Prospero in the Tempest
Character discoveries in The Tempest
Prospero
Personal responsibility behind holding power.
Prospero’s need for revenge catalyses his inner darkness. His thirst and dissociation with the nobles is heavily emphasised in lines such as “false brother”. He discovers that his actions were causing distress and pain to the other characters; his cruelties were finally revealed by Ariel towards the end of the play- “I would so if I were human”. Along-side ‘losing’ his daughter to Ferdinand, Ariel’s line gave him the perspective he needed to see his inner demon.
Prospero discovers the impact he has from his (magical) power. Power helped him lose his dukedom and his driving force for revenge. Prospero’s magical power retakes control of his own life and the life of overs - the same magical power that disempowered him from his throne and allowed him to return to his feet.
It is through the impact of this magical power that ultimately allows him to assume a higher status/control than his human self and can artificially manufacture his own sense of justice – a different, yet just as realistic sense of power.
In the scene where Ariel poses as a harpy. “As the morning steals upon the night, melting the darkness so their rising senses so do their senses rise…chase the ignorant fumes that mantle clearer reason”, power is demonstrated as the force that allowed his enemies to attain ambition thus expelling “remorse and human nature” causing their humanity to become “foul and muddy”.
He also realises without his magical power he is but “same stuff as dreams are made of” (likens himself to his enemies). After attaining ‘true’ power over the nobles (compassion and mercy), he decides to abandon his magic. However, this does not disempower Prospero, as he still maintains full control over the other characters with the power discovered in compassion.
Once Prospero puts down his magic, he has a whole new perspective on the world, as he discovers that everyone is human, while he –
Prospero
Personal responsibility behind holding power.
Prospero’s need for revenge catalyses his inner darkness. His thirst and dissociation with the nobles is heavily emphasised in lines such as “false brother”. He discovers that his actions were causing distress and pain to the other characters; his cruelties were finally revealed by Ariel towards the end of the play- “I would so if I were human”. Along-side ‘losing’ his daughter to Ferdinand, Ariel’s line gave him the perspective he needed to see his inner demon.
Prospero discovers the impact he has from his (magical) power. Power helped him lose his dukedom and his driving force for revenge. Prospero’s magical power retakes control of his own life and the life of overs - the same magical power that disempowered him from his throne and allowed him to return to his feet.
It is through the impact of this magical power that ultimately allows him to assume a higher status/control than his human self and can artificially manufacture his own sense of justice – a different, yet just as realistic sense of power.
In the scene where Ariel poses as a harpy. “As the morning steals upon the night, melting the darkness so their rising senses so do their senses rise…chase the ignorant fumes that mantle clearer reason”, power is demonstrated as the force that allowed his enemies to attain ambition thus expelling “remorse and human nature” causing their humanity to become “foul and muddy”.
He also realises without his magical power he is but “same stuff as dreams are made of” (likens himself to his enemies). After attaining ‘true’ power over the nobles (compassion and mercy), he decides to abandon his magic. However, this does not disempower Prospero, as he still maintains full control over the other characters with the power discovered in compassion.
Once Prospero puts down his magic, he has a whole new perspective on the world, as he discovers that everyone is human, while he –