Human Being Always Seeks Power

Resolution for Power Struggle

Human being always seeks power. From ancient times up to our days the struggle for power always is present among people. It is in our nature, to dominate other others, in order to survive. On the first sight The Tempest by William Shakespeare and Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes are two different works, but they do have some important topics in common. The Tempest raises a problem of power struggle, and Leviathan provides the reason for this problem and the solution.

William Shakespeare in The Tempest brings up the conflict between masters and servants that, as the story progresses, becomes perhaps the major motif of the play. Prospero seems to think that his own sense of justice and goodness is so well-honed and accurate that, if any character disagrees with him, that character is wrong simply by virtue of the disagreement. He also seems to think that his objective in restoring his political power is so important that it justifies any means he chooses to use. Perhaps the most troubling part of all this is that Shakespeare gives a little reason to believe that he disagrees with Prospero. Through the play the struggle for power can be seen. Gonzalo wonders what he might do if he was the lord of the island, Antonio persuades Sebastian to kill Alonso in sleep; even Trinculo and Stephano want to murder Prospero in order to take other the island.

Caliban is Prospero's slave, even though he claims that he was the lord of the island until Prospero took it over. Caliban represents an uneducated creature, which knows just the language taught by Prospero. He gives false meanings to things, just because he does not know or understand the real meaning and reason for occurring events. He thinks that Prospero has magic, and he uses it to control and keep him in fear. As soon as Caliban meets Stephano he declares him as a God, and he is ready to serve him, because he has the "magic bottle". Caliban is ready to give up his freedom and be a slave to stay alive, better to fear one master than to fear everyone and everything.

At the end of the play, Prospero forgives his enemies. And just through his forgiveness the happy ending of the play can be achieved. In this way, Shakespeare transforms ambiguity of the play into a surprising cause for celebration. Shakespeare through the play speaks not only to the servants, but to the masters as well. The Tempest shows that all people are equal in the forces of nature, and peace can be achieved with stable government, just ruler, who acts in the best interest of the people.

Thomas Hobbes in Leviathan argues that civil peace and social unity are best achieved by the establishment of commonwealth through social contract. Leviathan is divided into four books. The first book contains the philosophical framework for the entire text. He talks about the importance of speech, to share the meaning of things, of language,