Discoveries can stimulate new Ideas.

How is this idea explored in your prescribed text and ONE other related text of
your own choosing?
William Shakespeares 17th century play The Tempest and Paulo Coelhos
contemporary novel The Alchemist demonstrate the stimulation of
newfound ideas regarding the inner self and outer world through a process
of discovery. The Tempest illustrates a world enchanted by magic, where
the characters discover for the first time, love, forgiveness and virtue;
characters are able to reassess their values and become awakened to
reality. The Alchemist explores a range of similar discoveries in which the
protagonist Santiago embarks on a journey to find treasure, however
instead, discovers that the real treasure lies within himself, and is able to
develop new ideas about love, wisdom and the unity of the world. Both
The Tempest and The Alchemist illustrate deeply transformative
discoveries which provide individuals with renewed insights and
perceptions of themselves and the world they live in. Through this skilful
exploration of discovery both composers illuminate themes of knowledge,
emotion, power and transformation all of which transcend time and
context.
Shakespeares use of character developments reveal the new ideas which
propel characters forward to a greater understanding of themselves and
the world. As evident in the momentous transformation Prospero
experiences towards the end of the play as result of his newfound ideas
regarding power and forgiveness. At the beginning of the play Prospero is
driven by a desire for revenge, the tempestuous storm in Act I serves as a
manifestation of Prosperos anger and is symbolic of his magical power.
However the audience observes as Prospero begins to discover truth
and sees that he has exploited his knowledge with his desire for power,
finally Prospero realises that true power is wisdom, not magic and that
knowledge without wisdom is worthless. These new ideas begin to
develop until he reaches the ultimate antithesis in Act 5, when he
renounces his magic, thus letting go of power and control this rough
magic / I here abjure And deeper than did ever plummet sound / Ill
drown my book symbolising the profound metamorphosis of his desires
from vengeance to virtue. It is clear that through Prosperos discoveries,
his newfound ideas regarding wisdom, knowledge and power drove the
emotional and moral alterations to his character and led to a greater
understanding of himself.
Similar to the discoveries within The Tempest, the discoveries within The
Alchemist lead to many new ideas which shape and transform an
individuals understanding of self. The inherent concept of alchemy within
the novel works as an extended metaphor of the alteration which Santiago
experiences when he discovers love and wisdom. Santiagos initial dream
at the beginning of the novel symbolises his personal destiny and
maktub that which is already written and begins his journey in the

hopes of finding his treasure and fulfilling his destiny. Through the use of
an omniscient narrator the readers are able to observe the subtle changes
and new ideas that grace Santiago as he discovers a new life unparalleled
to that of his old comfortable life as a shepherd. The contrasting imagery
of the sycamore tree growing in the abandoned church establishes the
significance of both religion and nature in his discovery and is further
emphasised by the religious allusion of Melchizedek king of Salem. The
King of Salem is a source of wisdom for Santiago and guides him on his
journey as he realises that it is not a physical treasure which he is seeking.
Santiago gradually comes to understand the wisdom behind much of what
both the King and the Alchemist have said and develops the new idea of
his treasure as the true love and wisdom he gains when he finally reaches
the end of his journey.
New ideas can be stimulated when individuals become awakened to
reality and thus have a broader understanding of the world. The concept
of illusion versus reality is a strong thematic concern within The Tempest
and is actualised through the discoveries of various characters,
particularly Miranda and Ferdinand. Mirandas perception of reality is
initially rather skewed as it is limited to her confines of the island, this
world is unlike the real world which she is isolated from. When the storm
brings to the Island a band of shipwrecked men her world opens up and
she is immediately rapt with wonder, as expressed in her famous lines oh
brave new world/ that has such people in it, and finds herself hopelessly
in love with Ferdinand. Ferdinand on the other hand is blind to reality as
he has been placed in an illusionary situation by Prospero in which he has
been shipwrecked in a storm, made to believe that his father is dead and
that he is imprisoned; although becomes awakened to reality when
Prospero renounces his power. The entire event has gifted him with the
new concept of love with his fianc Miranda who, as he expresses is unlike
any other woman he has admired. Both Miranda and Ferdinand suddenly
have an array of new ideas and possibilities regarding themselves, the
world and their future life together.
Akin to the experiences of Miranda and Ferdinand, Santiago finds that
through developing a broader knowledge and understanding of the world
he has come to hold renewed ideas and perceptions of it. The most
significant discovery that Santiago makes on his journey is the discovery
of the language of the world, this is essentially what allows him to
complete his journey and the mechanism through which he was able to
make further spiritual discoveries. By communicating with
anthropomorphised elements of nature such as the wind, desert, and the
one hand that wrote everything understood to be God, Santiago
understands the idea of the soul of the world which unites all animate and
inanimate objects. This is emphasised through the use of dialogue when
Santiago is speaking to the wind and says I have inside me the winds,
the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe.

We were all made by the same hand, and we have the same soul. At this
point it is evident that by discovering how to speak the language of the
world Santiago has accepted the idea that his soul is a part of the Soul of
the World which in its essence is God. The new ideas which transformed
Santiagos sense of the world and his place in it arose only through his
discovery of the unity and oneness of the world.
As evident in both Shakespeares play The Tempest, and Paulo Coelhos
novel The Alchemist, discoveries are often a catalyst for new ideas and
possibilities which propel individuals forward and assist in gaining a
greater understanding of themselves and the world. These transformative
discoveries may be stimulated by either personal desires or careful
external manipulation, however despite these discrepancies the
significance of the new ideas formulated are not affected.