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How Does Prospero Present Ariel In The Tempest

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Advancing onto new land sparks innovative ideas for methods of government. In past governments, a recurring problematic method comes about from one person ruling and deciding the fate of every one of his subjects. This appears during the seventeenth century when government systems consisted of a ruler and his subjects, the ruler typically self-appointed. Prospero, the ruler of his island in Shakespeare's The Tempest, has assigned himself two servants: Ariel and Caliban. He shows the eagerness to rule, yet the eagerness does not necessarily translate into fairness towards his subjects. The dynamics of each relationship need to be examined closely, as well as Prospero's past dealings with authority, as insight into each can help in understanding …show more content…

Prospero's sensitivity for Ariel is seen immediately upon his arrival to the island when he comes to Ariel's rescue. Early in the play, Prospero recalls his selfless act as "from what a torment I did free [Ariel]" when an evil witch named Sycorax had "confined" Ariel "in a cloven pine, within which rift imprisoned [Ariel] didst remain a dozen years" (1.2.300 & 330-332). Prospero reminds Ariel of the good he has done so that he continues to serve in good faith. He reminds Ariel of the length of time in which he was imprisoned, as one would do to soften a blow, trying to make the dozen years trapped in a tree seem malicious compared to the rather free like he is living now. Not only is Ariel serving out of gratitude, but also out of the promise of freedom in the near future. Prospero orders of him, after explaining the task, "Do so, and after two days I will discharge thee" (1.2.355-356). The end goal of discharge allows Ariel to complete his tasks with a gracious attitude, and this attitude also contributes to the better treatment he receives from Prospero. Conversely, Ariel is assigned much more meaningful and less harmful tasks, and it not sent torturing spirits along the way. Prospero has Ariel help in his magical ways and more sophisticated plans, like the elaborate plan of him taking back his rightful dukedom. "Go make thyself like a nymph o' th' sea. Be subject to no sight but thine and mine, invisible to every eyeball else" (1.2.359-361). He is having Ariel aid in his torment of the sailors in the other scenes of the play, on board a ship with those who stole away his title of Duke. He is also relating the intimacy of their relationship, stating that no one is to see him but he, and no one knows of the master plan but he and

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Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ follows Prospero’s relationship with power and control displaying the essential establishment of the Great Chain of Being controlling status within the Jacobean society of ‘The Tempest’. “If thou more murmur’st, I will rend an oak/And peg thee in his knotty entrials till/ Thou hast howled away twelve winters” shows the peak of Prospero’s power and control through Shakesphere’s use of vivid imagery conveying the brutality of the power dynamic between Prospero and Ariel. The use of enjambment further highlights Prospero’s lengthy reign and irrational decision making showing the lengths he will go to to sustain his power and control dynamic. Prospero’s power and control has strongly influenced his art of magic, which he used throughout his reign but only understood its full effects once Ariel manipulates him, appealing to his humanity, and then using his art to gain redemption.

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He manages to convince Ariel that Prospero is a traitor who wants to prey on the weak and gullible to achieve his personal fantasies and

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In contrast, other characters in the play, such as Ariel and Ferdinand, are not subjected to the same level of mistreatment and oppression as Caliban. Ariel is a spirit who is under Prospero's control but is not enslaved or physically harmed. Ferdinand is the son of the King of Naples and is initially shipwrecked on the island. While he is briefly made to do labor for Prospero, he is not enslaved and is eventually allowed to leave the island unharmed. While these characters face their own challenges, they do not experience the same level of systemic oppression and violence as

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When Prospero is with Ariel, he treats her with kindness and attention to manipulate her to do whatever he asks. “Why, that’s my dainty Ariel. I shall miss Thee, but yet thou shalt have freedom. So, so, so, so. To the King’s ship, invisible as thou art.

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Capulet has retained his hatred even longer, the feud between the families probably lasting for multiple generations. It seems that out of pure bitterness and spite Prospero and Capulet cause harm to those around them. The protagonist of “The Tempest”, Prospero seems to having more similar traits than different to Lord Capulet, the father figure from another one of Shakespeare’s more famous shows, “Romeo and Juliet”. Both are overprotective and spiteful, but end up being seen as a good guy anyways.

