Shakespeare's "The Tempest"

 

Summary

This passage from Shakespeare's "The Tempest" speaks to the ephemeral nature of life and the material world. The speaker, Prospero, reflects on the illusionary nature of the play's magical spectacle, comparing it to the transience of human existence. He notes that the "baseless fabric" of the vision, encompassing everything from towering structures to the entire globe, will ultimately vanish like a dream, leaving behind no trace. This imagery emphasizes the fragility and temporary nature of all earthly things, underscoring the fleeting nature of life and the inevitability of death. The final lines, "We are such stuff / As dreams are made on; and our little life / Is rounded with a sleep," poignantly reiterate this sentiment, suggesting that our lives are but fleeting dreams, ultimately ending in the sleep of death.

Our revels now are ended. These our actors,

As I foretold you, were all spirits, and

Are melted into air, into thin air:

And, like the baseless fabric of this vision,

The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces,

The solemn temples, the great globe itself,

Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve,

And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,

Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff

As dreams are made on; and our little life

Is rounded with a sleep. 

 

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The image of the "baseless fabric of this vision" emphasizes the illusory and ephemeral nature of life and contributes to the poem's theme of the transience of human existence.

• This "vision" encompasses all material things, from "cloud-capp'd towers" and "gorgeous palaces" to the "great globe itself".
• By describing this reality as a "baseless fabric," the speaker underscores its lack of permanence and solidity.
• Just as a fabric without a base would collapse, so too will all these grand structures and even the world itself dissolve and disappear.
• This image reinforces the idea expressed later in the passage that life is fleeting, "rounded with a sleep".
• Everything we experience in life, no matter how grand or impressive, is ultimately temporary and will eventually fade away, like a dream upon waking.

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The speaker in the source describes human life as dreamlike, fleeting, and ultimately insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

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The speaker compares human life to a "little life... rounded with a sleep".

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This analogy highlights the brevity and transience of our existence; just as sleep bookends our days, so too does death enclose our entire lifespan.

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The speaker further emphasizes the ephemeral nature of life by comparing humans to the "baseless fabric of this vision".

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This "vision" encompasses all material things, from "cloud-capp'd towers" and "gorgeous palaces" to the "great globe itself", all of which will eventually "dissolve".

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By likening life to a dream and a "baseless fabric," the speaker emphasizes its lack of substance and permanence.

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Ultimately, the speaker suggests that all human endeavors and achievements, even the "great globe itself," will eventually fade away, leaving "not a rack behind".

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This imagery underscores the futility of clinging to material possessions or worldly success.

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Instead, the speaker seems to suggest that we should focus on the intangible aspects of life, such as love, compassion, and experiences, which, though fleeting, are what truly give meaning to our "little life".

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The speaker's final statement about human life is that it is "rounded with a sleep."

• This statement, coming at the end of the passage, serves as a concise and poetic summary of the speaker's perspective on the nature of human existence.
• By comparing life to a sleep that "rounds" it, the speaker emphasizes the finite and cyclical nature of our time on earth.
• Just as sleep naturally follows our waking hours each day, so too does death inevitably follow life.
• The word "rounded" further suggests a sense of completion and wholeness to the human experience, despite its brevity.
• While the speaker has previously highlighted the fleeting and illusory nature of material things and worldly achievements, this final statement offers a slightly more comforting perspective.
• It acknowledges the natural order of life and death, implying that death is not an abrupt end but rather a peaceful transition into a state of rest, much like sleep.
• This image, although stark in its simplicity, provides a sense of closure and acceptance of the transient nature of human existence.

 

 According to the speaker, the ultimate fate of all things is dissolution and impermanence. Everything, from grand structures to the world itself, will eventually fade away and leave nothing behind.

• The speaker states that "all which it inherit, shall dissolve, / And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, / Leave not a rack behind".
• This means that not only the "cloud-capp'd towers," "gorgeous palaces," and "solemn temples," but also the entire earth and everything on it, will eventually cease to exist.
• The speaker uses the image of a "baseless fabric" to describe the nature of reality, emphasizing its lack of solidity and permanence.
• Just as a fabric without a base would collapse, so too will everything in the physical world eventually disintegrate and vanish.
• The speaker suggests that this process of dissolution is inevitable and will leave no trace, "not a rack behind".
• This imagery creates a sense of the ultimate insignificance of material things and worldly achievements in the face of the all-encompassing and inevitable force of time and decay.
• Ultimately, the speaker's vision of the fate of all things emphasizes the transience and illusory nature of the physical world and highlights the importance of focusing on the intangible aspects of life that give it meaning.
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By highlighting the ephemeral nature of all things, the sources invite us to contemplate the true value of our "little life." If everything is ultimately fleeting, then perhaps the meaning of life lies not in material possessions or worldly achievements, but in the intangible aspects of existence: love, compassion, experiences, and the connections we forge with others. These, though also temporary, are what truly enrich our lives and give them lasting significance.