Prospero’s Epilogue is delivered much like a benediction, tying everything together in a beautiful knot, and giving readers a sense of peace at the play’s ending. For all of the play Prospero has been the “chess master,” moving people like chess pieces at his whim; always a step ahead of the game. Through the story he goes from being depicted as a tyrant to becoming this very human figure, who wants to be understood. Prospero’s machinations, while they were frequent and underhanded, were done out of love for his daughter and the knowledge that he can’t protect her from the world forever (the crux of parenthood).  Like any parent he used all the tools within his power to make sure his daughter was not only safe, but well taken care of, if that meant he had to lie, cheat or steal he would gladly do it a hundred times over. In the end when all his manipulations and persuasions created a very peaceful and fair outcome, he asks those who have been along for the ride with him throughout the play –his audience, for forgiveness.

Now my charms are all o’erthrown,
And what strength I have’s mine own,
Which is most faint: now, ’tis true,
I must be here confined by you,
Or sent to Naples. Let me not,
Since I have my dukedom got
And pardon’d the deceiver, dwell
In this bare island by your spell;
But release me from my bands
With the help of your good hands

Prospero is not only asking for forgiveness for controlling the minds of those on the island, but for controlling the minds of the audience as well. According to Cicero,  the goals of an orator are “docere, delectare, et movere.” 1. To prove your reasoning to the audience 2. To enchant the audience, and 3. To emotionally move the audience. All these points he succeeded at; now that he has done his job by molding this image of himself in the minds of his audience, and sharing his story he wants to be released. Maybe, Shakespeare through Prospero was bidding his audience “Adieu;” thanking them for the power they had given him through their patronage, while giving them back their crown (thus taking off the burden of being a playwright) and becoming a normal civilian (audience member).

Ariel is a very interesting character. I imagined Ariel as a he, even though the only Ariel I know of is the Little Mermaid and there are no gender-specific pronouns, because of a film adaptation I watched that had Ariel being played by a young man (though in this film, Prospero was a woman). But Ariel is interesting for another reason. They (because ‘it’ seems rude) seem vastly powerful and almost Puck-like in wittiness and Iago-like in manipulativeness.

Caliban states, “I must obey. His art is of such pow’r it would control my dam’s god, Setebos, and make a vassal of him” (1.2.372-374). This makes Prospero seem mighty powerful, but we haven’t really seen such powers. His most threatening power is being able to lock up Ariel in the tree again, but then again it doesn’t seem like that takes much power since Caliban’s mother could do that as well—and from what Caliban says Prospero is stronger than the god that Sycorax follows, who would be stronger than her. So the caliber of magic needed to trap Ariel doesn’t seem like it has to be at its best.

And while Prospero couldn’t stop himself from being forced out of his home with his magic, Ariel shows scary power throughout these three acts, even when compared to what is said of Prospero. Ariel is able to turn into wind and water and make a storm (the tempest) powerful enough to make a ship sink, but have so much control that he makes it more of a show and helps the overboard royalty safely get to land. Ariel can also become invisible and put little ideas into a person’s head. And like Prospero, Ariel was able to put people to sleep. Prospero is able to inflict pain on to Caliban, and that is where his powers are, but he doesn’t seem to be able to inflict pains on a spirit like Ariel.

When I think of Ariel, it makes sense that his gender is not stated… he’s not human, possibly not mortal so it could very so be that he is genderless. Perhaps here Shakespeare is using his writing to convey something the audience may have trouble envisioning without cues like how he made it clear the begining scene was on a boat by starting with boatswain. I think if I was creating Ariel they would be as gender-ambiguous and not necessarily human looking—perhaps some root imagery at the feet or base of the character to resemble the tree they were entrapped within.

The play is called “The Tempest” which is the storm made by Ariel in the first scene, Ariel doesn’t get as much attention as the other characters. If Prospero is a representation of Shakespeare, then is Ariel an assistant of his that did all the work and got no credit for it?

When reading The Tempest, two things that seem to be stuck in my mind is Prospero’s control of the past and his realtionship with Ariel and Caliban. Prospero creates a seastorm to bring members of his past life to the right the wrongs. Prospero is essentially forcing others to the island for more people to have authority over.To me he seems a bit sinister for it  yet when he tells his daughter the story of how they got to the island, he victimizes himself for sympathy and makes himself weaker than he is. Prospero wants to regain power over people and still be in their favor. With Prospero being the only one telling stories of the past, he controls it and makes himself to be the protagonist of the play.

Prospero’s treatment of Ariel and Caliban are speaks on his misguided representation of himself. Prospero rescues Ariel from the evil Sycorax yet still enslaves Ariel but he calls it servitude this time. Prospero seems to only finds it evil when someone other than him has power. He expects Ariel to adore him because he changes Ariel’s slavery from an eternity to 12 years. Caliban helps Prospero survive on the island when he first arrives reminiscent of Native Americans and Pilgrims. After Prospero gains the necessary skills to survive, he again makes a servant out of someone. Just like Ariels case, Prospero considers Caliban ungrateful because Prospero taught Caliban about a “civilized” way of living. Prospero does nothing of magnificence to garner the power and respect he thinks he deserves yet still fees justified to it.

As the play goes on, I am interested in what ways Prospero will try to receive empathy and favor during his quest for power and if someone else speaks on the past to offer opposition to Prospero’s claim of protagonist.