The Tempest
Comments(3) 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.
I agree with your analysis. I find it interesting that you stated that Prospero is the only one who tells stories. In addition to your analysis Prospero also has control over Miranda. I feel that the control he gains over Miranda is due to his story. Miranda had no knowledge of what had happened in the past and was upset at the fact that Prospero caused the storm. Once Prospero told her the story Miranda was no longer bother at the fact that Prospero caused the storm. I am interested in seeing how Prospero will gain control over the other characters in the island as we move along in the play.
You analysis about how Prospero controls the story because only his version is spoken is very true and reminds me of the African proverb: “until the story of the hunt is told by the lion, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.” Prospero is continually playing either victim or victimizer, with there being no in between for him as of yet. It seems that he is able to control the others with Ariel, who is already causing a bit of hysteria within the two lost groups.
This analysis and the fact that Ariel agreed to 12 years of servitude draws very much to the similarities of European colonization, especially in America. These Europeans came looking for power in the form of gold; Prospero gains actual magical power. Europeans look like gods to natives; Prospero looks like a “savior” to Ariel. Europeans take advantage of natives, learning how to survive from them and then capturing their land; Caliban teaches Prospero how to survive on the land and Prospero makes Caliban his slave. We could go on and on, but I think you get the point; art reflects reality, and this was the reality of this Shakespeare’s time.