Explore the Ways in Which Prospero Is Presented as a Character in William Shakespeare's the Tempest'
Prospero is arguably the most interesting and diverse characters within William Shakespeare's The Tempest'. He is a man that was wronged by his usurping brother, however he is somewhat difficult to like as his story unfolds and the story of others is submerged. His power over and treatment of other characters shows him as a man that is struggling with his own importance and ability, however his isolation from the world for so many years clearly plays an important part in the way prospero uses his power to try and obtain justice for what he lost. His Manner is presented as authoritarian, Shakespeare uses language to create Prospero's threatening manipulative manner, using dialect that has emotional impact on each character for separate reasons.
The changes that occur in Prospero's character are unfathomable at times, and many of his speeches are fairly ambiguous. Prospero's treatment of Caliban is malicious, he enslaves him and calls upon his spirits to pinch him when he curses. His handling of Caliban can be justified to some extent; Caliban is the son of the witch that controlled the island before he did, and he tried to rape Prospero's daughter Miranda. Caliban's plight mirrors that of Prospero's in some ways, Prospero had his dukedom taken away by his brother and was then isolated from the world, Caliban is the only island native in the play, and in his opinion the island belongs to him. Shakespeare is trying to highlight the human response to experiencing a negative event, by Prospero inflicting pain on Caliban and suppressing him and his power, he cannot be a victim. Prospero feels threatened by Caliban, he wants to suppress the Native of the island, to gain complete control, his fear of losing power again is incredibly deep-seated. His hatred of Caliban is evident in the way he addresses him, "Thou poisonous slave, got by the devil himself upon thy wicked dam, come forth!" By Prospero calling Caliban a slave, he is giving him a pungent reminder of the
The changes that occur in Prospero's character are unfathomable at times, and many of his speeches are fairly ambiguous. Prospero's treatment of Caliban is malicious, he enslaves him and calls upon his spirits to pinch him when he curses. His handling of Caliban can be justified to some extent; Caliban is the son of the witch that controlled the island before he did, and he tried to rape Prospero's daughter Miranda. Caliban's plight mirrors that of Prospero's in some ways, Prospero had his dukedom taken away by his brother and was then isolated from the world, Caliban is the only island native in the play, and in his opinion the island belongs to him. Shakespeare is trying to highlight the human response to experiencing a negative event, by Prospero inflicting pain on Caliban and suppressing him and his power, he cannot be a victim. Prospero feels threatened by Caliban, he wants to suppress the Native of the island, to gain complete control, his fear of losing power again is incredibly deep-seated. His hatred of Caliban is evident in the way he addresses him, "Thou poisonous slave, got by the devil himself upon thy wicked dam, come forth!" By Prospero calling Caliban a slave, he is giving him a pungent reminder of the