The relationship between Prospero and Ariel has been attempted to be linked to different types of magical relationships. Prospero and Ariel are different from the witches and spirits - the witches in Macbeth are servants to the spirits, but Prospero is not which in turn rules out a witch-spirit relationship. This is also true in Henry VI: Part 2 in which the summoner is a servant of the spirit and the magic takes place in more eerie situations — conditions that do not apply to Ariel and Prospero. The duo’s relationship is uncommon in the world of the Hermetic magi and their daemons, however supporters of this possible connection argue that Ariel could possibly serve as a messenger/ guardian to Prospero and could explain Ariel’s obedience to
The female Prospera is different because then you get into the role of the sexual relationship between Ariel and Prospera. There is a sense—or hint rather, that something can happen from these two characters. It would change the play entirely because you would have a female character and they react differently to betrayal and revenge. We, as women, do not act like Prospero does, we have a lot more sympathy and forgiveness for people. In the 17th century, a female with magical powers would be considered a witch and witches are perceived as conniving,
The nucleus of the plot in Shakespeare's The Tempest revolves around Prospero enacting his revenge on various characters who have wronged him in different ways. Interestingly enough, he uses the spirit of Ariel to deliver the punishments while Prospero delegates the action. Prospero is such a character that can concoct methods of revenge but hesitates to have direct involvement with disillusioning his foes. In essence, Prospero sends Ariel to do his dirty work while hiding his involvement in shipwrecking his brother, Antonio, from his daughter, Miranda.
In Shakespeare's The Tempest, Prospero's magic is the means that Prospero teaches his lessons to the plays various characters. Whether or not those lessons were learned or not is irrelevant. The main issue is that Prospero's character is indeed a complex one, and one that deserves much attention. Two essays that look at the complexity of Prospero and his magic are Stephen Miko's "Tempest," and Barbara Mowat's "Prospero, Agrippa, and Hocus Pocus." Both of these essays, in dealing with Prospero and his magic reveal things about Prospero that only enhance the mystery of his character.
Soon after we learn that Prospero controls Miranda, we discover that he magically controls the weather and that he also commands a spirit named Ariel to do tasks for him. When a ship carrying
Shakespeare’s play, The Tempest is set on a mysterious island surrounded by the ocean. Here the magician Prospero is ruler of the isle with his two servants Caliban and Ariel. Caliban is the abrasive, foul-mouthed son of the evil witch Sycorax. When Prospero was shipwrecked on the island Prospero treated him kindly but their relationship changed when Caliban tried to rape Prospero's daughter, Miranda. Caliban then became Prospero's unwilling servant. Caliban serves his master out of fear Prospero's wrath. Prospero's other servant Ariel is a graceful spirit who has courtesy and charm. Ariel has put her services at Prospero's disposal out of gratitude for his kind
Prospero’s intentions throughout the play was to seek out vengeance towards his brother and all those who helped him in his betrayal. Through the work of Ariel, Prospero was able to capture those he shipwrecked but decides to forgive them. He also forgives Caliban after plotting to kill him while serving another master, these acts of change are key to the improvement and empowerment Prospero learns after being on the island. The is a growth and arch shown about the character as he states, “ The rarer action is in virtue than in vengeance.” Prospero also shows enrichment of character when he sets Ariel free after commanding him to make smooth sailing upon the return to Naples and Milan, contrasting to the beginning of the play when Prospero seems ungrateful about the service of Ariel. The problem Prospero had that paved the way to him being exiled, was his obsession with studying his art/magic. It is through his experience on the island where he finally comes to realize that the source and self-improvement that he needed to make was giving up his magic. This is symbolized by the throwing away of his books and his plea to the audience to “release him from his bands”. By giving up his magic,the reason he couldn’t be an affective Duke, shows how his alienation on the island benefited him by allowing him to focus on his role and duty as
Prospero operated in the three facets of power relation, as did Columbus. He attacked the social, psychological and cultural facets of the natives as was able to thwart them to his good pleasure. In attacking the social facet, Prospero threatened the class system that was already in effect on the island. After fleeing from Italy, he no longer belonged to a specific class and sought to regain a regal position by taking control of those he encountered on the island. In attacking the psychological facet, Prospero used his power of influence to persuade others to change the way they think or redirect their morality. This influence on morality can be seen when Ariel returns from performing a task for
Specifically, Prospero uses his love for Miranda to hide under the shroud of patriarchy. “The Tempest” opens with a storm in the first act and by scene two, the reader learns that it is Prospero who has commissioned the storm. First, one must examine why Prospero summoned the storm. When Miranda presses her father as to why the people in the ship are in the tempest, he says that “I have done nothing but in care of thee” (Act 1, Scene 2). In some aspects, Prospero is acting against patriarchal ideals because he summons the storm. Directly after Prospero declares the tempest in the name of Miranda, he debases himself. Prospero draws attention to his fall from grace and says "your humble father who lives in a poor little shack" (Act 1, Scene 2). Within these scenes, Prospero is reinforcing his patriarchal role. Furthermore, Prospero is constructing his salvation through Miranda's desires. The tempest has been summoned to maroon Ferdinand and Alonso and ensure Prospero's prosperity off the island. Prospero’s love for Miranda serves only towards his assimilation back into a position of
With a kingdom in ruins and people dying of disease all around him, Prince Prospero is consumed with no worry except to throw a fabulous masquerade ball for his knights and maidens safely tucked away in his castellated abbey. Separated from the rest of the kingdom dying from disease, Prince Prospero is a coward, afraid of Red Death. Prince Prospero is not an admirable character because of his attempts to cheat death which make him a fool, and by leaving the people of his kingdom to fend for themselves.
