Elizabeth McKinney

Dr. McManus
Intro to Shakespeare
12/8/14
The Tempest within Prospero
The Tempest is one of William Shakespeare's most compelling plays
because of its study of humanity; more specifically, the play presents a study
of different kinds of leading or ruling methods and their consequences.
Although many characters' methods are compared and contrasted
throughout the play, Prospero, the protagonist, displays two different kinds of
leadership himself before the resolution of the play. In Milan, Prospero serves
as a leader, but he fails in this role because he is distant and disinterested,
making him an ineffective Duke. During his exile on the island, Prospero
converts from well-liked Duke to a demanding ruler. Here, he is proficient,
but not effective. In other words, Prospero is a powerful and impressive ruler,
often mimicking the teachings in The Prince, by Niccol Machiavelli, but
consistently fails entirely as a leader.
First, it is important to establish the difference between "lead" and
"rule." The distinction is small, but significant. According to the Oxford
English Dictionary, to lead is to "conduct" or "to accompany and show the
way to; to conduct, guide, esp. to direct or guide by going on in advance; to
cause to follow in one's path" ("lead," 2a.). This implies a sense of equality
between a leader and a follower, as well as a benevolent, understanding

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instructor. Also according to the Oxford English Dictionary, to rule is "of a
person: to govern, to reign, to hold supreme command or authority" ("rule,"
3a.). This definition implies a strict, infallible ruler. Prospero encompasses
both of these definitions at different times during the play.
In Milan, Prospero is usurped by his brother Antonio because he
neglects his duties. Prospero is physically weak and passive, "neglecting all
worldly ends," which makes him an ineffective ruler, even though he is loved
by his subjects (1.2.89). Antonio is able to easily take Prospero's power away
and exile him. Prospero blames this on Antonio's evil nature, but on the other
hand, it could be blamed on Prospero's inactivity: according to The Prince, it
was his "own sloth" that lead to his downfall (ch. 24). Prospero put so much
trust in his brother because he preferred to focus on his studies. If Prospero
had been a more diligent Duke, Antonio would not have been able to usurp
him.
On the island, Prospero tells his daughter that Antonio's and Caliban's
natures are the reason they steal his power and undermine him, but it is
actually his nurturing, the attention and care he gave to his subjects, as a
leader that failed. His control over the natural forcesweather, spiritsis
what gives him power where his character cannot. He uses spirits, Ariel in
particular, to do what he cannot, which actually turns out to be many of his
goals. In contrast to Milan, Prospero "becomes almost more Machiavellian
than Machiavelli, subjecting Caliban and Ariel and even Miranda to
unremitting, hegemonic, micromanagement," as Arelene Oseman states in

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the article "The Machiavellian Prince in The Tempest" (12). Prospero's failure
and usurpation in Milan has caused him to be hyperaware and even paranoid
of his subjectsno matter how fewon the island. Machiavelli proposes the
following question: "whether it be better to be loved than feared or feared
than loved?" He then offers the following answer: "it is much safer to be
feared than loved, when, of the two, either must be dispensed with" (ch. 17).
He lives in constant fear of mutiny and therefore enforces a strict rule over
those inhabiting the island with him.
One of these subjects, Ariel, is a servant to Prospero because Prospero
rescued him from the tree he was trapped in, as is revealed to the reader as
such: "It was a torment / To lay upon the damned, which Sycorax / Could not
again undo" (1.2.289-91) and has promised Ariel that "after two days I will
discharge thee" (1.2.297-98). Ariel causes the storm that the play opens
with, ensures all of the sailors reach the island safely, and gathers other
spirits to help with Prospero's other tasks. Despite the promise of eventual
freedom, Ariel still protests his enslavement, saying at one point, "Let me
remember thee what thou hast promised, / Which is not yet performed me"
(1.2.242-43). Prospero responds in anger to this and reminds Ariel of the
"torment" he saved the spirit from (1.2.251). Even his most loyal servant,
Ariel, does not receive any respect from Prospero, despite his obedience and
excellence in his tasks. Prospero's treatment of Ariel, and his other slaves,
reveals his tyrannical nature the most clearly in the play.

