Prospero in William Shakespeares The Tempest Essay

Prospero in William Shakespeares The Tempest Prospero has long been read as one of Shakespeare’s most cherished and provocative protagonists. His timeless role in â€Å"The Tempest† has provided readers and critics with insights into many attributes of Shakespeare as a man, his works, and the political views that are personified in his play. The historical context of â€Å"The Tempest† is one that convincingly conveys the political views of the English people of his time, relating to the colonization of the New World, the expansion of British powers, and the domination of the indigenous peoples that was necessary for the British to thrive in the Americas. Of course, many people from the 1600’s would argue that domination of these natives†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"The island’s mine by Sycorax, my mother/ which thou tak’st from me† Caliban declares, bemoaning the loss of ownership of the isle after having shown Prospero everything he needed to survive on the island. Like Caliban, the Native Americans were â€Å"willing enough to accept [European] conventions when they promoted trade, kept peace, bought land and broke the routine† (Merrell 281). The natives, like Caliban, did not mind foreign presence at first. The benefits that came out of the new relationships seemed mutual. When it became apparent that the differences in the two cultures would inevitably cause rifts leading to violence and bondage, conflicts arose and the hormonal balance was broken. â€Å"Filth as thou art† accuses Prospero of Caliban â€Å"with humane care, and lodged thee/ In mine own cell, till thou didst seek to violate/ The honor of my child† . At first, Prospero â€Å"made much of him† (Hunter 35) but he then imprisons Caliban, this â€Å"emblem of morphological ambivalence† (Brown 220) on the island and makes him into a servant. These few lines show the reader how much and how quickly Prospero’s attitude toward Caliban changed. From a trusted guide and companion, to loathsome liar and servant Prospero â€Å"justifies his treatment by calling him a lazy, ungrateful and sexually lascivious barbarian† (Hunter 35) when he triesShow MoreRelatedEssay on Prospero in William Shakespeares The Tempest2266 Words   |  10 PagesProspero in William Shakespeares The Tempest In act 1 we learn that Prospero is a very complex character with many different aspects to his presentation. The first and probably the most obvious aspect to his character is that of the magician. 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