Prospero's Attempt to Instill Power

Prospero’s attempt to establish his power through the domination of the other characters on the island is analogous to the treatment of the Spanish to the indigenous peoples of the Andes—we see he is able to do so by using his words to claim and instill his power. This is ultimately how he is able to hold onto his authoritative demeanor for so long.

In Professor O’Toole’s lectures in the beginning of the quarter, we learned about how the Spanish used the myths they created to their full advantage, by justifying their power and reason in conquering the indigenous peoples. Similarly, we can assert that Prospero uses his words and magic to pursue vengeance on his corrupted past. To do so, he unfolds a single-sided perspective of the story of how he was cheated, and robbed of his dukedom. From reading the play, we see that the characters, including his daughter Miranda, have only a one-sided exposure to the reality that Prospero seems to be telling. His magical powers and his persuading words drives the other characters to believe him, out of fear, and out of pity, respectfully.

The theme relevant and relayed to us in HumCore is that truth, in part, is a social construct. This especially rings true for empires seeking to justify their power, the idea that an idea renders fact or truth if it has been relayed enough times rings true. From the Greek legends that we have studied through Shakespeare’s infamous works, this concept serves as an underlying message in the works.

From his daughter Miranda, who he holds dearest, to Ariel, the spirit who complies to every bidding, and to Caliban, who Prospero characterizes as nothing more than a slave, Prospero instills his ideas to justify that he had been wronged. He uses his words to convince the characters that he should have been given mercy. Here, we will begin to break down just how Prospero is able to shape these characters in order to make them believe his side of the story.

We established through lecture that Prospero’s biggest fear is to lose power. Whether it be through his magical powers, to losing his sense of regality when governing the island, Prospero’s power complex is a large component of what drives his actions. This is why he is so insistent on Miranda hearing his opinionated side of the story; he understands that she trusts him, as he is her father, and that she has not had contact with another man or woman (apart from Caliban, who is not even considered such). Prospero hopes to instill his power and his right to his kingship by portraying himself as the victim who had been robbed of his rightful heir. Miranda, as an obedient, trusting daughter, with no exposure to the outside world, seems to have no other option but to trust the one person who had cared for her. We can take note that Prospero uses his bloodline and his fatherly status to instill power through his daughter’s eyes. With so few inhabitants on the island, Prospero’s ability to essentially give Miranda a narrow lens to look through is his being able to win over a part of the inhabitants on the island.

On the other hand, Miranda is also belittled—she is treated as an object for a chunk of the play. Her being given to Ferdinand as a gift (of marriage, nonetheless) is Prospero’s way in establishing power, as well. Here, we see that he is able to claim property of his beautiful daughter, the heart of a prince, and his status of a powerful ruler who has the capability of establishing and expanding his empire. From that argument, we can assert that Miranda’s marriage to Ferdinand is inevitably a power move that is played and successfully executed by Prospero. Ferdinand is able to inevitably comply with Prospero’s wishes after he is granted ownership of Prospero’s most prized possession.

Egley, Prospero and Miranda. c. 1850

Even in Egley's rendering of Prospero and Miranda, we are able to denote that Prospero is seen as a protecting paternal figure who overshadows the actions and freedoms of his daughter. It's significant to also note Miranda's dependence on her father in this image. Although she seems curious and insightful about the world, her body is tense, and she leans only part of her body out, as if she is partly interested in venturing out into the world. Her legs, however, are covered by draping fabric, but it is quite easy to tell that she is leaning in towards her father. Here, we can assert that Miranda is reliant on her father, who serves to shield and protect her from the outside world. From a glance, this portrait depicts a cheerful scene. We consider the hues on the painting are saturated and full of color, to indicate a light-hearted, and cheerful persona to the artwork. However, another interpretation of this piece can be exemplified through the use of varying intensity of the colors used to depict the scene. We can use this detail to represent Prospero's heightened state of anxiety and tension in attempting to keep Miranda within the facade of how he wants her to see the world he'd shaped for her. It is even depicted in his expression, from his nearly furrowed eyebrows, to his determined eyes, set on Miranda. It is also significant to note that his right hand seems to be reaching out towards her, almost as if attempting to direct her attention away from whatever Miranda is glancing at outside the scope of the frame. Here, it’s appropriate for us to claim that Prospero's ultimate goal is to victimize himself in order to justify his rightful place as a ruler. And because there is no contradicting source on the island to challenge him, he is able to deem himself superior.

From his description in the play, we notice that Caliban, on the other hand, is not even seen as a humane creature, but as a serving slave, who is responsible for upholding the commands that his master gives him. Prospero is able to impose power on Caliban by instilling degrading, hurtful terminology to characterize Caliban’s characteristics and actions. Prospero also emphasizes Caliban’s inferiority, by characterizing Caliban as of the earth. However, take note that Prospero uses these hurtful words to stun and threaten Caliban to protect his own image; as the son of Sycorax, a witch who had inhabited the island before Prospero had, it’s reasonable to assert that Prospero wanted to downplay Caliban’s past to elevate his own. Doing so would degrade Caliban’s power of being a part of a powerful, unearthly figure, leaving only Prospero to possess special powers. Here, we can contend that it’s possible that Prospero looks down upon Caliban as a way to comfort himself with the power that he was given. Through this, Prospero is able to assert his dominance and his empire on the island.

Ariel is also another example in who Prospero downplays their significance in order to impose his own power. We are able to establish the fact that Ariel is powerful because he is able to perform complex illusions, including Prospero’s infamous storm in the opening of Act I. It’s possible to state that Ariel’s ability has intimidated Prospero; in order to suppress Ariel’s abilities (and also the possibility that Ariel can one day rebel and overthrow Prospero), Prospero continuously brings in the debt Ariel has to pay from being freed. This leaves Ariel in a rut, and makes Ariel focus more on completing the tasks to the best of Ariel’s ability in order to be freed, instead of plotting to rid Prospero of his power. This is how we are able to emphasizes Prospero’s desperation to hold power.

Through breaking down Prospero’s relationships with the other characters, we are able to assert that Prospero essentially tricks the other characters on the island into thinking he is much more clever and powerful than he actually is. We can then proclaim that through these methods of manipulation, he is able to hold onto his power for longer. It is when he believes that he is strongest that he is able to relinquish his own power, and take credit from freeing all the characters that Prospero himself had imposed on them.