The loss of Prospero’s “prime duke” authority was due to his mistake in neglecting his rightful role because he was occupied and “rapt in secret studies”. His “state grew stranger” as power gradually went into the hands of his deceitful brother Antonio who was “The ivy which had hid my princely trunk | And sucked my verdure out”. This emphasizes the damaging effect of magic that has brought Prospero no benefits from when he first discovered it. However a chance has been given to the ‘magus’ in that he uses the magic which replaced his human power to restore order back into society. The usurpation of his rightful dukedom by Antonio has pushed Prospero to be a power elsewhere and therefore resulted in the colonisation of Caliban’s Island. A change in the ‘chain of being’ would have been expected to bring utter chaos. The Elizabethan belief was based on ‘world order’, that everybody and everything had its place in the ‘chain of being’ from God at the top down to the peasants. A change in the ‘chain of being’ would have been expected to bring utter chaos. Throughout the play, Prospero uses his magical powers to try and re-establish order, by keeping main control of all the characters. However, Prospero also depends much on luck to actually help him. It was “providence divine” which brought him safely to the Island, and “bountiful Fortune” and “a most auspicious star” which brought his enemies within his reach. His magical powers also wouldn’t have existed if it hadn’t been for noble Gonzalo who “furnished me | From mine own library”. This shows that although Prospero is seen as all powerful through his magical source, there is in fact a limit to it as he has partly gained it through great fortune.
Prospero’s control, in fact, has been sustained by his supernatural powers; symbolised by his magic garment, staff, and above all, his books “that I prize above my dukedom”. Even Caliban identifies the source of Prospero’s powers precisely; “possess his books; for without them | He’s but a sot”. While’s Prospero’s human power as a duke is his right, he was not born with magic powers so he has learned them through books: he uses it for revenge and to inflict pain. His later rejection of the books shows that he has learnt and is letting go of what is not meant to be his. Prospero’s magic means consist of music and abusive power, some of which is used for beneficial reasons, in contrast to what the audience saw of his unreasonable action in the first scene. Musical enchantment appears right through the play to emphasize the control contained by Prospero. The music hypnotises to cause confusion, madness and disturbance to the royal entourage that are upon the Island. However, the main use of the melodic charm is to cause sleep. “Thou art inclined to sleep”, here Prospero lulls his daughter and exhibits the earliest and mildest proof of his magical power in Act I Scene II. Sleep is a Shakespearean device which allows the audience to see the other individuals or groups of people talking in private, but in the context of the play, Prospero is using it as control. His powerful magic allows him to cast his spells through his servant Ariel, who represents him and performs his commands, which is mainly shown throughout the play by Ariel’s singing. As for the abusive power used on Caliban, Ferdinand, and the rest of the ‘ship-wrecked’, they are made to suffer the evil aspects of Prospero’s power. Caliban depicts his torment as “apes, that mow and chatter” and “All wound with adders”, whereas Ferdinand is temporarily enslaved with painful “kinds of baseness”. Also hallucinations are created to arouse guilt within Alonso, Gonzalo and Antonio by provoking them with food.
Ariel “From Milan did supplant good Prospero;
Exposed unto the sea – which hath requit it –
Him, and his innocent child; for which foul deed,”
But, the extent of Prospero’s magic is limited to controlling nature, as he only hopes in the play that human nature will change. He cannot make Ferdinand and Miranda fall in love, but only bring them together and hope that they will do so. He also cannot cause his enemies to experience remorse and repentance for their deeds, shown as Sebastian and Antonio refuse to undergo a change of heart for their misdeeds. This is yet another weakness to Prospero’s actual power in influencing the characters as he only causes things to happen around them, which is indirect manipulation and as shown results in some unaffected by his attempted control.
