Virtue versus vengeance is a very big topic in The Tempest. This topic is not just there to help get the story moving, it is the basis of Prospero himself and who he truly is in the beginning of the story. As you go along you see Prospero begin to change in a good way. By forging others you are making yourself a better person, and forgiving for others. The argument to this reasoning is that vengeance makes you feel more positive in your mind. Prospero was never great when forgiving people. He used to act out in vengeance. In act 4, Prospero began forgiving when he found out he had to give his daughter away to another man. He tested Ferdinand to see if he was a good man or not, and he passed Prospero’s test.“If I have too austerely punished you, your compensation makes amends, for I have given you here a third of mine own life— Or that for which I live—who once again I tender to thy hand. All thy vexations were but my trials of thy love and thou hast strangely stood the test”(Shakespeare, 573).Prospero found that it is best to forgive …show more content…
Be it to get even or something completely different. Not everybody thinks the same way so there are people out there that would rather seek vengeance. “In one study, soldiers experienced more positive emotions when they imagined the suffering of their superiors” (biswas-diener). For example, soldiers are formed in the army so seeing their superiors suffer makes them happy because of the pain that they have caused them. It can also be argued that by seeking vengeance it gives you that feel good of getting even. The getting even makes you feel great, though it only lasts until the guilt sets in. Vengeance is getting your justice at your hands, and a way of standing up for yourself. This is the complete opposite of seeking forgiveness, but you choose depending on the type of person you are, and how you feel like handling a