Prospero: Character Analysis

Prospero is certainly our protagonist, and possibly the hero of the play, but not in any traditional sense. We know him from a couple of perspectives: he is the ousted Duke of Milan, father of Miranda, a powerful sorcerer of white magic, a learned man, and the master of Ariel and Caliban. In almost all of these functions, he presents different facets to the audience or reader. At times he is loving to his daughter, cruel to her suitor, gentle to Ariel, harsh to Caliban, subject to nature, and master over nature. We also learn contradictory things about Prospero: he says his library was dukedom enough, but also craves for his title to be returned. The worst and best that can be said of Prospero is that he is complex.One treatment of his character views him as a tyrant. He’s taken Caliban’s island in return for his own lost title, and has put his enemies through all kinds of hell to gather them up so he can judge them. He is cruel to Ferdinand and Caliban, and kind to Ariel only when the spirit is totally subservient. This view is well founded on the facts, but Shakespeare isn't about the facts alone. Prospero’s words are what elevate him to his status as a worthy hero – behind all of his actions lies an incredibly thought out and beautifully spoken sense of reason. He is mean to Ferdinand by making him fetch wood, but he wishes Ferdinand and his daughter to fall in love, and asks heaven to rain down blessings on them. He loved Caliban and taught him until the young devil tried to violate Prospero’s most prized possession, his daughter. Unlike many fathers during Shakespeare’s time, Prospero teaches Miranda and raises her to be her own person, giving her what she wants in her marriage to Ferdinand. As for his dukedom, he only seeks its return so that he’ll have a quiet place to retire and think on his death – he doesn’t do it for power or money. In all facets, he wishes justice to be served. While his actions seem autocratic, he is only staunch within reason – he acts as Plato’s philosopher king, seemingly tyrannical but having the best interest of all at heart. This is most easily seen by his treatment of the men who have conspired and continue to conspire against him – he could rain down vengeance on them easily, or have murdered them all in the tempest, but he brings them before him to forgive them. He helps them seek the penitence that will clear their own consciences. All of these practical considerations are second to Prospero’s magic, which is an art he cultivates with diligence and love. He does not work against the forces of nature, but seeks to understand and use them to the benefit of justice. Most importantly, some critical analyses place Prospero as a stand-in for Shakespeare himself – here it is important that Prospero's magic isn’t magic alone, but art. As Prospero wields nature, so does Shakespeare wield words, to teach lessons and delight the mind. When Prospero renounces his magic, Shakespeare knows The Tempest is the last play he will write alone. As the sorcerer Prospero breaks his staff, Shakespeare puts down his pen. He asks only that we appreciate what he’s done, and humbly takes his leave of us to disappear quietly, letting his words work magic long after he has gone.