Prospero's Use Of Manipulation In The Tempest

One of the last plays by William Shakespeare was a play that moved beyond tragedy, but voices Shakespeare’s self reflection while he leaves the field of theatre. The Tempest by Shakespeare tells a story about a duke, Prospero who is exiled with his daughter to an island where there are few inhabitants. Prospero finds opportunity to still rule over these select few on the island by developing magical powers with the help of his slave, Ariel. Although Prospero has magical abilities, he also uses other tactics to get what he wants from people. In Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Prospero uses his tactic and power of manipulation to control other characters, like Miranda, Caliban and Ariel to gain their loyalty. Each of these characters are manipulated

by Prospero in different ways.
The first character that is affected by Prospero’s tactic of manipulation and control is his daughter, Miranda.

Miranda is perceived as “what’s dearest to the world” and “the top of admiration” making her seem flawless (3.1.47-49). But, everything that Miranda knows was taught to her by her father; she has no personal reality or opinions rather than what Prospero has told her. In John Hunt’s work, “Prospero’s Empty Grasp” Miranda is pointed out to be “laid asleep by his [Prospero] magic” when she asks to many questions that Prospero does not want to answer. Hunt goes into discussing how putting her to sleep was a way to stop her curiosity because Prospero may not trust her with his secrets and his high knowledge (Hunt 290, 295). Miranda has full trust and loyalty in Prospero, even when he does not have full trust in her and lies to her. Prospero lies to Miranda about what really happened to get him exiled from Milan to make him seem like a better leader than he was. Prospero defenses his side by stating to Miranda: “So dear the love my people bore me, nor set/A mark so bloody on the business, but/With colors fairer painted their foul ends…” (1.2.168-170). In these lines, Prospero tells Miranda how much the people loved him and how great he was until his brother overthrew him even though that is not true, but she still believes him. Miranda has no other reason not to believe Prospero about what happened, even though the real story is that Prospero neglected his kingdom. As

Prospero lies about the past, he is also manipulating his daughter’s future. Prospero gets his daughter to fall in love with a man named, Ferdinand; Ferdinand is only on the island because Prospero stranded him there in the first place. Both Miranda and Ferdinand do not realize it was Prospero’s plan to bring them together and have them fall in love from the beginning. Hunt explains how “these exemplary lovers, it seems arbitrary, strained and somewhat unnatural” due to the involvement of Prospero in the relationship; we are shown that Prospero’s involvement while he is in the background when the couple profess their love for each other in act 3, scene 1 (Hunt 295). All things considered, Prospero only manipulates Miranda because he has great love for her and wants to protect her from danger. She is “…a third of mine own life,/Or that for which I live…” as he explains to Ferdinand (4.1.3-4). Prospero only wants a good, controlled life for Miranda.
The second character that is taken over by Prospero’s manipulation is an inhabitant of the island who goes by the name of Caliban. Caliban is known as a “perfidious and drunken
monster” through the play because of his lifestyle growing up on the island (2.2.156). When Prospero meets Caliban he immediately tries to educate him in his language and makes Caliban his slave. At first, Prospero uses the debt of teaching Caliban his language to get him to wait on him, but then he quickly starts manipulating Caliban with threats that have intense punishments. Caliban quickly learns the what he was taught by Prospero only enabled him into a curse that is controlled by prospero (Hunt 278). Prospero goes into one threat explaining:
If thou neglect’st or dost unwillingly
What I command, I’ll rack thee with old cramps,
Fill all thy bones with aches, make thee roar
That beasts shall tremble at thy din. (1.2.443-446)
This threat was said because Caliban was arguing against Prospero about how Caliban was next in line to rule because of his mother, Sycorax and did not want to fetch anything for Prospero. In addition to this threat, Hunt discusses how Caliban’s “resourcefulness…leads him to resist tyrrany” which explains why Caliban does not except slavery (Hunt). Another way Prospero tries to manipulate Caliban is by disgracing Sycorax, so he believes more in Prospero’s reality than his mother’s. If Caliban does not think as highly of Sycorax, then he will think better of Prospero. This also lets Prospero keep limits on Caliban’s version of reality because Caliban does not know who’s reality is better. Caliban is also manipulated by Prospero’s magic. In “Prospero’s Art," Karol Berger explains that the “musical magic works on human senses”; this affects Caliban by how he goes into a daze by hearing the music and ends up in a swamp (Berger 218). Prospero has them in the swamp to know where they are and have them close by, so he can watch their every move; this makes Prospero feel like he has a sense of control and power over Caliban (4.1.190-216). Overall, Prospero manipulates Caliban by scaring him into obeying and slaving away for Prospero, while trying to Caliban tries to resist Caliban. Prospero only wants Caliban to serve him and be in power of him, until Prospero and his daughter can go back to Milan.
The third character that Prospero manipulates is his servant, Ariel. Ariel is a spirit that was controlled by Sycorax, but then freed by Prospero. Since Prospero “saved” Ariel, Ariel is now in debt with Prospero and has to pay off his debt by being loyal to Prospero (1.2.348). Prospero does like to point out Ariel’s debt to him every chance he gets, for example:
Thou liest, malignant thing. Hast thou forgot
The foul witch Sycorax, who with age and envy
Was grown into a hoop? Hast thou forgot her? (1.2.308-310)
Prospero brought up Sycorax because Ariel was asking when he would be freed from the debt he was in.

