This essay defines the family structures and the lack of family structures in William Shakespeare's "The Tempest".

Family Structures or Lack Thereof Within Shakespeare's Tempest there is little "normal" family structure. The majority of the characters either don't have mothers or fail to speak of them very frequently. Many might say that the family structure in the play is very weak due to the lack of maternal influences. On closer examination, however, there is much strength in some of the immediate families (i.e. Prospero and Miranda, and Alonso and Ferdinand). Only …

…lationships in the play. Within the main element of human nature of these characters, are the desires to belong, to be loved, and have strong bonds with one's family. There are other elements that tend to branch off of these, such as, being withdrawn and hostile as a result of a lack of interpersonal relationships (Caliban), falling in love easily (Miranda and Ferdinand), and desires to overpower family members (Alonso vs. Sebastian; Antonio vs. Prospero).