Ariel is Prospero's servant, yet he is also his assisting companion. Ariel voluntarily does Prospero's work. He is loyal and yet Prospero sees him as a means to an end and manipulates Ariel's willingness. His manipulation is seen where he affirms: "Dost thou forget, from what a torment I did free thee? (1.2. 383-383) Prospero’s actions are contradictory. This exemplifies the idea that justice in the Tempest is primarily depicted as what is best for Prospero.
During the course of the play, Prospero is always scheming on his plan to get his justice back from what the nobles did to him. I believe that Prospero is justified towards the others during the play, as there is lots of evidence to support this statement. A good example is when Caliban tries to rape Miranda; Prospero is justified in how he treats Caliban in the play. He treats Caliban like dirt and does not regard him as a very humane being, and this is shown when he says, “Thy poisonous slave, got by the devil himself Upon thy wicked dam, come forth”. Before the play, Prospero and Caliban had a good relationship but what Caliban did to Miranda changed their
Throughout Act 5 Scene 1, Shakespeare exposes Prospero as the ultimate loving father once he sacrifices his powers, the island and Ariel in order for Miranda to marry Ferdinand and be happy, and to travel back to Milan with everyone. Ferdinand is a link
Prospero holds authority over several characters in the play in order to control them to satisfy his evil plans. Prospero has power over Ariel, who is a spirit that he enslaves after saving him from the witch of the island. He uses this debt to control Ariel to do his bidding. He also uses force by threatening Ariel with his knowledge of magic to remind him how powerful he is. Prospero has authority over Caliban by claiming that he gave Caliban the ability to speak and the gift of knowledge. Lastly, Prospero has authority over Ferdinand by using magical powers to make his daughter Miranda fall in love with him. He accuses Ferdinand of being a spy which in turn causes Miranda to protect Ferdinand. Ferdinand is willingly to become Prospero's slave for Miranda's sake. Prospero manipulates their relationship and this time his control over other characters is justified by his love as a father. He wants to test their love and make them covet it very much so that when they are allowed to be together they will appreciate it more.
Throughout the years since The Tempest was first published in the 1623 Folio, there has been much debate among Shakespeare’s contemporaries and critics as to the significance of the figure of Prospero and other major characters featured in the work. In this paper, I want to examine the figure of Prospero and his relationship with the character Ariel. In doing this, I want to show how Prospero is a figure for the artist, how Ariel is a figure for the poetic imagination, and how the relationship between Prospero and Ariel explores the relationship between the artist and his or her poetic imagination. By showing this, I wish to argue that Shakespeare’s intention in portraying
As stated by Deborah Willis in her article Shakespeare's Tempest and the Discourse of Colonialism, “Prospero dominates this play in a way few Shakespearean characters do in others” (279), though with that being said the play does not favor him nor does it endorse his treatment and abuse of the Islands natives, but simply accepts it as is. Prospero does this through his overall power seen continually throughout the play, and it is this idea of power that divides the colonizer from the colonized or in this case Prospero from Caliban and Ariel. Furthermore, an example of this abused use of power can be seen in act 1 scene 2, when Prospero reminds Ariel of the kindness he has shown, “Dost thou forget/From what a torment I did free thee?” (1.2.299-300) in saying this Prospero reminds Ariel that he owes his freedom to Prospero and therefore his servitude. Furthermore, the relationship struggle for dominance between Prospero and Caliban is highly apparent in Act 3 Scene 2, when Caliban the original ruler of the island, explains that Prospero is an intruder and has betrayed his trust and initial welcome by enslaving him, in order to rule the Island himself, “I say by sorcery he got this isle;/From me he got it. If thy greatness will, /Revenge it on him, for I know thou dar'st,/But this thing dare not.” (3.2.59-62).