The Tempest - Prospero's Rebirth.

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Written by Maggie Quale

Prospero’s Rebirth

Prospero is a man who struggles with his humanity. As a leader and father he is dichotomous – equally judicious and naïve. His exile from Milan is proof of his inadequacy as a Duke, but the loyalty demonstrated by his devoted companion Gonzalo as he saved him from death, suggests that he is also worthy of allegiance. As a father to Miranda and master to Caliban and Ariel, Prospero is equally manipulative and compassionate. Within the scenes of The Tempest, and the historical events narrated by Prospero, we watch him metamorphose from self-absorbed and over-critical to someone coming to terms with his own failings, able to forgive others’ transgressions and relinquish his dependence on magic to control others. His emotional transformation at the play’s culmination is one of reparation and personal growth.

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What sets Prospero apart from the other characters in The Tempest and those seeking revenge in other of Shakespeare’s plays is his ultimate penitence. The positive attributes of his personality enable a powerful transformation. His use of control becomes a window to his auspicious inner qualities, represented by their outward manifestations of ascendancy on those who he protects. Consider his love for Miranda exhibited in his careful selection of a mate and his attempt to portray Miranda as an incomparable treasure to Ferdinand. However controlling this appears today, historically a man of his status was expected to ally his children in ...

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