The Tempest by W.Shakespeare

The Tempest  is a portrayal of intricate characters drawn with remarkable strength. Undergoing a brutal tempest , the main characters in this play once had or presently have individual power.

 Prospero , the protagonist, used to be the legitimate Duke of Milan. Unfortunately his unfaithful brother Antonio stole his title and banished him to a Mediterranean island with his daughter Miranda. Fond of arts and in particular books, Prospero has harnessed the powers of magic whilst in exile.

 Prospero is deemed as a complex character showing a duality of good and evil. On the one hand, his mastery of magic renders him extremely powerful and not entirely sympathetic. It is highlighted through his punishments of Caliban which are petty and vindictive. In fact , he calls upon his spirits to pinch Caliban when he curses. He is defensively autocratic with Ariel. For instance, when Ariel reminds his master of his promise to relieve him of his duties early if he performs them willingly, Prospero bursts into fury and threatens to return him to his former imprisonment and torment. More to the point, as a father he  is likely to be a master-slave relationship since he controls the speeches of his daughter. She is  restricted  to be a simple gift given by her father. In this context , he counsels Ferdinand against  consummating their love “hen, as my gift and thine own acquisition”. He seems to restrain her, in other words, he  colonizes her personality within a pretext of protecting her. Yet , as the plot unfolds , Prospero seems to use his daughter in order to get his dukedom back.

 Prospero tends to show that he is not perfect failing to be a God – like figure. Handing over the dukedom to his brother is his major mistake. Yet  later, he proves to be a benevolent character. Indeed , he  lovingly educates the monster Caliban and gives him freedom. Caliban , as a recognition to Prospero’s goodness attempts to rape his daughter .

The play sheds the light on the character of Miranda . Her  personality resolves itself into the very elements of womanhood. As a matter of fact ,  She is represented as a meek and docile girl . Because of her isolation, she has developed no artful skills at flirting. Evidently as  Ferdinand declares his love, Miranda weeps. Through her actions, Miranda is only purely sweet, honest and loving. Although she is passive towards what her father is doing, she proves to be daring. When she has the chance, Miranda takes her fate into her own hands. She declares her love to Ferdinand, though thinking her father still hates him. She does not  know that Prospero secretly helped the situation along. She appears daring and fearless about her father’s potential confrontation . Interestingly enough, When Prospero pretends to be mad that Miranda has fallen for Ferdinand, she totally stands up for herself asserting "My affections/ Are then most humble. I have no ambition to / To see a see a goodlier man" (1.2.26). Although, she is not wise , she has a brave heart and a strength  to follow it. Miranda's distinctive qualities might be her ability to feel empathy and amazement. Indeed  , she  frantically begs her father to have pity on the passengers of the storm-tossed ship.

Caliban however is depicted as a wicked character in The Tempest.  He   is an original inhabitant of the island  the son of the witch Sycorax , and an earthy slave . Caliban believes that Prospero stole the island from him, presenting  him as a colonial and villainous  occupier.  Hostilities tend to grow since Caliban considers Prospero as an invader . in The Tempest he is embodied as a wild man, uneducated and untrained, the creature in the rough, the material for evolution. Worse still , he is allied to the ape, and reduced to be an animal – like figure. Moreover , Prospero tortures him to the bone with the cramps. Subject to mistreatment,  they chatter at him and bite him; adders hurt him as he treads. In the midst of his pain , he  recalls how he was taught to name the bigger light. He acquires language but misuses it since he is only cursing his fate and his master .

Minor characters are important  in the play.  Ariel, Prospero’s helper  is referred to as “he” yet his gender and physical form are ambiguous. Rescued by Prospero from a long imprisonment at the hands of the witch Sycorax, Ariel becomes Prospero’s servant until Prospero decides to release him. Another figure is the Son and heir of Alonso, Ferdinand seems to be as pure and naïve as his beloved Miranda. He falls in love with her at first sight and happily submits to servitude in order to win her father’s approval.  He is an epitome of submissiveness portrayed as happy in his labors, blinded by love, and quick to promise the title of queen and wife to a girl before knowing her name.

  In short , William Shakespeare attempts to communicate his ideas and intentions through the characters portraits , particularly through the protagonist’s relationship with the rest of the characters.