In William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Prospero lives with his daughter Miranda on a deserted island.  On the surface, he appears to be a benevolent leader doing his best to protect and care for the inhabitants of the island, especially for Miranda.  On closer inspection, however, Prospero plays God, controlling and creating each individual to fit the mold he desires.  He takes advantage of his authority over the people and situations he encounters while wearing a facade of integrity and compassion to disguise his wily intentions and to retain love and respect.

         In Act I of the play, Prospero finally tells Miranda the woeful story of how she and he arrived on the island.  From the beginning, Prospero plays his subjects and his sympathetic audience as pawns in his game of manipulation.  He explains that twelve years ago he was the Duke of Milan, but being enthralled with his studies, he left most of the governmental responsibilities to his brother Antonio.  Antonio, hungry to be “Absolute Milan” himself (1:2, p.6), proceeded to betray him with the help of King Alonso of Naples.  When Miranda asks why they were not killed, Prospero sighs, “Dear, they durst not,/ so dear the love my people bore me” (1:2, p.7).  From the beginning, Prospero portrays himself as a distinguished scholar and beloved leader unjustly victimized by his power-hungry brother.  Who would suspect such a humble man of being psychologically manipulative?  Prospero succeeds in deceiving many with this credible guise.

        Prospero’s control of Miranda is evident throughout The Tempest, even from their first conversation.  He says, “Canst thou remember/ A time before we came unto this cell?/  I do not think thou canst…” (1:2, p.4).  After Miranda recalls a foggy memory of her maids, Prospero demands, “But how is it/ That this lives in thy mind?  What seest thou else/ In the dark backward and abysm of time?” (1:2, p. 4).  He vacates Miranda's memory by causing her to doubt what she thinks she remembers; then he proceeds to give her new, slanted memories.  Prospero deliberately causes Miranda doubt herself, for how could anyone be confident with a “dark and backward abysm” for a mind?  Because Miranda has seen only one human being in the last twelve years (her father), Prospero has been able to construct Miranda's complete perception of reality by controlling her beliefs, her knowledge, and consequently her ignorance.  He says to her, “…Here/ Have I, thy schoolmaster, made thee more profit/ Than other princess’ can, that have more time/ For vainer hours, and tutors not so careful.”  She replies with her characteristic gratitude, “Heaven thanks you for ‘t!” (1:2, p.8).  Miranda never questions what Prospero teaches her, and even if she did, her circumstances on the island would not allow her to come to know the truth.  Prospero understands this advantage but takes care to retain his daughter's loyalty, for Miranda is his world, just as he is hers.  Miranda is purely a product of her father and as her creator, so he enjoys inherent power.  She becomes whatever he wants her to be.

        Soon after we learn that Prospero controls Miranda, we discover that he magically controls the weather and that he also commands a spirit named Ariel to do tasks for him.  When a ship carrying Prospero's enemies sails close by, he summons up a frightful storm to sink it and sends Ariel to disperse those aboard safely along the shoreline.  After skillfully doing so, Ariel meekly reminds Prospero of his promise of freedom after a year of worthy service.  Prospero explodes, “Dost thou forget/ From what a torment I did free thee?/ Imprison’d thou didst painfully remain/A dozen years./  It was mine art,/ When I arrived and heard thee, that made gape/ The pine, and let thee out” (1:2, p.11-12).  Prospero forces Ariel to remember the torture from which the spirit was released.  As a result, even though Ariel has served Prospero faultlessly and rightfully deserves freedom, the spirit still feels indebted to Prospero.  To make matters worse, Prospero threatens, “If thou more murmur’st, I will rend an oak,/ and peg thee in his knotty entrails, till/ Thou hast howl’d away twelve winters” (1:2, p.12).  Thus, Prospero uses both Ariel’s memory with which he induces guilt and his fear of physical torment to manipulate the spirit.

        Still later in the play, evidence suggests that Prospero also tries to oppress and alienate Caliban, the son of Sycorax.  By examining Prospero’s conversations with the “poisonous slave,” one can discern the methods by which Prospero attempts to control Caliban, and how Caliban in turn resists.  Prospero also controls the audience's perception of Caliban.  Caliban is the only individual on the island who does not respect and glorify Prospero.  Whereas Miranda refers to Prospero as “good sir” out of adoration, and Ariel calls him “noble master” out of fear and loyalty, Caliban curses Prospero, saying, "All the infections that the sun sucks up/ From bogs, fens, flats, on Proper fall" (2:2, p.30).  The slave reveals that when Prospero first came to the island, he treated him favorably.  Caliban recalls, “thou...madest much of me/...and I loved thee” (1:2, p.13).  Clearly, Prospero respected Caliban in the beginning while trying to gain his steadfast loyalty.  But, according to Prospero, Caliban tried to rape Miranda, and Prospero had to take to tyrannical methods of control and punishment.  Now, when Caliban endangers Prospero’s power by cursing him, Prospero punishes him physically; in one case he promises “side-stitches that shall pen thy breath up” (1:2, p.13).  Prospero despises Caliban because he threatens his authority on the island, so he imprisons him and plagues him with pain.  If one examines the facts concerning Caliban and rejects all of Prospero's subtle biases, Caliban no longer seems to be the monster Propero makes him out to be.  Prospero came to the island and assumed authority, and Caliban, orphaned and alone, lost all claim to his only home.  He took a liking to Miranda, the only girl he had ever known, and he became physically involved with her.  Prospero assumed this to be rape and forever condemned Caliban to a life of slavery and misery.  No wonder Caliban curses him!  However, Prospero convincingly turns Caliban into an inferior, detestable monster.

        In The Tempest, Shakespeare touches on several different methods of gaining power—by constructing a mind that does not question authority, as in the case of Miranda, by fear, as with Ariel, and by force, like he does with Caliban.  In each case, Prospero convinces the audience that he is benevolent.  Though Prospero works to portray an image of a sympathetic, responsible father doing his best with limited resources, he relishes his ability to create and manipulate his fellow islanders.  Prospero even refers to himself as a “prince of power” (1:2, p.5).  Like any person who consciously, or even semiconsciously, tries to play God, Prospero feels the need to cover his devious ambitions with a positive front.  He also knows that people are more typically willing to follow a lead if they think they possess free will.  For instance, Miranda and Ferdinand believe that they have chosen each other, when in fact Prospero orchestrated their falling in love from the outset.  By using reverse psychology to make the couple think he does not approve of Ferdinand, Prospero catalyzes a rebellion against himself with the purpose of bringing the couple together.  In the end, Prospero reveals himself to King Alonso and his men.  He frees Ariel, pardons Caliban, and plans to return to Milan where Miranda and Ferdinand will be married.  Prospero gets everything he wants--his dukedom, a powerful son-in-law, and a return to society.

Shakespeare, William.  The Tempest.  Mineloa, NY: Drover, 1999.