How Does Prospero Control Fate In The Tempest

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The line between right and wrong, noble and manipulative, and malicious and just is a very thin one and can be altered due to circumstances. In William Shakespeare’s, The Tempest, Prospero was the Duke of Milan until he was overthrown by his brother and banished to an island with his daughter. Prospero’s actions from then on are seen as both manipulative and as just. Manipulation is the act of trying to control others using sly methods and to be just is to be fair and to do the right thing. He is shown to be both of these things through his struggle to control fate, his plans, and his effect on the other characters. Prospero showed his struggle to control fate when he crashed his enemies on the island. He was manipulating their fate by causing …show more content…
His actions of justice positively effected Ariel and Caliban in that they were freed. Prospero went through with his promise and freed Ariel. And he gave Caliban his deepest desire, the island. He was just in that he not only forgave Caliban but he also gave him the island. A negative effect on others was Alonso and Ferdinand’s grief. They both believed the other was dead because Prospero put them on other sides of the island to make them truly learn their lessons. Miranda and Ferdinand’s relationship was greatly impacted by Prospero’s actions. He challenged their love to make it real as shown when he says, “I must uneasy make lest too light winning make the prize light,” (1.2.450-451). This quote shows his first idea to plan to make their love hard to achieve. By doing this they built a strong relationship in less time and their relationship was truly genuine. Prospero, as always was looking out for his daughter’s well-being. In conclusion, Prospero was a just and manipulative person shown through his desire to change fate, his plans, and his effect on the other characters. Prospero’s character developed greatly throughout the book. He overall was a very good person who was just trying to keep his daughter safe and her future