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.