pune vode slankaste i jalova i plodna zemljišta. O, proklet bio što to činih!”
With his thunderous language and seething anger, Caliban constantly reminds Prospero of what came before: this island’s mine by Sycorax my mother, Which thou takest from me. Yet Sycorax also abused the island, and imprisoned Ariel until Prospero released him. Now Ariel spends the play hoping to repay his debt and earn his freedom, while Caliban is enslaved indefinitely, or at least as long as Prospero is in charge.
Svojim prodornim jezikom i kuljajućim besom Kaliban stalno podseća Prospera na ono što je bilo nekad: „Ostrvo ovo meni pripada po mojoj majci Sikoraksi, a ti ga od mene preote.” Međutim, i Sikoraks je zloupotrebljavala ostrvo i držala je Arijela u zarobljeništvu dok ga nije Prospero oslobodio. Sada, tokom čitave drame, Arijel se nada da će da otplati dug i zaradi slobodu, dok je Kaliban zarobljen na neodređeno vreme ili bar dok je Prospero na vlasti.
For these reasons and many more, The Tempest has often been read as an exploration of colonialism, and the moral dilemmas that come with en-counters of “brave new world(s)." Questions of agency and justice hang over the play: is Caliban the rightful master of the land? Will Ariel flutter free? And is Prospero the mighty overseer- or is there some deeper magic at work, beyond any one character's grasp?
Iz ovih i mnogih drugih razloga, „Bura” je često tumačena kao istraživanje kolonijalizma i moralnih dilema koje prate susrete sa „vrlim novim svetovima”. Pitanja odgovornosti i pravde lebde nad dramom: da li je Kaliban zakoniti gospodar zemlje? Da li će Arijel da odleprša u slobodu? I da li je Prospero svemoćni nadzornik - ili je na delu nekakva veća magija, nedokučiva bilo kojem liku pojedinačno?
Throughout the play, Ariel constantly reminds Prospero of the freedom he is owed. But the question lingers of whether the invader will be able to relinquish his grip. The question of ending one’s reign is particularly potent given that The Tempest is believed to be Shakespeare’s final play. In many ways Prospero’s actions echo that of the great entertainer him-self, who hatched elaborate plots, maneuvered those around him, and cast a spell over characters and audience alike.
Tokom drame, Arijel stalno podseća Prospera na slobodu koju mu duguje. Međutim, ostaje pitanje da li će osvajač ikada biti u stanju da olabavi svoj stisak. Pitanje okončanja vladavine je naročito, snažno imajući u vidu da se za „Buru” veruje da je poslednja drama koju je napisao Šekspir. Na razne načine, Prosperovi postupci podsećaju na one samog velikog zabavljača, koji je kovao razrađene zaplete, manevrisao onima oko sebe i bacao čini kako na likove, tako i na publiku.
But by the end of his grand performance of power and control, Prospero’s final lines see him humbled by his audience - and the power that they hold over his creations. "With the help of your good hands./ Gentle breath of yours my sails/ Must fill or else my project fails,/ Which was to please." This evokes Shakespeare’s own role as the great entertainer who surrenders himself, ultimately, to our applause.
Međutim, pred kraj njegove velike izvedbe moći i kontrole, Prospero se poslednjim stihovima ponizno povlači pred publikom - i moći koju ona ima nad njegovim tvorevinama. „Uz pomoć vaših milostivih ruku, ako mi jedra svojim blagim dahom ne nadimate, propašće mi naum u tom da vama nebesa se smeše.” Ovo evocira Šekspirovu sopstvenu ulogu kao velikog zabavljača koji se, naposletku, predaje našem aplauzu.