Prospero's Plot

Prospero is a very complicated character in Shakespeare's The Tempest. Initially, we sympathize with Prospero. He was betrayed by his own brother, Antonio. As a result, Prospero lost his position as the Duke of Milan and was cast away on a raft with his only daughter, Miranda. The two were left to die. It is hard not to like Prospero, due to his misfortune. However, he proves to be not all that sympathetic of a character.

Despite his treachery, Antonio (along with Alonso) is not the only one to blame for Prospero’s downfall. Prospero dedicated all of his time to his studies. If he had focused more on his role as Duke, he would have likely been able to prevent Antonio’s plan from succeeding.

Throughout most of the play Prospero seems like a harsh and self-absorbed man. He treats Ariel, who has been a loyal servant to him, poorly and with little respect. He manipulates Ferdinand by presenting his daughter to him, only to imprison him after. He punishes a confused Caliban. He also loves to go on rants about himself.

I believe that Prospero initially wanted punish Alonso and Antonio for their betrayal. I think he hoped that by wrecking their ship onto his island he would have a chance to exact a just revenge. However, once he warmed up to Ferdinand and allowed him to marry Miranda, I think he had a change of heart. He realized that Ferdinand made Miranda happy and recognized the importance of her happiness to him. I think he decided that in order to maintain the relationship between the two lovers and preserve Miranda’s happiness, he had to push aside his own desires. Therefore, despite a few tricks, Prospero’s revenge on Antonio and Alonso was very mild. He finally decided that Miranda was the most important thing to him.

Caroline's Strength

The parallels between Jane Smiley’s Caroline Cook and Shakespeare’s Cordelia are evident very early on in her novel A Thousand Acres. Both characters are strong-minded women that demonstrate a degree of virtue throughout their respective stories.

Caroline’s older sister Ginny, the protagonist of the novel, describes Caroline on page 33 of ATA claiming that “She was always looking for the rights and wrongs of every argument”.  In chapter 6, Ginny tries to convince Caroline to apologize to their father, Larry Cook. Caroline had angered their father by being hesitant towards his offer to retire and divide his farm evenly between his three daughters. Ginny, who is excited about inheriting the acres, approaches her younger sister after Sunday Mass hoping that she can ease tensions between the two. 

Caroline is certainly an intelligent women. Unlike her other two sisters she decided that life on a farm did not suit her. Therefore, she became a lawyer, got married, and moved away from their hometown. Her drive and independence demonstrate the strength of her character, which is reminiscent of Cordelia’s.

Caroline, who was in turn upset with her father, does not feel the need to apologize. She believes that she was only looking out for Larry's and her best interests. When Ginny asks, “Can’t you just make allowances”, Caroline says, “It’s time we stopped making allowances”. 

Caroline only agrees to talk with her father to appease Ginny. Thus far in the novel Caroline has proved repeatedly that she only has her father's and sisters' best interests in mind. Similar to Cordelia, Caroline has the strength and presence of mind to do what is best for her family. 

A Father's Blindness

In Shakespeare's tragedy King Lear two of the main characters, King Lear and Gloucester, are struck with different unnatural afflictions. King Lear progressively loses touch with reality throughout the play. Gloucester loses both of his eyes after he is brutally punished for supposed treason. In both cases, the afflictions result in the inevitable downfall and death of both the elderly men.
While their physical and mental inabilities played a crucial role in their downfall, their true Achilles' heels lie within their own families. The bastard son of Gloucester named Edmund betrays his father's trust by revealing Gloucester's treason and tricking him into believing that his legitimate son, Edgar, is conspiring to kill Gloucester. King Lear's two eldest daughters proclaim their love for their father after he divides his kingdom for his three daughters. They then proceed to undermine and betray King Lear once they take power.
King Lear and Gloucester are both blind when the play begins. They are blinded by their love for their children. As a result of their blindness, they allow their greedy children to manipulate them and they fail to recognize the sincerity of their other children. The two families' stories portray the immense power of greed. In both cases greed was responsible for tearing both families apart and ending both men's lives. It is an urge that can be (and is in this play) more powerful then love or loyalty.

The Fool's Function

I first realized that the Fool had disappeared in Dover. Until then he had stuck with King Lear and provided him with cryptic advice throughout the play. However, in Dover, where King Lear acted the most insane, the Fool was no where to be found. The Fool may have disappeared in Dover because he could no longer help King Lear, who by that point had almost completely lost touch with reality. His advice to Lear would have been pointless. Also, the events that took place in Dover were incredibly tragic. The Fool was comical at times throughout the play and his presence during those events may have been inappropriate.
I believe that the Fool's function was to provide Lear with useful advice throughout the play and to entertain the audience with his lengthy poetic lines.