The Tempest Critical Lens Essay

Often times, it is difficult to decipher if an act is morally just, or completely wrong. In The Tempest, Prospero’s actions are disputed whether they are justified with good reason, or if they are adding on to the list of wrongdoings by the characters in the play. While some people may argue that Prospero had strong reasons for his actions, in reality Prospero’s act of creating the tempest, enslaving Ariel and Caliban, and testing Ferdinand are unjust.

By creating the Tempest, Prospero uses his magic unfairly without true reason. He imprisons and terrorizes both innocent people and family. “All lost! To prayers, to prayers! All lost! … ‘Mercy on us!’-- ‘We split, we split!’-- ‘Farewell, my wife/ and children!’ -- ‘Farewell, brother!’ … Let’s

all sink wi’th’ king. (I.i.48, 57-58, 60)” All men on the ship fear they will lose their lives, and begin to pray for the best. They do not realize this storm is a mere trick of Prospero and, therefore, are terrorized, thinking they have lost loved ones. This act is purely unjustifiable. There is a good reason for creating the storm in order to confront his brother, but it is still not able to be justified. “O thou mine heir/ Of Naples and of Milan, what strange fish/ Hath made his meal on thee? (II.i. 107-109)” Alonso is truly sorrowful for his son, and constantly wishes Ferdinand is still alive. Alonso did help Antonio steal the crown from Prospero, but by no means does this make it fair for Alonso to think he has lost his son to the sea. Worse, Prospero’s storm also drags innocent crew onto the island and they are not able to go back to their lives, even though they have done nothing wrong and do not deserve this.
Prospero wrongly enslaved Caliban and Ariel, even though they do not disobey Prospero without reason.

Ariel is always helping Prospero with all of his needs and does not ask for anything in return, except for his freedom. Caliban does not necessarily help Prospero during the time of the play, but may very well have aided him with all the in’s and out’s of the island when he first washed up on shore twelve years before. But, Prospero does not view his servants with reasonable eyes and therefore thinks it is morally permitted to keep them as his servants. “How now? Moody?/ What is’t thou canst demand?/ My liberty./ Before the time be out? No more./ I prithee,/ Remember I have done thee worthy service,/ Told thee no lies, made no mistakings, serv’d/ Without or grudge or grumblings. Thou did promise/ To bate me a full year. (I.ii. 244-250)” Ariel states multiple good reasons why he should be released from Prospero’s rule, but Prospero overlooks all these deeds that Ariel has done for him, and treats Ariel as a lowly being. By overlooking everything that Ariel has done for him, Prospero shows how he lets his power get to his head, and does not use his power within reason. By keeping Ariel and Caliban as his servants, he is metaphorically overstaying his welcome. It is fair that Ariel helps Prospero because he did save Ariel from the evil witch Sycorax, but Ariel fulfils his duty yet is still Prospero’s slave. Ariel should have been let go a while ago, but Prospero continues to

wrongly enslave his spirits, even with good reasons not to.
Prospero proves to be a very one-sided person when he tests Ferdinand.

He tells Ferdinand that his father is dead through the song of Ariel. “Full fathom five thy father lies,/ Of his bones are coral made; (I.ii. 397-398)” With the “death” of Alonso, Ferdinand no longer has to ask approval for marriage, and later sees Miranda who he wants to marry. This is all a part of Prospero’s test, and Prospero later enslaves Ferdinand to further test his love for Miranda. This entire testing of Ferdinand is completely unfair. He has no reason to think Ferdinand is bad other than being associated with Alonso but still uses his power to wrongfully test Ferdinand before he allows Ferdinand to marry Miranda. This would be the equivalent of stalking your daughter’s boyfriend to see if he is a good person, even if he has no criminal record and has done nothing wrong. The entire concept would be illegal today, and therefore based on our society’s norms, Prospero’s actions are unacceptable. Due to the harsh testing of Ferdinand with physical and mental labor without reason, Prospero’s acts are considered

unjust.
Overall, while others may argue differently, Prospero proves to be a very prejudiced man, based on his actions of creating a deadly storm, enslaving Caliban and Ariel, and testing Ferdinand. He does justify some of his actions in the end of the play by releasing everyone for his power, but this deed still does not vanquish his previous wrongful actions. Shakespeare’s The Tempest may very much mirror our everyday lives and the unfair judgements that we receive or give daily.