Preview

Prospero in the Tempest

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2854 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Prospero in the Tempest
Character discoveries in The Tempest
Prospero
Personal responsibility behind holding power.
Prospero’s need for revenge catalyses his inner darkness. His thirst and dissociation with the nobles is heavily emphasised in lines such as “false brother”. He discovers that his actions were causing distress and pain to the other characters; his cruelties were finally revealed by Ariel towards the end of the play- “I would so if I were human”. Along-side ‘losing’ his daughter to Ferdinand, Ariel’s line gave him the perspective he needed to see his inner demon.
Prospero discovers the impact he has from his (magical) power. Power helped him lose his dukedom and his driving force for revenge. Prospero’s magical power retakes control of his own life and the life of overs - the same magical power that disempowered him from his throne and allowed him to return to his feet.
It is through the impact of this magical power that ultimately allows him to assume a higher status/control than his human self and can artificially manufacture his own sense of justice – a different, yet just as realistic sense of power.
In the scene where Ariel poses as a harpy. “As the morning steals upon the night, melting the darkness so their rising senses so do their senses rise…chase the ignorant fumes that mantle clearer reason”, power is demonstrated as the force that allowed his enemies to attain ambition thus expelling “remorse and human nature” causing their humanity to become “foul and muddy”.
He also realises without his magical power he is but “same stuff as dreams are made of” (likens himself to his enemies). After attaining ‘true’ power over the nobles (compassion and mercy), he decides to abandon his magic. However, this does not disempower Prospero, as he still maintains full control over the other characters with the power discovered in compassion.
Once Prospero puts down his magic, he has a whole new perspective on the world, as he discovers that everyone is human, while he –
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The Masque Of The Red Death Response Essay
    • 301 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Masque Of The Red Death Response Essay

    This quote embodies Prospero’s characteristic of pride, he seems appalled that the “Red Death” confronted him and wants him to be divulged and seized. In this case Prince Prospero was too proud to accept his death. In the beginning of the story the it says,…

    • 301 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Power Over A Monster In Shakespeare's The Tempest
    • 455 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Power Over A Monster In Shakespeare's The Tempest

    Prospero treats Caliban unkindly, which prompts him to switch allegiances. It is blatant that there is tension between master and slave when Prospero accuses Caliban of trying to rape his…

    • 455 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Power And Control In Poe's Masque Of The Red Death
    • 739 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Power And Control In Poe's Masque Of The Red Death

    Prospero tries to build an alternate reality in which he thrives from clouded judgement and false sense of security. Excluding himself from the world along with the presences of a thousand of his knights and friends Prospero locks the world out. “With such precautions the courtiers might bid defiance to contagion. The external world could take care of itself ”(Poe). Abandoning those in need and trying to save himself Prince Prospero selfishly runs from the problem. This false sense of security creates somewhat of a bubble blinding the people and Prospero from seeing that they do not control their fates.…

    • 739 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Dayondra Duffy's Attitudes Towards Cruelty
    • 2160 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Dayondra Duffy's Attitudes Towards Cruelty

    Prospero is a protagonist in “The Tempest” because he has been attacked and betrayed by the people around him. Even though this puts him in a sympathetic position, he is ultimately cruel because he uses his advantages in order to get vengeance and stay in power over others. In particular, Prospero tournaments, Caliban, whom he catches trying to rape his daughter Miranda. He resorts to vengeance in Act 1, telling Caliban, “If thou neglectest or dost unwillingly what I command, I’le wrack thee with old Cramps, fill all thy bones with Aches, make thee roar, that Beasts shall tremble” (Shakespeare 1:2:21). Prospero threatens Caliban by imposing torture on him. To punish Caliban for his actions Prospero threatens to cause physical pain to Caliban by giving him painful cramps during the night. The fact that Prospero's idea of justifying the problem through torture demonstrates his standing in his sense of morality.. Prospero is wrong in the way he uses his social standing as a mean to torture others. Prospero feels a sense of authority. And this makes him like he is able to inflict suffering Caliban so that Caliban can pay for his actions towards his daughter. It is important to understand that authority figures such as Prospero's often turn to torture and cruelty to keep their subordinate figures in order. This contradicts the fact that all humans were created equally with the…

    • 2160 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Tempest Analysis
    • 518 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Tempest Analysis

