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The Importance Of Prospero In Shakespeare's The Tempest

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In the play The Tempest, the wronged Prospero desires power over certain characters to be fully dominant over them, these characters include Caliban Prospero’s slave betrays Prospero and plots to overtake him. Ferdinand Alonso’s son as he falls in love with Miranda Prospero’s daughter works for Prospero in order to prove his love for Miranda. Alonso the King of Naples gets shipwrecked to the island by Prospero and realizes what he does to Prospero in the past. Prospero desires power over these three characters because he wants them to know how powerful he is and respect him.
Prospero’s desire for power over Caliban leads Caliban into betraying Prospero and plots to overtake him. Caliban discusses his plan to kill Prospero with Stephano: “Yea …show more content…
Ill yield him thee asleep, Where thou mayst knock a nail into his head” (3.2. 67-68). Caliban betrays Prospero because he doesn’t want to be a slave to Prospero anymore. He won’t fully give in to Prospero and so he plots to kill him with Stephano who he thinks is a god. Caliban’s plan fails and Ariel brings Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo to Prospero where Caliban expresses his graciousness and anger: “Ay, that I will, and I’ll be wise hereafter And seek for grace. What a thrice-double ass Was I to take this drunkard for a god, And worship this dull fool!”(5.1.351-54). Caliban’s plan to kill Prospero fails and is caught easily by Prospero. Caliban is grateful that Prospero doesn’t punish him for his actions and realizes Stephano is just a butler who can’t execute Prospero. Prospero wants Caliban to be a loyal slave to him, but Caliban retaliates and won’t fully give in …show more content…
Prospero shows his dominance over Ferdinand by telling him the consequences if they have sex before the wedding. Prospero isn’t afraid to punish Ferdinand if he disobeys him. He now has full power over Ferdinand as he is able to control him by making him work and letting him marry his daughter. Prospero desires power over Ferdinand to get closer to getting what he wants which is power over Alonso the King of Naples for helping Antonio exile him to the island. Therefore, Ferdinand letting Prospero tell him what to do to prove his love for Miranda lets Prospero obtain full power over

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