How Does Prospero Lose His Magic

Yet, one critical question is left. If Prospero was surrendering his magic, why was his last act so heavily laced with his charms over his enemies? Seems ironic that despite his sacrifice, he relied on his magic so heavily in the final scene. His dependence on his magic to end the play demonstrates one concept: his magic was his power to control the story, and therefore he still required his magic to end it. Therefore, his promise to “break my staff” is a reference to a pen. Authors write with pens and artists draw with pens. But when artists finish their work, they have no use for their pen. Similarly, Prospero’s “staff” is his pen, or his tool to complete his project. As a result, a strong connection is to Prospero as the playwright and that
By nature, epilogues are times when the character, possibly the protagonist, steps out the narrative in order to address the audience. In other words, out of the fiction. For this reason, Prospero’s first line sets the stage for the end of the play. Pronouncing, “Now my charms are all o’erthrown” (EPI.1). As noted earlier, “magic” referred to Prospero’s control of the narrative; therefore, along those lines, “charms” also refers to that same power. Since Prospero claims his charms are “o’erthrown,” he is admitting two significant pieces of information: he lost his “magic,” signalling that the fiction, or fantasy, no longer exists. Secondly, and more prevailing, Prospero admits his control of the play -- his engineering of the plot. For this reason, the audience and artist power scheme that was originally discussed is fully rebuked, and instead places emphasis on Prospero’s direct control of the plot. Prospero has done more than withhold information from the audience such as his background; he has constructed the plot to his own
Expressing his call for forgiveness, Prospero conveys “Gentle breath of yours my sails Must fill, or else my project fails, Which was to please” (EPI.11-13). The verbalization of “my project” is an explicit admission that The Tempest, and the tempest within the story, was of his creation. Artists all have projects, whether it be a painters have paintings, singers have songs, and Shakespeare has plays. As a result, Shakespeare lives vicariously through Prospero. Perhaps more than that; Prospero was Shakespeare all if the play was his “project.” For the play to be his project, it would have had to been planned and carried out by one individual: Prospero. Along those lines, Prospero never took on a “role” as a playwright, but instead the playwright was his profession all along, which explains why he needed to request forgiveness from tyranny from the artist. And as like any artist, Prospero yearns for the applause “With the help of your [the audience’s] good hands”