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.
