Character study of Prospero Essay Example

Character study of Prospero Essay Example Character study of Prospero Essay Character study of Prospero Essay In act 1 we learn that Prospero is a very complex character with many different aspects to his presentation. The first and probably the most obvious aspect to his character is that of the magician. Some critics argue that the 4 main characters on the Island can be said to represent different attributes to humanity: Caliban represents instinct, Miranda represents love, Ariel represents spirit and Prospero represents power. Prosperos incredible magical powers contribute to this interpretation of his character. His character is also interpreted as being like a puppet-master. I think this is an appropriate image of Prospero as he uses his incredible powers to rule over people, influencing and controlling them with his magic for his own personal purposes. He controls Caliban with threats and acts of physical violence saying: Tonight thou shalt have cramps, side stitches that shall pen thy breath up. This shows Prosperos puppet-master side using his incredible power to control people and making them afraid of them. The author also uses the rule of three to show the extent of Prosperos threats towards Caliban. He also controls Miranda, this time though he does not resort to physical pain or violence he puts a spell on her instead. He says, Thou art inclined to sleep This again shows his incredible power he possesses as a magician being able to control peoples actions easily as a puppet-master would his puppets. I believe he does this to show off and feed his ego. Also he does this to suit his personal interests. In this way Prospero often abuses his power. A good example of this is when he stops Ferdinand drawing his sword, testing his power. He turns Ferdinands nerves back into a childs. This is shown in: Thy nerves are in their infancy. Also again he is showing off his great power as a magician controlling Ferdinand making him unable to fight back. Prospero is again shown to be extremely powerful; this time he does not only control beings but the elements themselves. He creates a storm, controlling it. He creates a storm for revenge on his brother and the king, once again abusing his power. He controls the storm so that no one is killed Not a hair perished. This again shows his enormous magical powers and ability as a magician. I believe the writer uses the storm as a symbol to show the anger that Prospero has for his brother. I also believe it symbolises the chaos and destruction that Prospero can cause. I think as a magician Prospero is extremely powerful but he often abuses this power, he uses it to control people and to gain revenge. But although this is true he is justified for wanting to gain revenge on his brother as he has been stabbed in the back and thrown from power. As well as this the audience learns there are other aspects to his character. The next aspect is that of The Father. This part of Prosperos character also has positive and negative parts to it. At times he is caring, protective, loving and concerned but at other times he is overprotective and controlling. He exploits his daughter to gain revenge and he tests his daughters feelings for Ferdinand instead of letting her find out her feelings for herself. One positive aspect of Prosperos relationship with Miranda as a father, is that he is caring. Evidence of this is seen when Prospero says Tell your piteous heart theres no harm done. This shows he is caring as he sees his daughters distress at thewreck and reassures and comforts her. He is also very protective of his daughter, which is another positive aspect of his character. He says: I have done nothing but in care of thee. However, it can be argued that Prospero uses his daughters welfare as justification for his revenge. I dont believe this is fair because I believe Prospero probably would have tried to take revenge even if he did not have his daughter. An audience also learns there is a loving part of his character. This is obviously another positive aspect, he describes his daughter as a cherubin, which gives her an almost angel like image. He says: It was thou that did preserve me. This is the kind of doting that many fathers show in their relationships with their daughters. It is obviously a good thing as he loves and cares for Miranda and just shows his affection. He shows his care for Miranda also when he tests Ferdinands love for his daughter, saying: But this business I must uneasy make, lest too light winning make the prize light. He is concerned for Mirandas feelings, which shows his love, but him interfering may show how he is overprotective. His overprotectiveness is a very negative aspect of his relationship with Miranda. But this could also be a very positive aspect to his character as it shows he loves and cares for his daughter. Another example of how he can be seen as overprotective is he has kept Miranda ignorant of what thou art. So he has kept from the knowledge of her noble past, protecting her from the public. In a way this is a positive aspect to his character as he is only protecting his daughter from what he believes will hurt her, but it is also a negative aspect as she should be allowed to live her own life and sort out her own problems. One negative aspect of his character which cant be at all positive in the sense of Prospero the father is that he exploits her love for Ferdinand which also helps him