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Prospero's tyranny is seen most evidently with Caliban, the original
resident of the island. Prospero treats Caliban as subhuman because he is
disfigured, ineloquent, and rebellious. Caliban obeys Prospero out of
weakness and fear: "[Caliban] must obey. [Prospero's] art is of such pow'r / It
would control my dam's god, Setebos, / And make a vassal of him" (1.2.37273). Because Caliban does not have a true sense of loyalty, he readily
betrays Prospero every chance he gets. He first does this by attempting to
rape Miranda, Prosperos daughter. Prospero takes this as a personal attack,
and stops trying to civilize Caliban at this point, choosing instead to keep him
as a slave. The second time Caliban betrays Prospero is when he runs into
Stephano and Trinculo, with whom he constructs a plot to kill Prospero and
retake what he considers to be his island (3.2). Of all of Propsero's failures,
his inability to civilize Caliban is his biggest; Caliban is a bitter and strong
enemy and, because he is more a creature of nature than a human, he
represents Prospero's inability to completely control nature. David Brailow
says, "Prospero has attempted to adapt the world to himself," but Caliban is
a constant reminder that he failed in this attempt, thus leading to a feeling of
resentment toward Caliban (290). Prospero's realization of his failure to
control all of nature is what causes his inevitable mental collapse at the end
of the play.
Prospero's final subject is his daughter Miranda. Prospero clearly loves
Miranda and has done his best to keep her happy, educated, and safe.
However, Prospero manipulates her just as often as his other subjects. For

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example, in Act 1, Scene 2, he leads Miranda to interact with Caliban
immediately before meeting Ferdinand for the first time. Prospero does this
to contrast the two men for Miranda, which will make Ferdinand even more
appealing to her. Prospero manipulates his daughter in a similar way earlier
in Act 1, Scene 2. By telling Miranda the story of how they came to the island
and portraying Antonio in a negative light, Prospero turns Miranda against
Antonio just before they meet. This tactic effectively seals Miranda's loyalty
to her father through their shared traumatic experience and common enemy.
At the end of the play, Prospero demands the return of his title of Duke
from his brother, but Antonio does not speak. The play ends without
answering this question, so the reader is left only with Prospero's speech
concerning forgiveness. In this final speech, he requests that the spirits he
has recently released forgive him and let him return home. He does not,
however, apologize to his previous servants, he only asks them to "let your
indulgence set me free" (Epilogue 20). The reader is shown a completely
defeated, worn out man who is just now realizing the potential consequences
of his actions. However, he has the wit to turn his pleading into an eloquent,
sophisticated speech, making him sound as if he was kind to his slaves all
along and that they owe him one last favor. Even in his weakest moment
during the play, Prospero manipulates others into doing his will, further
aligning himself with the Machiavellian teachings.
It is clear that Prospero displays several different kinds of leadership
throughout the play, morphing from one to the next. From his withdrawal in

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Milan, to his vigilant watch over his island subjects, to his final
transformation into a tired, weak human after he surrenders his control over
the spirits and demons. Nevertheless, Prospero holds onto fragments of his
tyrannical nature after returning to his original, benevolent disposition.
Regardless of which method of ruling he preferred, Prospero was much more
effective as a ruler on the island than as a leader in Milan. This parallels
Machiavelli's own teachings, that fear is more efficient than love.
Furthermore, Prospero's combination at the end of passivity and
manipulation also follows Machiavelli's instructions, because he also answers
the question of fear or love by saying "it may be answered that one should
wish to be both" (ch. 17). Prospero finally captures this balance at the end of
the play, calming the tempest inside of him for good.

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Works Cited
Brailow, David G. "Prospero's "Old Brain": The Old Man as Metaphor in The
Tempest."
Shakespeare Studies 14.1 (1981): 285-302. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 01 Dec. 2014.
Lead. Oxford English Dictionary. oed.com, 2007. Web. 07 Dec. 2014.
Rule. Oxford English Dictionary. oed.com, 2012. Web. 07 Dec. 2014.
Gish, Dustin A. "Taming The Tempest: Prospero's "Art" and His "Turn" from
Tyranny." College of
the Holy Cross. Chicago. Apr. 2009. Academic Search Complete. Web.
01 Dec. 2014.
Machiavelli, Niccol. The Prince. New York: P.F. Collier & Son, 1909.
Gutenburg.org. Web. 01
Dec. 2014.
Oseman, Arlene. "The Machiavellian Prince in The Tempest." Shakespeare in
Southern Africa
22.1 (2010): 7-19. Academic Search Complete. Web. 01 Dec. 2014.
Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. New York: Signet Classics, 1998. Print.

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