Throughout the play Prospero’s relationship with Ariel varies from Act 1 Scene 2 to Act 5 Scene 1. In Act 1 Scene 2, Prospero uses harsh tone of voice and imperative verbs to manipulate Ariel. Frequently through out the scene Prospero uses one-word commands when speaking to Ariel, “Speak. Tell me! … Go! … Hence”. This shows the audience that Prospero is in command and also shows that Ariel is subservient to Prospero. But in Act 5 Scene 1, Prospero uses a softer tone and a more gentle voice. He still uses imperative verbs, but in this scene, he doesn’t use them to manipulate Ariel. For example when he commands Ariel to do something, “Fetch me the hat and rapier in my cell”. This shows the audience that he is still being commanding but by not using a harsh tone he makes Ariel feel as though he is no longer compelled to carry out Prospero’s orders but he now has a choice.
Also, in Act 1 Scene 2 Prospero just utilizes Ariel to gain revenge over his usurpers. In this scene, Shakespeare uses uncompassionate phrases to show that Prospero cares only about his revenge and not what Ariel is feeling or thinking; “Is there more toil?” (Ariel), “there’s more work” (Prospero). This evokes the audience to think that Prospero is completely selfish and heartless. However in Act 5 Scene 1, Prospero starts to value and heed Ariel’s opinions. There is an example of this when Ariel tells Prospero how guilty and sorry his usurpers feel. He tells Prospero that he would feel sorry for them if he were human. Prospero shows he values Ariel’s opinions, “Dost thou think so, spirit?”. This demonstrates to the audience that Prospero has changed significantly and that he is a more compassionate and loving character.
In Act 5 Scene 1, Prospero uses a soliloquy to inform the audience. “I’ll break my staff” and “I’ll drown my book”. This shows the audience that he wants to redeem himself from all the wrong things he has done and that he wants to change. In the soliloquy he states how very powerful he is and how he has used his power to do evil in the past, but wants to change for the better. Whereas in Act 1 Scene 2, Prospero uses his speech to subdue the other characters. He does this frequently with Ariel, “Thou liest, malignant thing”. This demonstrates to the audience how ruthless he was. Today we may think of Prospero as callous and evil for doing this, but in Elizabethan times when the play was wrote, the audience would have liked this sort of thing and found it quite humorous. Therefore, as times progress, the play has different effects over the audience.
In Act 1 Scene 2, Prospero uses imagery to highlight the negative features of others. For example when he describes Caliban; “got by the devil himself”, “wicked” and “tortoise”. This suggests to the audience that Prospero is harsh and unkind. It also suggests that Prospero is a bully towards Caliban, who at this time is displayed as defenceless. However, in Act 5 Scene 1, Prospero uses imagery to highlight the positive features of others. Such as when he is describing Gonzalo, “honourable man”, “true preserver” and “loyal sir”. This shows a considerable change to the audience from Prospero. We know this because we see Prospero being compassionate towards others, whereas before he was harsh and unkind.
Throughout the play, Prospero’s use of magic differs; especially between Act 1 Scene 2 and Act 5 Scene 1. In Act 1 Scene 2, he uses his magic to create confusion by causing the tempest. “the tempest that I bade”. This is very early on in the scene and already it shows the audience just how powerful Prospero is. But in Act 5 Scene 1, he uses his magic to restore things to normal. By doing this, he shows the audience that he really does want to be normal once again.
Also, in Act 1 Scene 2, the natural order of things is upended. For example Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, is not the Duke of Milan and there is this big tempest; “I, the wronged Duke of Milan”. This shows the audience straight away at the beginning of the play that all is not right and that there must be something wrong. In Act 5 Scene 1, when Prospero is returned to his correct position of Duke of Milan, “my dukedom”, the play starts to come together and it starts to iron out. This shows the audience that the natural balance is returned and it also shows us that the play may be coming to an end.
Additionally, in Act 1 Scene 2 Prospero creates the tempest to try and hurt his usurpers, but he always makes sure that they are physically unharmed, “are they safe?” This is because he wants to only hurt them emotionally. This shows the audience that he is not completely brutal. In Act 5 Scene 1 he stops using his “rough magic” and reconciles because he has achieved his aim; he had hurt them emotionally because they were feeling guilty. This shows the audience that he likes to get his own way but he is not completely ruthless because he will stop as soon as he has reached his goal.
Overall, I think that the impressions we get from the way Prospero talks and acts in Act 1 Scene 2 and Act 5 Scene 1 reveal a lot about his character and how Shakespeare wanted to portray his character. In Act 1 Scene 2, the impressions we get from him are quite negative. He is sown to be a ruthless, manipulative, evil and tyrannical character. But the impressions we get of him from Act 5 Scene 1 are completely the opposite; they are quite positive. He is portrayed as compassionate, caring, merciful and forgiving character that is willing to reconcile with the people that betrayed so awfully. The audience see a huge change in the way his character behaves and acts compared to before.