gain his revenge. Evidence of this is when Prospero says: It goes on, I see, As my soul prompts it. This shows that he is willing Miranda and Ferdinands love to last so he can exploit it to gain his revenge. Also, another negative aspect to his character as a father is the fact that he I controlling. He does not just control her actions as a normal father may, such as not letting her see certain people or disciplining her. He controls her actions physically using his powers; in one case he casts a spell: Here cease more question; thou art inclined to sleep. This is not good as he is not just misusing his powers, using them on people but he is almost taking his daughters freedom to live. He uses it to suit him and does not consider how it may hurt or affect others. So this is obviously one of the most negative aspects Prospero has as a father. I think as a father Prospero is a very loving person, which leads to his overprotectiveness. I believe he does not exploit her but he does genuinely love her. He tries to do his best for Miranda and does things he believes are in her best interests, this is a very humane part to his character. Another very humane part of Prosperos character is that of the man. When he takes of his robe (which is symbolic of his superego.) we see a much more humane side to him, we learn about his past and the reasons he and Miranda were shipwrecked. One very human aspect of Prospero is the fact that he is shown to be very foolish and naive in his past. A good example of this is when he leaves his state to his brother: and to him put The manage of my state; Also another good example is seen when Prospero says: The government I cast upon my brother. This is obviously very foolish as this is a lot of power to hand over to his brother. I think that perhaps one of his most humane aspects is that Prospero is very arrogant. He believes he is great, powerful and perhaps better than many other people. A good example of Prosperos arrogance is when he talks about his position: And Prospero the prime duke, being so reputed In dignity, and for the liberal arts Without a parallel. The way in which Prospero keeps repeating his suggests that he is very arrogant. But this is very human and perhaps Prospero is just proud of what he has achieved. Another example of Prosperos is shown when he says Alas poor Milan. He is shown to be very arrogant as he feels that the city cant be without him as their leader. His pauses that are caused by the writer who uses commas to create a dramatic caesura, emphasises his upset, which may suggest his arrogance even more so. Prospero at times is quite single minded or self-absorbed. An example of this is when he says: And to my state grew stronger, being transported And rapt in secret studies. This shows that Prospero is self-obsessed. He is described as a stranger to his state and it says rapt in his secret studies. Which in my opinion is a little irresponsible. As he is so obsessed in his secret studies it gives his brother the chance to overthrow him. Another example that shows Prosperos irresponsibility is when it says he was neglecting worldly ends. This shows he is placing his personal interests over his public responsibilities. He notices this, showing how irresponsible he is as he does nothing about this. He says I loved my booksabove my dukedom. I believe this shows he is extremely irresponsible. Being so wrapped up in his studies gives his brother the chance to overthrow him. Another aspect to Prosperos character as a man is his bitterness towards his brother overthrowing him. This is shown when Prospero says: He was The ivy which had hid my princely trunk, And sucked my verdue out ont. This is good imagery which describes Prosperos brother as the ivy which is sucking the life or power from the tree which in this case is the imagery used to portrays Prospero. The imagery portrays Prosperos brother as a parasitic plant which is living off the life of others, I think this is very good imagery as Prosperos brother id living off his brothers good work. I think this is a very human part to Prosperos character as the man as many people feel this emotion towards one another. I think this is a negative part to his character as he is doing anything by being bitter or resentful. I think that he should have tried to take action on his brother. Another very human side to Prosperos character is when he is very self pitying. It is a negative point as I believe people should not self-pity but should get on with life. An example of this is when Prospero says: Me, poor man, my library was dukedom enough. This is an example of Prospero self-pitying. The commas emphasise his upsets by creating dramatic caesuras. This again, also shows his self-obsession and shows him trying to gain sympathy from Miranda. As a man prospero is also very biased going back to the quote: Oh a cherubin, you were the only one who preserved me. This shows Prosperos biased towards his daughter Miranda. Saying that she was the only one who preserved him, whereas there were many other factors, whys Prospero was saved, Gonzalo being one of them giving Prospero the supplies he needed to survive on the island. I think as a man Prospero is a very negative character. Displaying mainly negative qualities of a human, foolishness, arrogance, irresponsibility, bitterness and also self-absorption. I think overall The man side to Prosperos character is his weakest aspect. The final aspect of Prosperos is the