Prosperos Complex Personality Exhibited in Shakespeares...

The play entitled â€Å"The Tempest† written in 1610 and later published in 1623 is one of the great comedy plays by William Shakespeare. The themes illustrated in the play are freedom, friendship, repentance and forgiveness. Its protagonist is an enigmatic character named Prospero who wields the compelling power of the magic arts. Prospero, the former duke of Milan and his beloved daughter have been stranded on an island for twelve years. Disappointingly, his own brother Antonio exiled him and his daughter with the help of Alonso, the king of Naples then he unrightfully claimed his brother’s position as the Duke of Milan. The vessel that they travelled in was filled with: some food, some water, and also precious books belonging to Prospero-the†¦show more content†¦Cunningly, Prospero uses the linguistic technique of flattery in order to befriend Ariel so that he can get him to do as he commands. At the beginning of Act 1 Scene 2 it has this apparent line, â₠¬Å"My brave spirit! Who was so firm, so constant, that this coil would not infect his reason?† The stated quote informs us that Prospero is praising Ariel for completing the task that was set for him; in doing this Prospero causes the harpy to feel flattered and willing to help Prospero with any other tasks. The magician praises his spirit for two reasons: obviously because he is proud of his spirit and also because he needs Ariel to help him to avenge his betrayers by completing the tasks set to him. Prospero effectively uses questioning as well as short and sharp sentences to make Ariel feel guilty so that Ariel does what Prospero wants him to do. The following quotes are examples of this: â€Å"How now? Moody? What is’t thou canst demand?†; â€Å"Dost thou forget from what torment I did free thee?† Naturally, when you feeling guilty you get rid of the feeling by using your intellect to reason your guilt; Ariel feeling guilty does this by listening to Prospero and not demanding anything from him which is what Prospero wants. Prospero was bridling because he feels that Ariel is ungrateful as he saved him from a prison and in return the majestic magician only asks for him to perform some â€Å"minor† tasks for him. Being Dexterous, Prospero applies both bribery andShow MoreRelated A Comparison of Romantic Love in A Midsummer Nights Dream, The Tempest, and Twelfth Night1505 Words   |  7 PagesRomantic Love in A Midsummer Nights Dream, The Tempest, and Twelfth Night In all of Shakespeares plays, there is a definitive style present, a style he perfected. From his very first play (The Comedy of Errors) to his very last (The Tempest), he uses unique symbolism and descriptive poetry to express and explain the actions and events he writes about. Twelfth Night, The Tempest and A Midsummer Nights Dream are all tragicomedies that epitomise the best use of the themes and ideology