In
his essay “Music, Masque, and Meaning in
The Tempest,” David Lindley, professor of renaissance literature at Leeds
University, states that “The Tempest
employs more music than any other Shakespeare play” (187). As such, there is no
doubt that music plays a key role in the interpretation and production of the
play. According to Lindley, Shakespeare employed a common Renaissance theory
that “earthly music reflected the celestial harmony of the spheres” (187). This
is the philosophical concept that there is an accord between the orbital
revolutions of the celestial bodies, the Moon, Sun, and planets, as their
movements are proportional to a mathematical ratio that could be related to the
harmonies of sound and music (“Musica universalis”). As such, earthly music was
“empowered to affect and influence humankind” (Lindley 187). In The Tempest, music is used as a power
and is in correlation with Prospero’s magic. Magic itself, is a mystical force
that can be portrayed in a variety of ways on stage including visual effects to
show the impact of the wielded power. However, the use of music helps the
audience fully comprehend the magnitude of this power and its consequence
through the influence it has on other characters. The extent and consequence of
Ariel’s power is “fully comprehensible only in a context where an audience
might readily supply this symbolic significance to the music they hear (Lindley
188). In other words, music is a tool through which power is conveyed. Music as
well as sound act as " an important means by which Prospero exercises his
power. . .” For instance, in many parts of the play, Caliban is controlled by
merely the sound of Prospero’s voice ("The Tempest – Music &
Magic").
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