Prospero's Books Literary Elements

Prospero's Books Literary Elements

Director

Peter Greenaway

Leading Actors/Actresses

John Gielgud, Michael Clark

Supporting Actors/Actresses

Erland Josephson, Tom Bell

Genre

Fantasy

Language

English

Awards

The film won no awards.

Date of Release

30 August 199

Producer

Masato Hara, Kees Kasande,r Katsufumi Nakamura, Yoshinobu Namano, Denis Wigman, Roland Wigman

Setting and Context

The action takes place in the distant past on the island where the main characters are stranded after they become shipwrecked.

Narrator and Point of View

The action in the film is told from the perspective of a third-person objective point of view.

Tone and Mood

The tone and mood is a disturbing one and also violent at times.

Protagonist and Antagonist

The protagonist is Prospero and the antagonists are Caliban, Trinculo, and Stephano.

Major Conflict

The major conflict is a political one and is the result of Caliban's desire to overthrow Prospero and take over his kingdom.

Climax

The film reaches its climax when Ferdinand and Miranda get married.

Foreshadowing

The storm which is presented at the beginning of the film foreshadows Prospero's internal battle when it comes to agreeing to let his only daughter marry the son of the man who ruined his life.

Understatement

The idea that Prospero will never agree to a marriage between Ferdinand and Miranda is an understatement because at the end of the film he is the one who officiated the marriage and even gave his blessing.

Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques

One important innovation in filming was the way in which the main character's voice, Prospero's, is filmed as if he is on the outside. The character rarely appears in the film and yer he is one of the most important characters. His presence is felt however at all times through various filming techniques such as the background dolly shots, panning and eyeline shots.

Allusions

N/A

Paradox

One of the paradoxical elements in the film is the fact that many characters claim they want a chaste life and not to be influenced by their sexual desires and yet they still invoke muses and characters which appear naked on the screen.

Parallelism

A parallel can be drawn between the chaotic pace set in the movie and life as it is for every person. Just like many times in the movie reality makes no sense, the same can be said about real life.

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