Betrayal, revenge and magic may have brought the noblemen to the island, but once there, they would face trials and tribulations of their own--they would see life from a new perspective by living the island life that Prospero faces.
'The Tempest' is filled with magic but the profound message of fate and making decisions is akin to the life and times of Tiberius.
Tiberus' life would mirror his father's to some extent. That is Augustus would rule supreme as well as meddling in the private lives of Romans. In terms of Tiberius' father, Augustus became besotted with his wife and married her once their divorce came through.
During his childhood, Tiberius was studious and became well educated. He later married but would lose both his brother and wife. His brother died and Augustus stepped in and asked Tiberius to divorce his wife so he could marry another, but this marriage was unsuccessful--his wife committed adultery.
Once Augustus died, the Romans could have come to expect great things from the next emperor. In terms of an empire, the expectations could have been even higher and as this would be an unstable time, the emperor's expectations of the Romans would also be questioned. Also whether Tiberius could live up to and follow in the steps of Augustus.
Tiberius met the challenge, and through his great management skills, accomplished some great feats.
Although with age, he became less occupied with the people and left another as a stand-in ruler. He died in 37 A. D. and Caligula succeeded to power.
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