Prospero is the protagonist in William Shakespeare's The Tempest. Plain and simple. However, he inhabits roles outside those of a traditional protagonist. The former duke of Milan and father of Miranda, Prospero, initiates the play by seeking vengeance on his enemies who have taken his dukedom from him. The play follows his journey as he avenges himself through his use of magic and returns to his former status after having forgiven his enemies. Protagonists often give the audience the story from their point of view, but Prospero does more; he controls the story. From engineering the love between his daughter Miranda and a prince to controlling his slaves, Prospero directly involves himself in all aspects of the play. The most compelling …show more content…
As Prospero is invested in his plot to seek vengeance as well as carry out the marriage between Ferdinand and Miranda, the thought of Caliban’s, his slave, plot to murder him has escaped his memory. He then launches into a speech about the ceremony he’s holding for Miranda and Ferdinand, but more specifically how the ceremony is as meaningless as everyone’s role, including his own, on the island. For instance, Prospero elaborates that “These our actors, / As I foretold you, were all spirits and / Are melted into air, into thin air; / And like the baseless fabric of this vision…” (IV.i.165-168). These few lines reveal much about Prospero’s mindset regarding the events transpiring, beginning with “These our actors, As I foretold you.” By calling everyone “actors,” he demeans life into a mere play. But it is not a simple play; it is a play he is directing. Evident in “As I foretold you,” Prospero admits that he is the one narrating the play, but more so that everyone is a puppet – and he holds the strings. He continues to devalue the play by calling it “baseless” and of “this vision,” and it is important to note that “this” refers to Prospero’s vision, which again demonstrates his role as a playwright and, therefore,
Prospero, the protagonist of the play, is perhaps one of the more controversial characters in literary history. Prospero is essentially on a quest to right the wrongs that he and his daughter Miranda have had to suffer. He sees himself as a bringer of justice, and that he is morally correct in doing what he is doing. He was formerly the Duke of Milan, a fairly high position in regards to political power in Italy. One day, however, he was stabbed in the proverbial back by his own flesh and blood, his brother Antonio. Antonio removed Prospero of his position and took the reigns of Duke for himself. He then banished Prospero and Miranda out to sea, where they eventually ended up on the island. Now this sounds unjust, and of course it is. But Prospero then begins to contradict his own self. The island that he and Miranda come upon is already inhabited by a witch, Sycorax, and her son Caliban. Prospero, an extremely powerful man, looks down on Sycorax because she is a witch, and he proceeds to take over the island and run it as himself. This all of a sudden sounds like a familiar tale. Sycorax eventually passes away, and Prospero enslaves her son, Caliban, to do all of Prospero's bidding. Prospero also comes across a prisoner, Ariel, who has been imprisoned for twelve years. Ariel is an interesting character in that he is almost a spirit-like entity.
In Shakespeare’s play, The Tempest, the character Prospero embarks on a journey of self discovery, undergoing a transformation that allows him to achieve a renewed perception of himself and others Prospero who was initially a duke, but later overruled by
To be able to answer this question we must first understand why Prospero can be seen as good or evil. It is fair to say that Prospero is a main protagonist to the plot of Shakespeare’s Tempest. It is due to Prospero's role as a key figure in the play that has put him under so much scrutiny. Many different Shakespearean critics have their own view of Prospero and those that read or see the play also have their own opinion of the way in which Prospero may be seen.
To be able to answer this question we must first understand why see Prospero as good or evil. It is fair to say that Prospero is a main protagonist to the plot of Shakespeare’s Tempest. It is due to Prospero's role as a key figure in the play that has put him under so much scrutiny. Many different Shakespearean critics have their own view of Prospero and those that read or see the play also have their own opinion of how they would have seen Prospero.
