Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” raises the question of keeping and relinquishing power. Prospero is one of three characters categorized through a relationship with magic, and how magic, (or lack thereof), influences the power each wields. Ariel is magical in both nature and power, Prospero is magical in power but not in nature, and Caliban is magical in nature but not in power. Based solely on that categorization, Ariel should be in control. However, Prospero holds power over all those on the island, though his magic is a result of his book learning, not natural magical ability. Prospero is only able to control the force of wind manifested in Ariel for a short time, and Prospero uses the power he has attained through magic to play marionette masterminder with the people on the island. Upon completing his objectives he decides to bury his magical materials. Prospero’s decision stems from the realization that he has accomplished a political and romantic union, he has restored himself to his Dukedom, and the sobering realization that magic is a power with which a human of his age should not be burdened.
The romantic union Prospero conjures is between his daughter Miranda, the “only heir/ And princess”(1.1.59) of Milan, and the Prince of Naples, Ferdinand. Beyond establishing a marriage for his daughter, the match between the two young people solidifies a political alliance. Prospero’s success lies in his powers of manipulation, which is why it is gratifying to see that, “At the first sight/ They have changed eyes”(1.2.444-445). Though magic causes the shipwreck and separation of Ferdinand from the nobles, the love between Miranda and Ferdinand seems to be organic. Prospero may have played matchmaker but no potions or spells produced the affection between Miranda and Ferdinand.
Prospero uses Ariel’s magical power to pull on the heartstrings of, and play on, feelings of remorse and regret in his usurping brother, Antonio. Prospero sends Ariel to strike fear and guilt into the hearts of Prospero’s usurpers. Ariel’s execution of Prospero’s order pleases Prospero greatly. The authority he has vested in himself through magic allows Prospero to gleefully reflect that, “They now are in my power;/ And in these fits [of conscience] I leave them, while I visit/ Young Ferdinand…”(3.3.89-92). When Prospero reveals himself to Antonio, he asserts his rightful claim to the dukedom of Milan:
For you, most wicked sir, whom to call brother
Would even infect my mouth, I do forgive
Thy rankest fault– all of them; and require
My dukedom of thee, which perforce I know
Thou must restore. (5.1.130-134)
Prospero’s use of magic on the island secures him a return to real-world power. His schemes combine perspicacity and magical power in an impressive political re-coup.
Readers may ask: Having had such success combining magic with natural cunning, why does Prospero decide to bury his books and staff before returning to Milan? Magic takes its toll on Prospero, enough for Miranda to note that, “Never to this day/ Saw I him touched with anger so distempered”(4.1.144-145). Prospero asks Ferdinand and Miranda to, “Bear with my weakness. My old brain is troubled,/ Be not disturbed with my infirmity”(4.1.159-160). Magic is a burden that separates Prospero from other men. If he is to return to Milan and resume the mantle of Duke, he cannot lose touch with reality again. The distraction of magic left Prospero vulnerable, and he cannot afford weakness.
The strength Prospero needs to rely on at the end of the play is his own. He says, “Now my charms are all o’erthrown,/ And what strength I have’s mine own,/ Which is most faint”(Epilogue.1-3). Though he claims it to be faint, Prospero’s true strength comes from his ability to let go of the magic. Prospero’s realization that “The rarer action is/ In virtue than in vengeance”(5.1.27-28) endears him to the audience. It is brave to let go of anger and braver still to release the powers that enabled revenge. Prospero’s magic was borrowed power, which was returned to the elements of Earth, Water, and Wind:
But this rough magic
I here abjure, and when I have required
Some heavenly music– which even now I do–
To work mine end upon their senses that
This airy charm is for, I’ll break my staff,
Bury it certain fathoms in the earth,
And deeper than did ever plummet sound
I’ll drown my book. (5.1.50-57)
Preceding these lines is a recollection of the powers Prospero wielded, but the last few lines demonstrate an impressive, though melancholic, resolve. With the staff in the earth and the book in the water, Ariel returns to the air. Prospero releases Ariel, saying, “Then to the elements/ Be free, and fare thou well”(5.1.421-322)! By the end of the play Prospero is ready to return to Milan and face the realities of his age. He invites everyone to rest before they return home, and says, “…thence retire me to my Milan, where/ Every third thought shall be my grave”(5.1.314-315). While such a comment could be perceived as maudlin, Prospero demonstrates honest reflection on the realities of his life. He is old enough to understand that his life is ending, and he would rather wear the power of his dukedom with dignity than wear the power of his magic as a weight upon his shoulders.
Prospero’s power proves to be more than the appropriation of Ariel’s magic. “The Tempest” examines degrees of power, and touches upon both magical ability and natural strength. Though Ariel possesses both natural and magical power, the missing ingredient is Prospero’s humanity. Each success created by Prospero is a result of cunning enhanced by magic, not resulting from it. Once Miranda is set, Prospero has been revenged, and the wrongdoers have been reprimanded, Prospero has no need of borrowed magic. The power he wields is now his alone.
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. “The Tempest.” The Complete Works of Shakespeare. Ed. David Bevington. 7th edition. New York: Pearson Longman, 2014. 1570-1603.