Red Wine, Mistakes, Mythology

The muses are simply one way in which Mythology ties in with The Tempest, easily overlooked, but very important. Through storytelling, dreams, history, belief, and magic- mythology circles around becoming so real and creating imagination within the characters and the readers. The Tempest reminds me of so many fairytales, all intertwined. Elements of Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and The Wizard of Oz, are all apparent. The potions, dreamlike states, and remembrances that take place in these fairytales and The Tempest create illusions that confuse what really happened or why. Miranda becomes exhausted by the telling of Prospero’s story that she falls asleep. This reminded me of a dream I once had a few months back (still seems like yesterday). I dreamt, woke up and was shaken by this horrible event that occurred in my mind, only to find out a few hours later that in fact it was my own reality. I had simply dreamt of the future. I always laugh at palm readers, magic 8 balls, and horoscopes. But this time, there was no laughing, instead there were tears and I cried like never before. I was in disbelief, overcome by something so powerful, something I hope to never feel again. Just as Prospero’s story exhausted Miranda, my dreams exhaust me. I am awake, but I long to sleep again because the dreams I am caught in are more exhausting than reality itself.

All we ever want is to be “free”. I put that in quotations because what is freedom really, and what is it that any of us want to be free from? Everything and nothing. Freedom is liberating, but frightening. Prospero tells Ariel that soon he will be free as a bird, if he obeys his orders. The exchange of these words brought to mind a quote I read saying that even birds are not free, for they are chained to the sky. So what is freedom? When we are living our realities, we are not free. We dare to dream, but even there, we are not free.

The red wine aids in my poor decision making, and I wish it was in fact it was mythology that I was recalling rather than my reality.