Assess The Character Of Prospero. Has Your View Of Him Changed After Reading This Scene?

It may be of importance to question if Prospero is as affectionate and kind as he suggests. For instance, he tells Miranda that ‘I have done nothing but in care of thee/ of thee my dear one; thee, my daughter,’ although it was his behaviour that caused Miranda’s fate in the first place. His attitude towards others, as I pointed out earlier, should also be considered. He appears to love Ariel; ‘Do you love me master?’ asks the spirit. ‘Dearly, my delicate Ariel.’  Nevertheless he can behave cruelly to him, ‘…malignant thing! Hast thou forgot the foul witch Sycorax, who with age and envy was grown into a hoop? Has thou forgot her?’ Ariel asks Prospero for his freedom and Prospero accuses him of ingratitude. Ariel is told that he must continue to obey his master or risk being imprisoned in an oak tree. Prospero’s threats leave Ariel promising to be obedient; he is still under Prospero’s command but irritatingly tempts Ariel with freedom. This gives me another thought about his character, and what his priorities are. What is Prospero without Ariel? I consider this a vital question if I aim to explain in detail his personality. Ariel entitles Prospero to use magical powers. He considers himself to be a strong character already in this play and proposes this well. However, I think his powers are all which makes him feel this way, because they allow him to treat characters in an inferior way to himself. Without them himself and Miranda would be stranded on the island. Since other characters are aware of his abilities, I think it makes them respond to him carefully and not necessarily honestly. Although, Caliban isn’t afraid to speak his mind and address Prospero as if they are of the same status, like when he suggests the island had belonged to him- but since Prospero had landed there, he took over. ‘Thou didst prevent me, I had people else this isle with calibans.’  He challenges Prospero, which is of rarity within the play so far from many of the other characters, who barely face up to him. Caliban in addition insists that Prospero is not only ruthless but also hypocritical. When he had first arrived on the island, he had befriended Caliban, teaching him to speak. Caliban had, in return, shared his knowledge of the island with Prospero but Prospero had enslaved him. Caliban is totally dominated by Prospero. These points also help me create a profile of him and assess his level of loyalty and honesty. I believe that in some ways Prospero’s unfair behaviour and nasty language towards Caliban has passed on to Miranda in the second scene and changed her character also. She entered the play as an innocent and weak girl, and almost transformed into a disrespectful, impolite girl. Calling Caliban ‘savage’ ‘gabble like’ and ‘a thing most brutish.’ This is significant as it identifies how much his physical power is able to change another’s character. For the sake of other characters to think that he has that much influence on them, to cause them to act how he would in situations, it is daunting also. Prospero certainly does use his powers to his advantage, he puts Miranda in a deep sleep so that Ariel can tell him what has been happening, this was once they had reached the present island, as he was determined to have the upper hand once established there.

During this second scene Prospero shows love for, and gratitude towards Gonzalo also. ‘A noble Neapolitan.’ Prospero’s severity towards Caliban must rate as his greatest weakness. It is vindictive to plague Caliban, who is only twenty-four with severe arthritis. ‘Hag-seed, hence! Fetch us in fuel; and be quick, thou’rt best, to answer other business. Shrug’st thou, malice? As well as him suggesting, ‘I’ll rack thee with old cramps, fill all thy bones with aches, make thee roar.’ It is an appealing psychological truth that it is easier to hurt people if we humiliate them in our own minds. Using language to diminish the person is one of the easiest ways to do so. If Prospero uses non-human metaphors to describe Caliban, which he does, such as ‘hag-seed’ or ‘litter,’ it is a small move towards treating him as subhuman.

My views of him did change throughout the whole scene. Some of his traits will never change. Like the obsessive desire to gain and maintain huge amounts of power, it is within his blood to want control and want authority, in my opinion. His manner towards other cast may differ at times in the play, as to create tension and a greater impact perhaps. His general mood is sergeant like- demanding and tense, which sets an uneasy tone at times. Within the Elizabethan period they considered order of importance. I think Shakespeare’s intention was to impress the audience at the time. In doing so he has created a particular person (prospero) who massively fits the preferred characteristics and traits. He has previously intrigued the audience into the play with the dramatic first scene. Now it is a priority to begin revealing the story behind the tempest. Prospero’s character does so without difficulty. He introduces new characters such as Ferdinand, and schemes plans to increase the tension. Keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. Relationships are likely to develop or repel as the story unfolds. Although, my opinion of him at the early stages of his appearance are not that dissimilar to them throughout act one scene two. Immediately, he (and Miranda) created an immense image, which is how he still presents himself at the end. Obviously my opinions changed in the way that they developed, but overall they didn’t transform just grew. Once I realised Prospero created the storm my opinions differed, and again when I discovered the reasons for his actions, and that Antonio was his brother. They all allowed me to assess his character a little more. However at this stage I hadn’t created a completely clear image of his character in my mind, so therefore my views of him were altering incessantly. Already I suspect that Prospero is the main character and must sustain the interest of the audience. He could be played as a magnanimous man or a nasty sorcerer. Either way, his character can be measured through the ways I have chosen.