Throughout this play, Prospero has been an interesting source of power among the list of characters. He begins as the Duke of Milan, but does not seem to realize just how important it is (for himself and for his daughter) to hold tight to the control that he has, and to make sure that he fully trusts all of the people he delegates his duties to. We quickly find out that he has not done this and has suffered the consequences by being sent out to sea with Miranda to fend for themselves.
Oddly enough, the thing that destroyed his dukedom actually redeems him on the island and allows him to be a leader: his books. The magic that he possesses with the use of these books allows him to gain power when it comes to Ariel and Caliban, and then allows him to regain power when it comes to members of his former royal party. At first I thought that Prospero must have learned his lesson: that he should pay more attention to the responsibilities he has as a leader. I realized, however, that his dedication to his books put him on the island in the first place, and he actually did not change anything about his actions to have success there. This puts me in a strange position – I am not sure whether I think that Prospero has learned his lesson and has become a better leader, or if him remaining absorbed in his books just happened to finally work out for him without him learning or becoming a stronger person.
I’d like to think that he became a smarter individual, and I think there is a bit of evidence of that in how, even though he does continue to use magic, he seems to more thoroughly plan his actions. He thinks about how his magic can benefit him and his daughter and has a clear idea of how to use it. Instead of abandoning his people in order to work with his books, he finally uses these books to bring some order to his life and get what he wants. Because he has changed the way he uses his magic, I do believe that Prospero has evolved a bit and has learned that the way he was using his power before was destructive to him and his daughter.
2 comments:
There is something you touched on in this post that I had not previously noticed and I have to thank you for bringing it to attention! This is the fact that Prospero's books which were once what got him banished also made him the leader of his island in the end. I have to appreciate the dramatic irony in that.
I also agree with you on the subject of whether or not Prospero learned his lesson, whether or not he rid himself of his magic in the end. I too am not sure what to think about his happy ending and whether or not this has made him a better person in the end, or if he will simply continue to manipulate others around him.
This post brings up an interesting overall question about The Tempest--not only does Prospero change, but does he change for the better? Yes, he abandons his books and shows that he can play politics and engage in European-style trickery. But doesn't this make him more like Antonio, even as we recognize he is motivated by "virtue"?
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