Throughout ‘The Tempest’, Prospero appears to be fully in control of the events of the play. He uses language to persuade the audience of this, he refers to his plans as “my art” and “my project”. An omniscient Prospero appears to have charted what will happen from the beginning of the play, he is the author of everyone’s destiny. In Ron Daniel’s production of ‘The Tempest’ Prospero is portrayed as an actor-manager rather than a colonialist, so that the play becomes metatheatre. Shakespeare’s characterisation of Prospero, is of someone with great skill and dexterity when dealing with other characters in the play, Prospero is good at manipulating people to do what he wants, this is analogous to 'Translations' were the English are very good at manipulating the Irish into speaking English. The language Prospero uses with Ariel is very cunning, and their duologues are very contractual. In Act One, Scene Two we see Ariel compose a mini-rebellion against Prospero, albeit a short one, Prospero quickly reminds Ariel of the cruelty of his former master, Sycorax who had trapped Ariel in a split pine tree. Prospero’s proficient use of language is emphasised “Thou my slave,/ as thou report’st thyself, was then her servant” Prospero uses reason to persuade Ariel that “It was mine art” which liberated him from the “torment/To lay upon the damned”. Prospero promotes himself from a coloniser to a liberator and uses linguistic power to convince Ariel. From a dramatic point of view Prospero’s understanding of language convinces Ariel to remain loyal. 'Translations' also shows how blurred the line is between coloniser and liberator. 'Translations' is set in the 19th century, however it is very much to do with the situation in Ireland in recent times, throughout the 1980s there were violent clashes between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, British intervention was viewed as liberation by the Northern Irish but as Colonisation by the Republic of Ireland. From a modern perspective, it can be compared with the response to the Iraqi Crisis by the British public, the West has come under allot of criticism with regard to its true intentions for invading Iraq.
Friel’s characterisation of Hugh and Manus’ personal relationship can be seen as parallel to the English and Irish’ political relationship, Manus’ exploitation by Hugh reflects the political exploitation of the Irish by the English. Like the British, Hugh can be viewed as an autocratic and tyrannous. In addition Hugh also uses language to control events. Hugh is negligent teacher, he refuses to teach Maire to speak English when she asks, he simply ignores her “We have been diverted- diverto…”. Hugh allows his personal feelings towards the English obstruct his students from fulfilling their potential, he prefers to teach them the classical languages of Latin and Greek which Maire informs him is a “barrier to modern progress”. This view was advocated by Daniel O’Connell, whom Hugh ignorantly reduces to a “little Kerry politician”. Friel’s characterisation of Hugh of someone who is historically blinkered; he needs Dutch courage and escapism to avoid the truth. The stage directions describe Hugh “producing a flask of whisky” Hugh then precedes to toss “it back”, Hugh is intoxicating himself, a parallel might be drawn to Jimmy jack who is similarly intoxicated by the classics. It can be argued therefore that Friel depicts Hugh as using language to confine his students, for language will empower people such as Maire and will give her access to all forms of knowledge.
It is notable that Shakespeare’s depiction of Caliban towards Prospero is completely different. Prospero uses verbal abuse and invectives as form of discipline to reassert his authority, he refers to Caliban as a “hag seed”, a son of a witch, Prospero also uses his magical language to coerce Caliban “Here comes a spirit of his, and to torment me” from a dramatic point of view, Caliban is shown as powerless and defenceless in the wrath of Prospero’s fury. Prospero uses language to commune with the spirits and he “bid’em” to persecute Caliban, like in 'Translations' language is used to control and penalize. In some productions, Caliban has been interpreted as a representation of the indigenous populations of colonised countries. In Aime Cesaire’s rewriting of 'The Tempest' ‘Une Tempete’, published in 1968 amidst the Black civil rights movement known as ‘the Negritude’, we see a different spin on the play. The colonizer and the colonized can be compared to slavery, and the relationship between the slave and the master. Cesaire's Prospero is shown as a slave-driving exploiter. Caliban is changed from Shakespeare's ignorant savage to a black colonized native whose language and culture have been displaced by Prospero’s; Ariel is even played by a mulatto so as to bridge the gap between the two.
From a modern post-colonialist perspective, Prospero, the coloniser, sees the importance of language as a device used to control, for if Caliban speaks Prospero’s language, effectively Prospero’s can ‘shape’ Caliban. In 'Translations', the English colonisers also use language as a device control the Irish. The introduction of free education of the English national schools shows the tactics employed by the English to transform Ireland from a predominantly Gaelic-speaking nation to an English-speaking nation. Education and language are used so that Irish history and culture would be written in English, and fundamentally ‘shaped’ by the British.
At the end of the 'The Tempest' Prospero breaks the suspension of disbelief “Our revels now are ended” he draws attention to the fictional status of the play. Prospero renounces his power, “now my charms are all o’erthrown”. It can be said that Prospero’s loss of power empowers the audience, we see a social role reversal and the subversion of social hierarchy, this is a convention of a comedy, it is now Prospero who is “confined”, indicated by the use of a second person plural, and this confuses the equilibrium. From a narrative point of view the audience as a magician emerges “by your spell”, this completes the role reversal. In the end it is the audience who dictate the events of the play “with the help of your good hands”.
The fact that 'Translations' expresses Irish characters in the English language shows that translation of some kind is possible, from a modern perspective we see that a hybrid in the used of Hiberno-English this confirms Hugh’s view “We must learn to make them our own”.