Once Prospero is mean to Ariel, he soon becomes nice and sweet talks Ariel into doing more favors; this is a tactic of manipulation. Ariel is one of the most loyal to Prospero than anyone else on the island and genuinely cares for Prospero. Karol Berger explains how “Ariel, the performer of magic, appear in his true form… only to Prospero; to all others either he is invisible” or in the form the Prospero wanted (Berger 217-218). This shows how Ariel is loyal to Prospero because only Prospero can see him in his true form. Ariel goes to great lengths for Prospero’s appreciation, like causing a shipwreck and controlling the seas (1.2.246-253). In addition, Ariel sees Prospero as a hero and this “great being”; Ariel performs “his orders faithfully as the medium through which Prospero transmit the influences to the person whom he acts” then Prospero is shown to have magic (Berger 215). In reality, Ariel is the only one that has true magic, but he is manipulated by Prospero and makes it seem like Prospero controls the magic and Ariel is a helper. So on, Ariel not only takes orders from Prospero, but reminds Prospero of worries and things that Prospero still has to do. For example, when Prospero forgets about Stephano, Caliban, and Trinculo are plotting against Prospero, Ariel reminds Prospero about it, so they do not rob him (4.1.202-205). On another note, Ariel is still promised

to be freed “after two days/I will discharge thee” from Prospero’s service, unlike Caliban. But, Prospero does not want to free Ariel due to the control he has on Ariel and how caring Ariel is to Prospero. So, Prospero asked favors after favors from Ariel, until Act 4 when Prospero gets to go back to Milan. But, Prospero manipulates and uses Ariel the most out of any character. Prospero depends on Ariel for magic and to be reminded of things he has to do. Ariel is manipulated by Prospero expressing how wonderful Ariel is by sweet talking him into do tasks, while also giving him hope of being a free spirit once again.
All things considered, The Tempest is a very intricate and pervasive play by Shakespeare. The power and control of the play is in the hands of Prospero. Based on that, Prospero uses his sorcery to manipulate loyalty within certain characters like, Miranda, Caliban, and Ariel. Each character is manipulated by Prospero differently. Miranda is manipulated due to the fact that Prospero has taught her everything, so she has full loyalty and trust in him. His reality is the only one she knows of; this makes Miranda very gullible to Prospero. In contrast, Caliban is controlled by Prospero due to his extreme threats and punishments toward Caliban if he does not do what Prospero says. Lastly, Ariel is manipulated into giving Prospero magic by Prospero freeing him from Sycorax; Ariel feels a debt that he has to repay to Prospero for him being free from her. These tactics of manipulation leads Prospero to be in control of the island and take over it.