gives up his throne. As Prospero tells us, ôBut this rough magic / I here abjure, and, when I have required / Some heavenly music, which even now I do, / To work mine end upon their senses that / This airy charm is for, IÆll break my staff, / Bury it certain fathoms in the earth, / And deeper than did ever plummet sound / IÆll drown my bookö (Shakespeare V.i). At one point in ôThe Tempest,ö Caliban basically threatens to drown the books of Prospero in order to silence him or take away his powers. As Caliban tells Stephano and Trinculo of Prospero, ôFirst possess his books; for with them / HeÆs but a sot, as I am, nor hath not / One spirit to commandàBurn but his booksö (Shakespeare III.ii). This passage and references to books and literacy could suggest that Shakespeare believes he can no longer create great works of art because his creative powers with language and literacy are burning out or ôdrowning.ö
The above analysis clearly indicates a great deal of evidence to suggest that ôThe Tempestö represents
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