The Overprotective Father In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

The Tempest makes use of Prospero as an excellent protagonist in which you both feel sorry for him, and disagree with him, but this combined with the fact that he’s a sullen overprotective dad, makes him very similar to another one of Shakespeare’s characters, Lord Capulet. Their emotions control and guide the story to where it ultimately ends up, whether is be mostly good, like in “The Tempest”, or tragic, like in “Romeo and Juliet”. The usage of this type of character is what creates the plot, so no wonder Shakespeare uses it more than once.

One may argue that Shakespeare was the originator of the overprotective father trope which is still used in media today, and both Prospero and Capulet seem to fall under its definition. They both believe

In Prospero’s case, he holds a grudge against Antonio and Alonso, who usurped him, and Caliban, for the threat to rape Miranda, both of which ultimately cause drama and hijinks to occur in hindrance of one singular person being able to rule, which is the main conflict of the play. Lord Capulet’s anger also contributes to this, as his anger at the Montagues, and later Juliet for not agreeing to marry Paris, is what causes the climax of the story when both the lovers kill themselves because they cannot be together. The two men both are in privileged positions of power as well, and both seem oblivious to the chaos they are creating. Both characters seem petty in their reasons for causing so much horrible pain for the others in the plays. Prospero has held onto his anger for the 14 years that he has been on the island, boiling in resentment. 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. The characters are the basis of tropes still used in film, T.V., and books to this day, another one of Shakespeare’s legacies. This is due to the fact that, although they may not be the nicest, they’re both very good characters and the way they react, and change their stories is