The Character Of Prospero in William Shakespeare's The Tempest

The Character Of Prospero in William Shakespeare's The Tempest

Prospero appears in the play early on in the second scene. After the

exhilarating beginning to 'The Tempest,' his daughter Miranda and

himself bring about a calmer atmosphere, Shakespeare has intended to

do so, to the extent that he has converted the language into verse for

these characters. Miranda especially expresses a flowing and poetical

image where she tries to portray herself as a helpless and weak girl

'O, I have suffered.' Some sentences are linked to add to this affect

'th' welkin's' overall her reflection creates an outline of Prospero's

character, as he is her father. By examining the detail of characters

with some connection to Prospero, like Miranda and Caliban for

example, makes it simpler to assess his character. For the reason that

the way he acts around different people shapes his personality.

Prospero's name means 'fortunate' or 'prosperous' which is worth

taking into account when studying aspects of his character. I should

consider whether he uses his powers wisely and humanely or selfishly,

as this will uncover a larger proportion of his hidden personality. My

original opinion of Prospero was that he has a significant role in the

play. Immediately he acts powerful even towards his daughter, 'naught

knowing of whence I am, nor that I am more better.' He is implying she

knows nothing and urges her to calm down as the tempest was for her

sake. Prospero is also demanding, 'sit down' plus feminist criticisms

are noticeable at this time. They would argue that Miranda is being

put down and that her status is too low in comparison to Prospero's.

Again, and...

... middle of paper ...

...t one scene two. Immediately, he (and Miranda) created an

immense image, which is how he still presents himself at the end.

Obviously my opinions changed in the way that they developed, but

overall they didn't transform just grew. Once I realised Prospero

created the storm my opinions differed, and again when I discovered

the reasons for his actions, and that Antonio was his brother. They

all allowed me to assess his character a little more. However at this

stage I hadn't created a completely clear image of his character in my

mind, so therefore my views of him were altering incessantly. Already

I suspect that Prospero is the main character and must sustain the

interest of the audience. He could be played as a magnanimous man or a

nasty sorcerer. Either way, his character can be measured through the

ways I have chosen.