William Shakespeare 's Prospero And Ariel 's Utilization Of Enchantment

 In Act I of the play, Prospero finally tells Miranda the woeful story of how she and he arrived on the island.  From the

In William Shakespeare's The Tempest, the line between the realm of reality and illusion is blurred by Prospero, who through the use of his magic is able to manipulate and control both the island and those who are stranded on it. The duality between illusion and reality, the contrast between the natural and unnatural are being represented and questioned by Prospero's magic. Throughout the play, Shakespeare is stating that illusions can distort reality, but in the end reality will always makes itself apparent.

Prospero enslaves Caliban and Ariel, seizing the island for him and Miranda, just like Alonso and Antonio had done to him. The rightful ruler of the island is Caliban, and although Caliban at one time tried to rape Miranda, Prospero repeatedly punishes him for this one event that occurred much before this play takes place. Prospero initially “helps” Caliban by educating him and in exchange, Caliban taught Prospero and Miranda how to survive on the island. Prospero uses the act of attempted-rape to justify his seizure of the island. This take-over should have been enough punishment but Prospero enslaves Caliban, threatening to hurt him if he does not do his bidding. By endlessly punishing Caliban, Prospero inadvertently shows his malicious side. Although Prospero freed Ariel from the tree he was bound inside, Prospero blackmails Ariel and essentially enslaves him too. Prospero repeatedly tells Ariel that he will set him free but, it seems as if that is an empty

But Prospero (through Ariel) has done more than simply arrange for Miranda and Ferdinand to meet. He has cast a glamour on Ferdinand ("our garments . . . drenched in the sea, hold . . . their freshness" (II.1 60-61)), which leads Miranda to "call him a thing divine" (I.2 418). Miranda herself has been groomed by Prospero to be what men desire (pure, virtuous, beautiful), even men as unmanlike as Caliban. The question of whether or not Gonzalo, in his benevolence, thought to pack along with the books and food and the clothes that fit yet more clothes, for Miranda when grown, raises the question of whether or not a glamour might have been cast on her as well. (It is safe to say that Ferdinand's mistaking a child who has been raised immersed in magic a goddess is not as far off base as it may at first seem.) Ferdinand and Miranda experience a "love at first sight"; their affections are based solely off physical attraction. If a glamour has been cast upon Miranda, then the girl Ferdinand is falling for does not exist outside of Prospero's allowing her to exist (i.e., outside of the spell which has been cast upon her). If one has not

   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

   A production of The Tempest should emphasize the idealized methods in which Prospero uses magic to solve the problem of revenge which is so prevalent throughout his tragedies, perhaps the production might be a direct allegory for the magic of the theatre itself.   In this conception of the play, the scattering and bringing together of the characters in the script is significant in that theatre also could be said to bring people together and allow them to share in an experience of emotion, magic, and finally, of resolution. In this way the production could be used as a vehicle for conveying the idealistic virtues of forgiveness, compassion, and of course knowledge. In his book, A

Additionally, the island is the perfect setting for Shakespeare to present man as a zealous political animal, free of the façade and superficiality of ordinary society. Antonio and Sebastian plot almost immediately to murder Antonio, considering political gain despite the predicament in which they find themselves. Additionally, Stephano, Trincullo and even Caliban have their own political plot – to murder Prospero. Stephano remarks “this will prove a brave kingdom to me”, and Caliban tells of his dreams of heavenly riches:

Prospero learns the use of books on the island. Through his books he gains the magical knowledge that he needs to teach Caliban and Ariel, and also the knowledge of how to control the island and the visitors on his island. His magical feats not only intimidate his enemies but also let him have his way. Prospero further spreads this authority by marrying his daughter to Ferdinand. When Ferdinand draws his sword to try and resist Prospero, Prospero responds, "My foot my tutor?" (I, ii, 470) This, in a way, sets the hierarchy between the two men. Prospero recognizes himself as a ruler and a teacher. Prospero's magic can control Ferdinand (it makes him to drop his sword the first time they meet) and thereby gaining Ferdinand’s respect. Prospero puts Ferdinand through different tasks to make him value Miranda more. Prospero says, "too light winning / make the prize light." (I, ii, 452-3) Ferdinand takes Caliban's job of carrying wood, thus accepting the role of an apprentice (an important educational practice) to Prospero.

This sensitive and noble side is briefly visible to the audience.  Both, Prospero and Miranda see his noble side, but do not acknowledge it at all.  Although we briefly see a sensitive side to Caliban, it is turned to gray when he becomes ignorant.

William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” speaks about multiple authoritative relationships throughout the play and the abuse of power and authority. The main character Prospero lives on a deserted island with his daughter Miranda. Prospero used to be the Duke of Milan until he has been usurped by his brother Antonio with the help Alonso the King of Naples and his brother Sebastian. Prospero and Miranda were banished to sea in a rotten boat and eventually lands in a deserted island who was once ruled by a witch named Sycorax but is now only inhabited by her son Caliban and a spirit named Ariel. Since arriving at the island, Prospero has been ruling the island and enslaved Caliban and Ariel by the use of magic. He acts as if he is God by creating a storm in order to shipwreck the King of Naples and Antonio. Prospero uses his powers to get revenge on his brother for having been exiled to the island. Prospero is a controlling character who seems to be obsessed with getting revenge in order to regain his status. He abuses his authority and takes advantage of his slaves and his daughter Miranda to fulfil his evil plan.

Shakespeare's Use of Language, Imagery and Setting to Illuminate Prospero's Journey from Revenge to Reconciliation

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

Although the King’s son, Ferdinand loses his luxury life and has to face the test of survival, his determination and valor enables him to live a time of jubilation. Living in Naples, Ferdinand struggled to find his true love, but shortly after he arrives on the island, a spirit named Ariel uses his mellifluous voice to guide Ferdinand towards Prospero’s daughter, Miranda. With one glance, Ferdinand falls for Miranda, who he claims as, the “perfect and… peerless” (III, i, 47) lady he’s been waiting for. In addition to love, Ferdinand is also living every adolescent’s dream; being away from their parents. Without his father next to him on the island, Ferdinand gets to make his own decisions and lives his life without his father’s ruling; obtaining the feeling of independence and discovering what he is capable of doing on his own. Ferdinand finds pleasure with the feeling of freedom, wanting to “live here [forever]”

The Tempest is full of many powerful people who climb over each other to get to the top. Arguments of who has the most power on the island vary and there is no one solid answer. Three people stand out the most: Ariel, Prospero, and Caliban. They all have power in different ways and it is disputed if some even have power or only give the illusion of it. Ariel, a ghost spirit, has power because s/he has magic. Prospero is powerful because he controls Ariel and many others. Caliban is physically powerful and could have power from his mother. As power varies, Ariel has the most through magic, but prospero has knowledge and control, and caliban is threatening and physically strong.

It is evident that Caliban is claiming to have rightful ownership of the island, but Shakespeare gives European audiences a response to this claim and similar ones of the real world. Prospero saved Caliban from the witch Sycorax and should be thankful for all Prosper has brought him and not worry about ownership of the island since the stronger, smarter European is here now. Caliban is also portrayed as a moral less monster who rapes and smells of fish. This characterization was brought upon many other natives during this time in history as well. The magic that came with the island can be seen as a natural resource of the island that benefits Prospero. This is much like the real natural resources discovered by the Europeans at this time in history when Shakespeare wrote the play. Most critics of the play state that Prospero is a portrayal of Shakespeare himself, but it is clearly evident based on the island comparisons to the new wolrd that Shakespeare’s intention was to not only describe the new world, but endorse the colonization of