aspect of master of slaves. In this aspect we learn about Prosperos relationship with both Ariel and Caliban. There are many positive and negative aspects to his relationship with each character. The first positive aspect in the relationship between Prospero and Ariel, is the huge amount of respect Ariel has for Prospero. A good example of this is when Ariel says: All hail, great master! Grave Sir, hail! To answer thy best pleasure. Shakespeare shows the respect Ariel has for Prospero by writing Ariel to refer to him as great, sir. Also we see that Ariel is a very willing servant. As her enthusiasm is shown with the use of exclamation. Another positive aspect to the relationship between Ariel and Prospero is the warmth of emotion Prospero shows towards Ariel. An example of this is when Prospero says: My brave spirit! Who was so firm, so constant! When Prospero refers to Ariel as my brave spirit! the use of the word my suggests a more personal relationship between the two characters. He also uses the word brave to compliment and flatter Ariel. The strength of his emotions are emphasised by the exclamation mark once again. The final Positive aspect in the relationship between the two characters is the willingness of Ariel to help and please Prospero. An example of this is shown in: Thats my noble master! What shall I do? Say what! What shall I do? The willingness is shown by Ariels enthusiasm. This enthusiasm is shown by the use of repetition and also exclamation marks which emphasise her excitement. As well as these positive aspects there are also negative aspects. One of these negative aspects is when Prospero blackmails Ariel. He brings up her past saying: Dost thou forget? from what torment I did thee free? I believe this is quite ironic as Ariel is not completely free as Prospero now enslaves her. Another negative point in the relationship between Prospero and Ariel is seen when Prospero promises Ariel freedom but almost at a price. Thou shalt be as free As mountain winds. But then exactly do All points of my command. This is negative because although Prospero promises freedom he has still not freed Ariel but still uses his promise to blackmail her. He uses his promise conditionally, using Ariels own trust against her. The final aspect in the relationship between Ariel and Prospero is a negative one. It is the abuse that Prospero gives Ariel also bringing up Sycroax from her past. This is shown when Prospero says this to Ariel: Thou liest malignant thing! Hast thou forgot? The foul witch Sycroax, who With age and envy Was grown into a hoop? Has Thou forget her? Prospero is abusive to Ariel calling her names like malignant thing He also uses repetition to make her remember her past. I believe that Prospero is trying to appreciate where she is now. Although he is using emotional blackmail to get what he wants from Ariel. The other relationship is with his other servant Caliban. Once again there are both positive and negative points. The first positive point is that when Prospero first landed on the isle their relationship was mutually caring. An example of this is: When thou camst first Then strokst me and made much of me. This is as though Prospero treats him like a pet using the word strokst to portray animal imagery but still cares for him as an owner would his dog. A positive point in this relationship is the cooperativeness shown by Caliban when he educated Prospero as how to survive on the island. This is shown when Caliban says: And then I loved thee, And showed thee all the qualities oth isle. This shows that Caliban did have respect for Prospero. Although I am not sure if Prospero truly cares for Caliban, I believe that Prospero may be using him to find out more about the island. Once again as well as these points there are also negative aspects of his relationship with Caliban. The first negative aspect is that Prospero uses pain to control Caliban. An example of this is If thou neglecstthy din. This shows the amount of pain that Prospero is causing as you would have to be in a huge amount of pain to make this level of noise. This also shows the level of pain Prospero is willing to cause to get his own way. He rules Caliban through Calibans fear which is Prosperos final negative aspect. Calibans fear is seen when he says: I must obey. His art is of such power, It would control my dams god, Setebos, And make a vassal of him. This shows how much Caliban fears Prospero he says that his power is such that it would control my dams god. This shows that Caliban believes that Prospero is so powerful that he could even control his god, Setebos. On the whole I believe that Prospero is a hugely mixed character. I believe Prospero is very human in some ways. His human attributes mainly being seen in the aspects The man and also The father this is probably Prosperos weakest side. It shows him to be foolish and weak. But away from his human side Prospero is seen to be extremely powerful. This side of his character is seen in the aspects The magician and also Thee master of slaves. Despite having many negative aspects I believe that Prospero is not completely negative. When it comes to the aspect of The father I believe he is just overprotective. Also as The man I believe that he is just very human and made mistakes. All together I believe that Shakespeare has managed to create an extremely real character in Prospero. He is not entirely perfect but tries hard in everything he does but makes mistakes.