Essay Prospero in the Tempest

Submitted By juliaglavv
Words: 2847
Pages: 12
Open Document
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 – possessing an inhuman power and using them cruelly – is not. He gains freedom and inner peace in the new world without magic.
By observing betrayal and repentance, Prospero is brought to feel passion and offer mercy – a display of how much power he truly has over the nobles (he still maintains control over other characters even without magic).
Ariel had reminded Prospero of what it is to be human. The casting aside his magical powers, “charms are all o’erthrown that strength I have’s mine own”, he has gained his own, independent and humane power.
Prospero discovers that humanity is an important aspect of life. His reconciliation with Alonso shows compassion while he offers mercy. Ariel is the catalyst to remind Prospero to remember what it is to be human
In the epilogue, Prospero states that his discoveries have allowed him to see the errors in his ways by metaphorically likening himself to his enemies and by casting aside his magical powers “charms are all ‘thrown, my strength I have’s my own’”
Miranda
Important character in the play= audience discovers Miranda’s transformation throughout
Traits include dependence, naivety, pure & innocence (during the onset of the play= a subject to guided discoveries provided by her father) (initially ignorant to the past)
Controlled by her father (complex relationship/ prompts a deeper commentary about gender expectations/ familial interactions)
Play progresses= Miranda becomes aware of her own as well as her father’s past before the island (innocence/ compassion act as a trigger for her transition to a mature/new understanding) (curious)
= breaking Miranda’s sheltered life (consisting of a new realisation of men & love)
Discovering something new to the wider world
She is emotionally transformative in love and is mutually transformed in love for another man (overwhelmed with infatuation)
Emotive exclamation: “O, the cry did knock against my heart” as she witnesses the drowning= emphasising on her sympathetic/empathetic
Show More

Related Documents: Essay Prospero in the Tempest

Tempest: The Tempest and Prospero Essay

With the ascent of postcolonial criticism, Prospero – the formerly undisputed protagonist of Shakespeare’s The Tempest – has been increasingly viewed as a character of at best dubious morals, and at worst, an “arrogant and ill-tempered magistrate”: far from the “inspiring magus” of traditional criticism (Kastan 270). In particular, the relationship between Prospero and his servant-monster Caliban has been ever more called into question, the prevailing view being that Shakespeare “clearly wants us…

Words 387 - Pages 2

Prospero In The Tempest And The Histrionic Wayfarer

Shakespeare explores these impacts of discovery in the text The Tempest (1623), through the characters, Prospero and Miranda. Similarly, in Tim Storrier's self-portrait The Histrionic Wayfarer (2012), which does not depict a face or body, we are able to see transformation which is a result of emotional and intellectual enrichment. The character Prospero in The Tempest, through the process of discovery, undergoes intellectual enrichment. Prospero is a character who values knowledge and the pursuit of knowledge…

Words 621 - Pages 3

How Does Prospero Control Fate In The Tempest

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…

Words 680 - Pages 3

How Does Shakespeare Present Prospero In The Tempest

In act two of The Tempest, the characters that were on the boat wash up to a different part of the island where Prospero is not. In scene two, a new character named Caliban is introduced. When he comes in it say “thunder heard,” I then assumed, he must be bad news. So I went to see his name under the name of actors and he is described as a savage and deformed slave. I envisioned him as not looking normal, or maybe he was crazy. I did not expect to find out what I did later on. He then goes on to…

Words 286 - Pages 2

Essay on The Tempest To What Extent Do You Agree With The View That Prospero Is An Unsympathetic Hero

with the view that Prospero is an unsympathetic hero? Prospero is a powerful magician In ‘The Tempest’ and is in control of all others on the Island. It appears he suffers from two major betrayals, however, the sympathy one would feel for him is marginalised by his actions. Prospero was the Duke of Milan, an extremely powerful between the 13th and 15th century. Although Prospero’s betrayal and banishment, by his brother Antonio, is unfair, Prospero is by part responsible. Prospero neglects his Dukedom…

Words 696 - Pages 3

How Does Shakespeare Use Class Structure In The Tempest

Even though Frank Kermode’s argument about “The Tempest In Shakespeare: The Final Plays” is very informative about many of the issues addressed in the play, it never deals with one of the plays most important topics: class. I strongly disagree with Kermode’s approach on analyzing The Tempest because in failing to consider the influences of class structure, he is failing to consider one of the most important ideas going on with the play. In doing this he does not take into account all the things connected…

Words 1202 - Pages 5

Chaos In The Tempest

Everyone has a stage of chaotic ways in their lives, but at the end turns back on the right track and back into order. This relates to the play "The Tempest". In the play "The Tempest" written by Willam Shakespeare, starts out with a massive shipwreck leaving the passengers stranded and separated on a deserted island. Prospero and Ariel, the ones who caused the storm, is out with their magical powers to seek revenge on Prospero's brother and the men who helped him who dethroned him. Miranda, Prospero's…

Words 693 - Pages 3

Similarities Between Othello And The Tempest

Shakespeare's play The Tempest and that of real life colonization seem to be similar in content, but can they explain the purpose behind Shakespeare play. The Tempest tell of a sorceress named Prospero who lives in an island with his daughter Miranda, his slaves Caliban and his helper Ariel. In the play Prospero is removed from the throne by his brother, his need to want to rule takes him to an island in which he is meet by the natives and taught about the island. Prospero is gifted with a magical…

Words 718 - Pages 3

Paper Number 7

Working Paper #7: The Tempest Question 2. 25 points. Family bonds.
This question is on construction, deconstruction, and destruction/attenuation of family bonds. Please think over the various sets of family bonds that we have seen in the plays we have studied this semester. In answer 2a, please list at least ten (10) significant family bonds by category and character name. (For example, father-daughter--Lord Capulet-Juliet). Then please think about which factors cause the construction…

Words 1085 - Pages 5

The Tempest Coursework Essay

The Tempest The modern audience may feel that Caliban draws our sympathy as he is the rightful ruler of the island. Examine Shakespeare's characterisation of Caliban and say whether you would agree with this point of view. Caliban, a central character in Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' is a very complex character, if not the most complex character of Shakespeare's play. The audience is first introduced to the character of Caliban in Act 1 Scene 2 and first impressions of Caliban are gained by the audience…

Words 1082 - Pages 5