‘To hold a mirror up to nature’. The Shakespearian image of the mirror in W. H. Auden’s poetic commentary <i>The Sea and the Mirror</i>

Abstract

The metaphor of art as a mirror, uncharacteristic of Shakespeare’s Tempest, prompts the conclusion that, rather than referring to the play, Auden invokes the Romantic interpretation of its plot. The Romantics interpreted The Tempest as the playwright’s farewell and the epitome of his artistic endeavours. Romanticism is responsible for the popular thesis that The Tempest is a parable about an artist (Prospero), alone in this world (on an island), who rules over imagination (Ariel and lowly spirits) and keeps savage nature (Caliban) in check. In his poem, Auden deconstructs the parable of the powerful artist Prospero, invoking W. Knight’s allegorical method: Knight followed the tradition of the play’s allegorical interpretation. Auden does not set out to criticize Romanticism, but rather contemplates his own experience as a poet. In The Sea and the Mirror, his reimagining of poetic experience inspires the sections ‘Prospero to Ariel’ and ‘Caliban to the Audience.’ Auden concludes that art, not unlike a mirror, reveals experiences: by looking into it, we may realize our true feelings, yet the effect proves disappointing