Prospero’s human qualities improve through using his magical supremacy during his island experience; this shows great progress in his use of power and control. He learns the power of forgiveness; he decides “rarer action is | In virtue, than in vengeance”. This is a major turning point in the play and for the audience as Prospero shows ‘real human virtues of emotion and mercy which is needed in a strong leader’ (William Ozanne ‘Words’ 1985). Prospero shows the significance of this by giving Ariel freedom for all his work, and Caliban pardon for his degraded behaviour. The effect of control over Caliban specifically has been positive in the end and has successfully changed his attitude. He shows a positive outlook for the future by promising to be “wise hereafter | And seek for grace”. In the play, Prospero’s power has developed so that he uses it to do good and this would have been recognised by past audiences as a sensible change occurs to what was an uncivilised “monster”. As for Ariel, being released from Prospero’s power is a sign of justice that has been well earned, in that order has now been restored with his help. As well as Prospero succeeding through this mortal learning process, he has always had the natural control of a father, which would have been expected by Elizabethans. The fatherly role would be to find a strong, decent husband for Miranda which he has done, by introducing Ferdinand; and to the advantage that he is of a high status. On a negative point, Prospero does use emotional torment on Alonso and Ferdinand as he leaves them both to mourn for one another in the belief that they have died in the storm. The amusing yet clever effect of releasing Ferdinand is that he may then gain control over Alonso. The aim was for Alonso to be relieved by his son’s survival, in return for an apology and acceptance of the marriage between Miranda and Ferdinand.
Prospero having total power throughout the whole play controls all the events in the hope of restoring order. This caused individuals and groups of characters to express their true thoughts as to what is their ideal civilization. The ‘trio’ of Caliban, Stephano and Trinculo plot to murder Prospero and destroy his books in order to regain Caliban’s power over the island. Their nonsensical views are drink driven and, therefore, stupidity overcomes Caliban to believe he has the power to carry out such an action. It is only when Caliban is forgiven for his wrongs that he realises “What a thrice-double ass | Was I to take this drunkard for a god”, his judgement was impaired. The comparison with the “damned witch Sycorax” was made by Prospero himself to symbolise that her “sorceries terrible” and “abhorred commands” led to her banishment from civilisation. Prospero makes this contrast between them because he is using magic for good, therefore he expects the audience to see the difference between them. Similarly, he was displaced from his society because he abandoned it for magic, but Prospero receives another chance to change this and it symbolises that he is not in the same situation as Sycorax. Shakespeare uses this to show the faults and weaknesses of all the other characters compared to Prospero. It illustrates how he is different and his specific way of using power to control is right as it can repair the structure of society, rather than the selfish approach revealed in the other characters. Ultimately he is using magic for the right reasons and at the end knows that his correct human power is more important. Mariners during 1610 shunned the reports of the Bermuda Island wreck as an “Ile of Divels” on which Shakespeare possibly based The Tempest (Source of the Tempest’ by Signet Classic). This article argues that the haunting environment and myths of the Island possibly inspired Shakespeare to suggest that the malevolent curse of the Island causes the ‘evil’ thoughts and behaviour of the characters. This undermines Prospero’s actual power in influencing the characters upon the Island as their thoughts and feelings are argued to be a cause from the “disturbed and desolate” land and not from the control of the ‘magician.’
Throughout the play, the audience are given the impression that Prospero abuses his use of powerful magic to control the other characters to obtain his vengeance. But clearly by the final Act, the situation has changed and Prospero is a man who has undergone a change of heart and reveals the humanity of mercy and amnesty.
Go, release them, Ariel.
My charms I’ll break, their senses I’ll restore,
And they shall be themselves.
Prospero confirms that “now my charms are all o’erthrown”, in order to go back to his rightful place in Milan, where he will now perform his role properly, a contrast with what happened at the beginning when he abandoned his dukedom for magic. In a way, Prospero finally realises the damage of learning about the supernatural and the mistake he has made in taking up the practice in the first place. It can be suggested that Shakespeare’s moral in this ending was in fact to stress to the Elizabethans the mishaps and risks that are taken by those who study mystical works and that all will be punished like Prospero or Sycorax. In an Elizabethan audience, many would have agreed with these ethics as magic and witchcraft were strictly forbidden and feared. After giving pardon to the other characters, Prospero admits he has also done wrong and places power over himself in the hands of the audience; “I must be confined by you”. The symbol of the audience’s “good hands” shows not only the appreciation of the play but gives them a pride in showing mercy and forgiveness. What is left of his magical power is used to “promise you calm seas, auspicious gales”, an action to symbolise a positive and calm future. Prospero finally accepts again that “what strength I have’s mine own”, solely his human strength and power as duke.
