"Remember whom thou hast aboard/ None that I more love than myself" (1.1.17-18)
The prior was said in a conversation between Gonzalo and the Boatswain in the beginning of the play, the first line by Gonzalo and the second by the boatswain. It was said on the boat they were on was being thrashed around by a ferocious storm, The Tempest. When Gonzalo told the boatswain that there were more important people on the ship then the boatswain, he responded very honestly by saying that none of whom he loved more than he loved himself. In saying this the boatswain was being rightfully selfish or self concerned about what his own fate is. In my opinion Shakespeare was introducing a theme of selfishness throughout the play or putting yourself first to get ahead. At the time however, while still foreshadowing upcoming story lines of selfishness, Shakespeare used it to show how frightened an experienced sea man was by the storm. If a boatswain feels like this storm could end his life then it has to be a powerful storm. For example, if you see a doctor that is surprised or confused by your injury you will become more anxious because you look to the doctor as someone who should know what to do or at least be familiar with what to do. However, when he is not that can indicate a more serious issue. In the next scene when we learn that Ariel created the storm it showed us how powerful Ariel was. Overall this quote gave us insight into many sides of the play.
While brainstorming my question that this quote sparks the thing that kept coming up into my mind was "What would you do if a plane was crashing and the person next to you was passed out? Would you put their mask on first? Would your answer change depending on who the person was e.i. your sister, your mother, your friend, a person who was detained by the police in handcuffs, a stranger that looked well dressed, a stranger that looked dirty, a priest, your child, your spouse?" Relating it back to the text however, the situation would be different. So my question is: will the characters remain selfish throughout the play or will the love in the relationships prevent that from ultimately happening?
Good insight: the boatswain's line does introduce the theme of selfishness. However, to understand it adequately, we must hear the irony caused by the difference of rank between the boatswain and the king ("whom thou hast aboard"). This line is about selfishness in the context of political inferiority. Does a subject have the right to care more about himself than about his king?
ReplyDeleteCarly: did I miss your poetry weblog? Try to post before tomorrow if at all possible.
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