Shakespeare’s play the Tempest revolves around a powerful magician named Prospero who has been isolated on
Shakespeare's Use of Language, Imagery and Setting to Illuminate Prospero's Journey from Revenge to Reconciliation
Through The Tempest play, William Shakespeare weaves together a tale that is characterized by anti-colonialist sentiments. Prospero - the deposed Milan Duke - adopts a colonialist mentality by treating his colleagues as slaves who have no rights. Characters who suffer mistreatment under Prospero include: Ariel - the spirit creature; Ferdinand - the Naples Prince; and Caliban - Sycorax’s son. Prospero possesses much magical power which he uses to oppress his compatriots. Consequently, Prospero is portrayed as a colonial tyrant who abuses his immense power. Anti-colonialism feelings are especially evident through the actions, utterances and disposition and of Caliban, Miranda, Ferdinand and Ariel. To illustrate, Caliban berates Prospero for the former’s forced labor. Likewise, Ariel protests Prospero’s reluctance to release the former as earlier agreed. Miranda also expresses her dissatisfaction with Prospero’s unfair imprisonment of Ferdinand. Similarly, Ferdinand appears to challenge Prospero’s authority by briefly stopping dragging timber so as to flirt and chat with Miranda. The foregoing four characters exhibit conduct that highlights their displeasure with Prospero’s colonial-style authority over them. From the preceding expose, it can thus be concluded that Shakespeare’s The Tempest play is about anti-colonialism based on its depiction of Caliban, Miranda, Ferdinand and Ariel’s opposition to Prospero’s oppressive authority.
In literature as in life, characters are multi-dimensional beings. They possess a wide variety of character traits that make them who they are. In the Tempest written by William Shakespeare, Prospero traits resemble those of the Europeans that came during the exploration of the Americas. Thus, Prospero’s treatment of Caliban is similar to the way Europeans treated the Native Americans.
In William Shakespeare's The Tempest, Prospero lives with his daughter Miranda on a deserted island. On the surface, he appears to be a benevolent leader doing his best to protect and care for the inhabitants of the island, especially for Miranda. On closer inspection, however, Prospero plays God, controlling and creating each individual to fit the mold he desires. He takes advantage of his authority over the people and situations he encounters while wearing a facade of integrity and compassion to disguise his wily intentions and to retain love and respect.
knowing of whence I am, nor that I am more better.' He is implying she
The nucleus of the plot in Shakespeare's The Tempest revolves around Prospero enacting his revenge on various characters who have wronged him in different ways. Interestingly enough, he uses the spirit of Ariel to deliver the punishments while Prospero delegates the action. Prospero is such a character that can concoct methods of revenge but hesitates to have direct involvement with disillusioning his foes. In essence, Prospero sends Ariel to do his dirty work while hiding his involvement in shipwrecking his brother, Antonio, from his daughter, Miranda.
Greenblatt, Stephen, ed. The Norton Shakespeare, Vols. 1+2. New York and London. W.W. Norton, 2008. Print.
The play, The Tempest, by William Shakespeare is a very cleverly thought out piece of work. Shakespeare very deliberately inter-relates several different forms of power during the course of the play. There is political power, shown through the plethora of political characters and their schemes, while at the same time parodied by the comic characters. The power of magic and love, and its ability to reunite and absolve also plays a major role in the play. Throughout the play, Prospero, the main character, takes great advantage of his power and authority, both properly and improperly. The epiphany of this however, is realized at the end of the play.
Shakespeare’s play, The Tempest is set on a mysterious island surrounded by the ocean. Here the magician Prospero is ruler of the isle with his two servants Caliban and Ariel. Caliban is the abrasive, foul-mouthed son of the evil witch Sycorax. When Prospero was shipwrecked on the island Prospero treated him kindly but their relationship changed when Caliban tried to rape Prospero's daughter, Miranda. Caliban then became Prospero's unwilling servant. Caliban serves his master out of fear Prospero's wrath. Prospero's other servant Ariel is a graceful spirit who has courtesy and charm. Ariel has put her services at Prospero's disposal out of gratitude for his kind actions towards her. Prospero saved Ariel from the confinement of Sycorax who held her prisoner.
The Tempest, like any text, is a product of its context. It is constructed in relation to moral or ethical concerns of 17th century European Jacobean society. The resolution of conflict appears 'natural' or an inevitable consequence if regarded in relation to the concerns of its context. The resolution of conflict in this play incorporates Prospero being returned to his 'rightful' or natural position as Duke of Milan, his daughter Miranda getting married to Ferdinand, and the party returning to Milan leaving the island to the 'monster', Caliban. The resolution is a consequence of the concerns of the time, including the idea of the divine right of kings, courtly love, and colonisation.