The Tempest Power Essay

In the play The Tempest by William Shakespeare, power is the ability to have authority over someone based on social status. However, as evident in the play, the drive for power can lead to betrayal. Characters constantly involved in the power struggle, and some are driven to want more power. The conceptuality of power is also the reason for the play’s interesting plot. Characters like Prospero and Caliban are As the plot is introduced, Prospero, the former Duke of Milan, tells the infuriating event of Antonio usurping him. He recalls his memories to Miranda, his daughter, as he tells her, “To have no screen between this part he played/ And him he played it for, he needs will be/ Absolute Milan. Me (poor man) my library/…He thinks me now incapable” (I.ii.107-111). Prospero, the once powerful, almighty duke who had the authority and rule over his people is overthrown by his own

Caliban, a once free person who for the most part owned the entire island, was surprised by the sudden betrayal of Prospero after he had, out of generosity, showed Prospero the island. In the play, Caliban is the only human subject of Prospero, but he is treated merely as a slave and servant (I.ii.337-341). People who have power often have subjects to rule or territory to rule on, and the people who don’t have power are the ones suppressed under the rule. Caliban saw Prospero as someone who is trustworthy enough that he will exploit many of the island’s secrets to him. Prospero, gaining full command over Caliban after the island’s features were shown to him, subjugates Caliban, differentiates him from other people, dehumanizes him and makes him worthless except for fetching wood. The desire for power is often sought after by many individuals, but the consequences of having it can lead to betrayal, treachery, and conditions much