Shakespeare's Craft

Prospero's character is hard to sympathize with as the reader in that, here is a man that has been exiled and has all these magical powers that he seeks revenge by wrecking the ship and the lives of the characters, some that weren't even involved with hiss exile. In the end it all comes together as he seems to be more likable when he feels that he made his point to the King that what happened to him was unfair and although he made him think that Ferdinand was dead he merely allowed him to court is daughter while he sorted matters of the past out. I believe that this was a very cunning way for Shakespeare to say goodbye to his audience asking to set him free by clapping. It was crafty and made people think it wasn't blunt. The Tempest isn't as concrete as other poems but is enjoyable. Surprisingly the play ended with a marriage without any real deaths. This can be surprising to readers who are used to death being a driving theme but it shows how well Shakespeare could weave his writings as he went on with his life and can only be respected for what he did and his accomplishments.

Hamlet's Undying Love

Oh Father, I don't know what to do, you want me to focus so much on revenging your death and to leave my mother out of it but, I can't ,I love her so much and cannot believe that she would marry so quickly after your death. She didn't need Claudius, I was man enough to take care of her for the rest of her life. I just need to talk to her or do something. My plan of acting mad is working, but sometimes I think I forget that I am acting and become lost in my thoughts that I am almost going crazy... I love my mother as much or even as more than I do Ophelia. I know what I shall do I shall ask mother to not sleep with Claudius tell her all that has happened about your death and how her poured the poison into your ear during your slumber. She just has to believe me. Better yet maybe if I ask her...for your sake at least to go a nunnery... maybe she will listen to me. I am of her flesh...yes I will arrange to meet her in private.

"Let your indulgence set me free."

Much like when I disguised myself as an instructor to woo Bianca and create a chance to show her my true self, Shakespeare adopted the guise of Prospero to show his audience the nature of his craft. As the play progressed, we watched Prospero deftly maneuver behind the scenes, guiding all of the characters on the mystical island through myriad paths to converge and bring fruition to his plans. This display is a crafty representation of the master playwright at work. In his final address the the audience, the old wizard becomes more Shakespeare than Prospero. He beseeches the onlookers, "release me from my bands/With the help of your good hands." It is, of course, not Prospero who seeks the audience's approval to leave the stage. Shakespeare has worked long and hard, crafting colorful characters like myself and my contemporaries in "The Taming of the Shrew," and all the memorable people of "Macbeth," "Titus Andronicus," "The Merchant of Venice," and the supernatural denizens of the island in "The Tempest." Prospero acts as Shakespeare's representative on the stage, bowing out in his place, and accepting the applause for a lifetime of entertainment.

Prospero's (Shakespeare's) Farwell...

Prospero as a character is not nessisarily well liked until the last few scenes of the play. Prospero shows his compassion by forgiving his enemies and demonstrating his love for his daughter Miranda. With Prospero's farewell to magic, we can see signs of Shakespeare's farewell to playwriting. Especially in such lines where Prospero says, "Gentle breath of yours my sails, Must fill, or else my project fails, Which was to please." This can be taken literally as the magic of Prospero was to please, and would therefor be useless if it did not give some pleasure. However, this can also mean Shakespeare's playwriting and aim to please his audience with his work. The youtube clip of the final lines of The Tempest shows sad images, as well as the voice seems to invoke a sad ending to the magic Prospero practices, or even Shakespeare's playwriting. I felt the lines in the Epilogue would be a bit more upbeat than that, more of a bittersweet way of thinking. However, assuming these lines are meant to reflect Shakespeare's end as a playwright, it definitely would feel more sad on a personal level.

Farwell Master Shakespeare

As the writer of great plays and sonnets, Shakespeare leaves the stage with one final adieu. Prospero as his voice, the epilogue of The Tempest is in fact the epilogue to Master Shakespeare's career. "Mercy itself and frees all faults. As you from crimes would pardon'd be,Let your indulgence set me free." This line is acknowledging Shakespeare's audience and asks them to set him free from his writing. He also asks to be free form any wrongs he had made during the productions of his works. Although it is Prospero speaking in rearguards to giving up his magical powers and his books, in so many instance does this apply to Master Shakespeare leaving the stage and giving up his quills. It is important to be able to recognize that with every good story there is always a sympathetic ending and in this case I sympathize towards only Shakespeare.

Prospero was a Great Man. Reminds me of Myself.

Ahhh Prospero, a man after mine own heart. In a sense anyways. He would do anything for his daughter as I my wife. Like me he took what he desired and wanted and used it to his advantage. That was the one thing I did not possess, magic. If I had magic I could have kept my wife from dying and we could have ruled as King and Queen for forever. Prospero was a genius and great man. He only did what he did so he and his daughter could have a perfect life.

Sympathizing with a selfish manipulator

Prospero is a very dynamic character. Throughout the play he comes off as being very selfish and manipulative. He uses his magic to get what he wants from everyone he comes in contact with. Prospero forces Ariel to do his bidding, and bribes him by telling him he will free him earlier if he does his tasks well. That is how the ship wreck came about. He also aids in leading Stefano, Trinculo, and Caliban around the island in their drunken hazes, and gives them the opportunity to steal some fine cloths. He keeps the rest of the crew, including his brother, thoroughly confused and misinformed about the island and its inhabitants. The thing that upsets me the most about Prospero is how he forced Miranda's love, Ferdinand, to be a servant to him! He acted just like my father. They both tried to get in the way of true love because they think they know best. But, they don't! I ended up leaving my father forever. Prospero is lucky that Miranda forgave him for butting in. Although I'm not a huge fan of Prospero, I do still sympathize with him a little bit. It must have been awful for him when his own brother betrayed him. That makes it hard to completely hate him for the awful things he has done.