The Tempest Essay

In The Tempest, by William Shakespeare, Prospero takes revenge upon his betrayers and is able to overcome the part of himself that tries to consume him. The epiphany that Prospero has changes him form an almost inhuman being, who ironically takes the time to be a father, to a person capable of showing forgiveness and letting go of false empowerment.

From the beginning of the play, Prospero starts off as a father figure to Miranda. This can be seen when he says, “My dear one, thee, my daughter” (I, ii). Likewise his kindness towards his daughter also shows that he wants to protect what is dear to him. The fatherly love that he shows Miranda only strengthens Prospero’s desire to get revenge upon the people he thought he could trust most

This part of Prospero threatens to overcome him as he takes revenge upon his betrayers because Prospero does not seem to consider his actions towards the innocent bystanders that get caught up within his plot. Take for example the ship’s crew, they are put under an enormous terror as the tempest tries to sink their ship as seen when they say, “All lost! to prayers, to prayers! all lost!/” (I, i). His inhuman ways can be further seen as he subjugates the spirits of the island, including Ariel and Caliban, by mistreating them and calling them horrible names like, “Lying slave”, “filth”, “Hag-seed”, and “tortoise” (I, ii). His treatment of the spirits and Caliban is like that of the settlers who overtook the Native Americans and treated them unjustly, “A native living harmoniously with the land extends hospitality …failing to conform to the European’s cultural codes …he is demonized…” (Hunt, n.p.). It really shows just how inhuman Prospero has become over the course of his revenge plot. Likewise, the magic that Prospero has learned to wield also presses him further into the inhuman form that that threatens to overwhelm him. “His magic only exacerbates his distrust by removing him from the need to depend on others” (Hunt, n.p.). Prospero uses this magic to further his own ends even as he hurts the people around

Therefore, when Ariel finally stands up for Gonzalo saying, “That if you now beheld them, your affections / Would become tender. /” and “Mine would, sir, were I human. /” (V, i). The subtext Ariel uses to get his point across causes Prospero to finally have the epiphany that changes his entire character. This is the moment when Prospero finally realizes that he really has changed from the fatherly figure he once was into some type on cruel person who needs to find salvation. The salvation is asked for in the epilogue when Prospero says, “Unless I be relieved by prayer, / … Let your indulgence set me free. /” (Ep). This epiphany that Prospero has revives his old fatherly self as well as allows him to become a better person both physically and mentally. Ariel’s conversation with Prospero gives Prospero the last push that he needs to get rid of the magic that has caused his change. As seen when Prospero says, “Ye elves of hills…I’ll drown my book. /” (V, i). Prospero decides to no longer rely on his magic and he decides to trust others instead, though he does not become as naïve as he once was. He still holds some control over the people like how he has the marriage between his daughter and Alonso’s son. His epiphany and the moments after it encase all that the play is about, forgiveness and overcoming