    He begins by addressing to Gonzalo, praising him and referring to him as, “Holy Gonzalo, honourable man.” (line 30) Although Gonzalo had followed through with Antonio’s plan, Prospero still addresses him in a flattering manner and calls him, “My true preserver.” (line 37) However, Prospero is not so flattering to the others. He reminds Alonso, Antonio, and Sebastian of the wrongs they committed stating, “Most cruelly didst thou, Alonso, use me and my daughter: thy brother was a furtherer in the act. Thou art pinch’d fort now, Sebastian. Flesh and blood, you, brother mine, that entertain’d ambition expell’d remorse and nature.” (lines 39-44) Though Prospero is still very displeased with the act they had committed against him, he chooses to forgive them. (lines…

    • 518 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    ‘When No Man Was His Own’: Magic and Self-Discovery in The Tempest
    • 1369 Words
    • 6 Pages

    ‘When No Man Was His Own’: Magic and Self-Discovery in The Tempest

    Belton writes that Prospero’s magic has two sides: manipulation of nature and spirits of nature; and the attempted manipulation of human beings (127). Prospero’s success in natural magic is considerable while, according to Belton, he is “deluded about his own accomplishments” with his manipulation of human beings (127-128). The magic Prospero has touches characters in three ways: physical coercion, control over his victims’ senses, and a type of hypnosis on his victims’ conscience (128). The last of which, according to Ellen, is the most important in Prospero’s task of testing all the inhabitants and visitors of the island. Belton goes on to list numerous other literary pieces and says none strike parallel with The Tempest (129). Belton suggests that, because of the sleep like trace Prospero puts his victims under, the characters compare their trances to dreams because it is the closest thing they can relate to (129). In her article, Belton includes a detailed story explaining instances where the power to paralyse, silence, or even induce sleep is used to overcome the magician’s victims (130). Prospero uses his ability to intoxicate his inhabitants, as stated before, to test the inhabitants of the island. Belton uses the example of Miranda’s trance and compares it to that of the charmed lovers in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and writes that this trance like state proves Miranda and Ferdinand’s affection is from an intuitive force that recognizes their affinity for each other (131). Belton continues to describe other scenes in which Prospero tests each character and in turn, each character’s true nature is shown to the audience (131). Belton believes Prospero is saying that “sanity and reason, at…

    • 1369 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Tempest Monstrosity Essay
    • 931 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Tempest Monstrosity Essay

    Prospero and Sycorax were banished from their homes, and ended up on the island with a child. Prospero had Ariel carry out his commands and punished Caliban in the same way that Sycorax punished Ariel for not doing her bidding. Sycorax’s dark magic is reminiscent of Medea but Prospero’s speech in Act V parallels Medea’s speech in Metamorphoses. By comparing himself to Medea, he implicates a similarity between himself and Sycorax. The play, as told from a colonial viewpoint suggests we are meant to accept Prospero as the innocent protagonist who has been evicted from his home, even as he controls his own daughter and punishes a slave. The monsters in the play, Caliban and Sycorax, illustrate how hypocritical negative views of uncivilized brutish slaves by those that treated them inhumanely. Read in a postcolonial light, Caliban serves to highlight the stigma surrounding deformity, as initial judgement of him comes simply because of his monstrous appearance. However, his main role is as an example of slavery and colonial attitudes towards the cultural, racial and alien…

    • 931 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    discovery- Tempest

    • 966 Words
    • 3 Pages

    discovery- Tempest

    In The Tempest this sense of discovery is primarily evoked through the use of the Island as a metaphor, creating a sense of isolation and realisation in order for characters to consolidate with ones self. As Prospero states, “thy father was Duke of Milan and a prince of power” , his diminished isolating environment allows him to evaluate his past as he were and realise the great potential he lost. But as he undergoes the isolation, he learns to accept his past consequences , “ i embrace thy…company, i bid a hearty welcome”, thus appreciating his at first demeaning setting for allowing for his understanding of a need of forgiveness within him to allow him to fulfil his future requests.…

    • 966 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Prospero
    • 900 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Prospero

    In this essay I will tell you about Caliban’s feelings towards Prospero, how Prospero treats Caliban and a chain of exploitation involving Caliban and Prospero. Caliban is the rightful owner of an island that Prospero, an ex-duke of Milan and a type of sorcerer, and his daughter Miranda, a girl who was only 3 years old when her father was overthrown by his brother Antonio and pities people who are harmed by her father’s magic, took over when they arrived on the island and managed to control Caliban with his magic. Caliban finds more people to work with, when Prospero ship wrecked their boat, called Trinculo and Stephano and plan to kill Prospero.…

