Ariel Quote by Anonymous
““At the happy ending of the Tempest, Prospero brings the kind back togeter with his son, and finds Miranda's true love and punishes the bad duke and frees Ariel and becomes a duke himself again. Everyone - except Caliban - is happy, and everyone is forgiven, and everyone is fine, and they all sail away on calm seas. Happy endings. That's how it is in Shakespeare. But Shakespeare was wrong. Sometimes there isn't a Prospero to make everything fine again. And sometimes the quality of mercy is strained.””
About This Quote
Source Play: The Tempest by William Shakespeare, c. 1610
Shakespeare's idealized resolution overlooks real life's unresolved conflicts and the limits of mercy.
In simple terms: Not all stories end with perfect forgiveness.
Key Takeaway
Recognize that some wounds may never fully heal.
Themes
forgiveness
justice
human nature
Mood
reflective
somber
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- relationship breakdown
- legal disputes
- family estrangement
- social injustice
Key Concepts
Shakespearean tragedy
moral complexity
Questions to Reflect On
- Can we accept imperfect outcomes?
- When should we intervene versus accept?
A Different Perspective
Mercy cannot always resolve deep grievances.
![“One of the reasons [William] Shakespeare is so endlessly fascinating is that you can look at that figure from about 10 different angles: Caliban in Shakespeare's day was probably viewed as a sort of comic, barbarian type, but into the 19th century there were productions where Caliban was the hero…” quote by Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ac2/margaret-atwood-40_19th-century_one-of-the-reasons-william-shakespeare-i_412840.jpg)
![“I saw all of the films [based on The Tempest] available, including the one with Helen Mirren in which Prospero is Prospera - you wonder, "Would it work?" But it does, because anything she does works.” quote by Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c25/margaret-atwood-40_available_i-saw-all-of-the-films-based-on-the-temp_2668077.jpg)
![“In 1982, when Alexander Haig and [Ariel] Sharon put this plan to invade the south of Lebanon and Beirut, they imagined that in two or three or five days, they can demolish the PLO and destroy its infrastructure. What happened? The longest Arab - Israeli confrontation.” quote by Yasser Arafat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/82f/yasser-arafat-6821_ariel_in-1982-when-alexander-haig-and-ariel-sh_252847.jpg)