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Thus, this shows that power rises above one’s right to their own body. Prospero’s influence over Ariel suggests that power rises above bodily autonomy. After Prospero puts Miranda under a sleeping spell and Ariel makes sure that the ship is safe, Prospero and Ariel say, PROSPERO. Ariel, thy

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While considered naturally a father, Prospero fails to love his inferiors; only sharing his love for them when they are successful, insulting them for their shortcomings. While Prospero is not the true guardian of the members on the island, he is the fatherly figure who dictates the commands to his inferiors; these relationships further describe his identity as as father. For example, when complimenting Ariel for his work, Prospero is shocked when he is expected to uphold his promise, originally stating, “My brave spirit… / Why that’s my spirit… ” (Shakespeare 81), as if he cared for him as a son, but after, when asked, snarled, “How now! Moody?

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Prospero exemplifies the role of a colonizer in The Tempest by enslaving and exploiting his power over Caliban, a man who inhabited the island before Prospero, and Ariel,a spirit who he freed on the island, to take control of the island. In The Tempest, a play by William Shakespeare, Prospero and his daughter Miranda are exiled from their Kingdom Milan, during a time of European colonialism and expansion, to an island which becomes their prison where even there they are not the lowest class the original inhabitant Caliban is. Prospero uses dehumanizing language to associate Caliban with something less than human. Likewise, he threatens Caliban with physical harm. Prospero also establishes power over a spirit named Ariel who was trapped on the island before Prospero got there, although it is argued that whether Ariel is a slave or a willing minion.

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When Ariel questions Prospero’s humanity, due to his ego, Prospero only pretends to change his views because he wants to feel superior. By this point in the play, Prospero has every character in his hand. He can exploit them anyway that he wants, but once Ariel tells he would feel bad for them, Prospero becomes a whole different person: “Hast thou, which art but air, a touch, a feeling/Of their afflictions, and shall not myself,/One of their kind, that relish all as

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He made Caliban his servant because he could not trust him, he had lost respect, and had no other choice. Even when Caliban was serving Prospero, he was still treated fairly. Prospero freed Ariel from being eternally stuck in a tree, and in return he asked that for a year, Ariel would serve him and help him get off of the island, and then he would be freed. Prospero did not take partial control of Caliban and Ariel without a reasonable purpose, where the Europeans had no real reason at all. Prospero’s valid reasoning, his open mindedness towards Caliban, and his willingness to set Ariel free are why I believe that the translation of the play that compares it to European colonialism is

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Unlike Shakespeare’s other main characters, he is much more enigmatic. In they play Prospero is portrayed as the rogue who seeks revenge on his brother Antonio for his treachery. In this Shakespearean comedy it becomes clear that Prospero is the heart of power on the island. Evidently Prospero has been wronged by his brother’s usurping which he could not control and now uses his magic as a tool for controlling the events that occur on island throughout the play. The theme of power in this play is hugely significant as it clear that the violence interrogated in this play is in relation to power and the abuse of that power by the protagonist.

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He’s but a sot as I am, nor hath / One spirit to command…”(3.2.85-88). All of these occurrences are empowered by Prospero’s collection of books, which enable him to speak the language of sorcery unlike any of the other character and endow him with otherworldly abilities. He uses these powers solely to carry out his plan of escape from the island by bringing Ferdinand and Miranda together. After his plans are successful, he renounces magic and becomes the same as any of the other members of the nobility, showing that magic was the defining characteristic of his might.

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In comparison, the inconsistency between diction depicts the power dynamics observed in the play. Shakespeare often uses Prospero’s servant, Ariel and slave, Caliban to portray the differences in the hierarchy of the play. As observed by the audience Prospero often uses threats and insults to communicate and assign task to Caliban, hence “...tonight thou shalt have cramps, side stitches that shall pen thy breath up. ”(I.ii.325-326) Prospero threatens Caliban with pain after his refusal to do work, because he feels as if the isle belongs to him due to the fact that it was inhabited by his mother first.

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