Tempest Vs. Where the Wild Things Are

Texts may show us that the world of the imaginative journey involves unexpected destinations

To what extent do the texts you have studied support this idea?

Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are and Shakespeare's The Tempest both focus on the aspect of Imaginative journey. Both of these text types focus on the idea that the world of imaginative journey involves unexpected destinations. Contradiction and journey of speculation, symbolism of power and manipulation and changing perceptions of characters allow the audience to see a deeper meaning behind the events of the texts. In Sendak's where the wild things are, it focuses on the parallels between the real world and the imaginary world created in Max's mind. This allows the audience to compare and contrast between the two worlds and gain an idea of what children are thinking. In Shakespeare's the tempest, the audience is taken on a number of journeys ranging from suspense of what is about to happen to speculation, thinking about what would happen next. The use of manipulation and power roles are a big aspect of both texts, power is the underlying theme that the characters want to hold. Manipulation is sometimes used to gain the power and authority that the characters seek. The struggle to gain power or the manipulation of characters' thoughts is what leads the characters to their imaginative journeys.

Contradiction of the text, actions and visuals allows the audience to gain a deeper understanding of what the true nature of each character is. Sendak's Where the wild things are often describe the monsters in the picture book as "terrible" in many ways (e.g. their claws, teeth and roars) while the visual represents an image of a creature who looks soft and cuddly with friendly facial expressions. This allows for different interpretations of the situation, in Max's imagination he sees the monsters as welcoming creatures but thinks of them as dangerous monsters. The characters in Shakespeare's Tempest also contradict themselves in many ways. In act 2, scene 2, Caliban is interacting with Stephano and Trinculo, Caliban desperately wants to be free of Prospero, his master ever since his father died. Caliban's attempts to become free of Prospero's rule are contradicted