    • 900 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Imaginative Journeys
    • 1188 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Imaginative Journeys

    In “The Tempest”, William Shakespeare leads the reader into an island in a realm beyond reality, which generates obstacles and challenges that aid the characters in their self-discovery process. During their time on the island, they are encouraged to expand themselves and become more than what they think they are. This journey is especially evident within the protagonist, Prospero, as he is able to grow in many aspects of his entire being. Comparing his initial plans of retribution and punishment towards his brother Antonio, with his attitudes of reconciliation and resolution at the end of the play, it is apparent that he has undertaken a journey of self-discovery. Somewhere along the way, Prospero has arrived at a realisation, during which he comprehends that “the rarer action is in virtue, than in vengeance” (Act 5, Scene 1), meaning that it is both rare and ultimately more admirable to exonerate, than to hate one’s enemies. This sense of illumination and enlightenment is achieved through the island’s magical properties that stimulate growth within the characters, and also Prospero’s love for his daughter, Miranda, which humbled him greatly.…

    • 1188 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    The Tempest as a Power Struggle Between the New and the Old World
    • 1930 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The Tempest as a Power Struggle Between the New and the Old World

    Prospero is a European who dominates the island on his own and he is able to do so because he has magic powers. In this way he controls the island and its inhabitants by combining threats of force, promises of freedom and all kind of techniques characteristic of a proper dictator. He takes charge of the island which does not belong to him and exerts his power over the inhabitants, forcing them to serve him as slaves. It is almost impossible to draw a parallelism between this situation and the European colonial power in North America during the XVII century. Thus, it may be assumed that the old world stands for Europe and all its common practices and customs while the new world is represented by the uncivilised island.…

    • 1930 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Themes: The Tempest
    • 253 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Themes: The Tempest

    When and why does Prospero promise to give up his "rough magic"? Do we actually see him do this?…

    • 253 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Colonialism and The Tempest
    • 1549 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Colonialism and The Tempest

    Prospero's treatment of those who have wronged him speaks volumes for his nature as well as the themes of justice and reconciliation. Although Prospero has his enemies shipwrecked and at the mercy of the sea, he chooses not to kill them or make them truly suffer. He seeks to create an illusion of justice from which they will learn. This illusion of Justice is seen when he makes Alonso believe that he has lost his "dear son Ferdinand". Even though Ferdinand is not truly dead, the illusion which Alonso is under evokes very real suffering, as evident when…

    • 1549 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    the tempest
    • 436 Words
    • 2 Pages

    the tempest

    At first, Miranda seems very young. When Prospero tells her of his exile from Italy, it is her passionate but also restless youth that the reader sees in her exclamations of concern (“O the heavens!” I.ii.116; “Alack, for pity!” I.ii.132). In this scene the reader sees a relationship that is tender but also astonishingly one-sided. Prospero has lived alone with his daughter for twelve years and not told her why they live alone on the island. After he has told her, he charms her to sleep so that he can set about the new plan of getting her a husband, which he has not discussed with her. When that future husband, Ferdinand, arrives, Prospero continues to dominate her by directing her gaze toward Ferdinand, but then quickly steps between the two. When Miranda begs him to have mercy upon Ferdinand, Prospero is strikingly harsh.…

    • 436 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    renaissance in the tempest
    • 332 Words
    • 2 Pages

    renaissance in the tempest

    The play’s major focus is on Prospero’s quest for perfection, knowledge and power. He devotes himself to learning even to the extent of neglecting his duties as a ruler. Use of magic is a weapon through which he can attain perfection. He attains to the status of God on the island assigning roles to the people, commanding and punishing them whenever they go wrong. The act of Antonio’s usurpation of power gives us insights into the evil that was apart of Renaissance politics. The predominance of magic in the play shows the Renaissance king’s interest is in the magical things. Prospero leaves Milan and happens to land on a new island. This incident of traveling through sea, facing shipwreck, coming to a new land reminds us of the spirit of adventure of Renaissance times made possible by the invention of compass. The quest for geographical discovery of the time is vividly referred to. The long process of colonization began during the Renaissance period. Prospero goes to Caliban’s island and gives it culture and rules over it. He seems to have fulfilled the colonizing mission. He is the representative of western civilization, goes to a wild locale and molds it in the image of his own culture. He takes the land away from Sycorax to whom it legally belongs.…

    • 332 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More

Related Topics