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Landon Mutch ID#1608507
Bachelor of Applied Communications
In Professional Writing
Prospero’s Judgment
Most of the characters in The Tempest, at one time or another, view Prospero in a
negative light. Their reasons for this are varied, but generally their distaste is brought on
by the situations and tests Prospero provides for each. This topic unavoidably parallels
the way that many people view God. Prospero is playing the role of a god in this play.
Are his subject’s feelings of anger, fear, and even hate justifiable?
Prospero eventually puts everyone on the island through some sort of test. For
example, the illusive shipwreck at the start of the play is a test that everyone on the ship
is put through. Most of the characters feel ill toward Prospero, but as their journey
reaches an end and his intentions become clear they ask his forgiveness for those
feelings. However, some of them perfectly justify themselves in thinking Prospero an
evil person. The second is true of Sebastian and Antonio. At the end of the play
Sebastian says, “The devil speaks in him.” (p76) He is speaking of Prospero and says it
aside, probably to Antonio. Even though he says it aside Prospero hears him and
answers, “I do forgive Thy rankest fault.” (p76) This shows the reader that Prospero is
not harsh but rather quite the opposite in judging his subjects. Antonio does not say
much at the end of the play but we may assume he is alike to Sebastian as their plot to kill
Alonso suggests. They both look at Prospero in a very definite negative way even to the
end. It is hard to say exactly which category Caliban falls under. Caliban originally
loves Prospero and shows him the secret beauties of the island. But Caliban’s brutish
instincts compel him to attempt to rape Miranda. So Prospero enslaves him and does not
allow him to roam the island but instead makes him do Prospero’s bidding. Caliban hates
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Landon Mutch ID#1608507
Bachelor of Applied Communications
In Professional Writing
Prospero for this and some readers would argue he is right in this. After all Caliban was
native to the island and Prospero took it from him and enslaved him. In our current
culture this is completely unacceptable but we have to remember that during the time that
Shakespeare wrote this play, claiming “uninhabited” lands and enslaving the natives was
very common. One could say that at that time Prospero was not wrong in doing this. Is
Caliban wrong for hating him then? Towards the end of the play Caliban has an
opportunity to plot against Prospero and plans to kill him. But when Prospero does not
“pinch,” or torture him to death and Caliban sees how foolish he has been, he says he will
“seek for grace” (p82) from Prospero. The debate is whether or not this is Caliban’s true
intention.
Other characters in the play see Prospero in a negative light for part of the play
but then later they see the big picture and ask his forgiveness. Ferdinand and Miranda are
two examples. Ferdinand believes he has lost his father. If he knew that Prospero was
responsible, he probably would have been angry with Prospero and would have judged
him before seeing the big picture. Later Prospero test Ferdinand by telling him to gather
wood but now Ferdinand has met Miranda and is willing to follow Prospero’s directions.
Miranda has been on the island with Prospero for much of her life and for almost as long
as she can remember. She never looks negatively on him until further on in the play.
The reader knows this when she says, “Never till this day Saw I him touched with anger
so distempered.” (p66) Miranda seems to look at Prospero differently after meeting
Ferdinand. She does not understand why he tests Ferdinand as he does and she doesn’t
necessarily approve of it. “Beseech you father!” (p25) she pleads, and earnestly asks him
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Landon Mutch ID#1608507
Bachelor of Applied Communications
In Professional Writing
to stop testing Ferdinand. Of course Ferdinand and Miranda are both completely assured
of Prospero’s love after he gives them each other. Ferdinand gets his father back and a
virtually perfect wife. Miranda, after being isolated on the island for much of her life,
falls in love and marries the first outside man she sees. Prospero brings about all this.
All of these characters think and feel negatively of Prospero at one time or
another. Are those thoughts and feelings evil or are they valid and in fact reasonable? In
Sebastian and Antonio’s case their judgments of Prospero are obviously though accurate
by themselves if not by the reader. The reader maybe sees their judgment as poor
because in the end they are given the opportunity to see the big picture and how Prospero
guided every situation. They are there when Alonso and his son are reunited and they see
Miranda and Ferdinand married. Also they themselves experience Prospero’s mercy
when he forgives them their faults and does not tell Alonso of their plot to kill him. We
must therefore conclude that their judgment of Prospero was indeed faulty. Caliban is
different, however, because he does pledge allegiance to Prospero at the end of the play
and seeks his forgiveness. If this is his true intention then he may be just in his judgment.
If it is not, who is to say he is wrong in believing Prospero evil? If we take the side of
our current beliefs, we would probably justify Calibans hate for Prospero but we have to
remember that this play was written at a time when slavery was acceptable. If we take
this into consideration then Caliban would not have been right to hate Prospero. So if
Caliban did finally see Prospero as merciful then most readers would deem his judgment
accurate. Finally, Ferdinand and Miranda see Prospero negatively only for a short period
of time (while their trials are happening) and then find him righteous again when they are
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Landon Mutch ID#1608507
Bachelor of Applied Communications
In Professional Writing
over. During their trials they cannot see the big picture. Ferdinand does not know his
father is still alive and Miranda does not know Prospero is ultimately planning to give her
hand in marriage to Ferdinand. When their lack of knowledge is taken into consideration
many readers do not see their temporary dislike of Prospero as faulty. In fact this very
much coincides with many people’s view of God. I myself have disliked God during
hard time in my life but when they are over I can see value in my trials. I believe that this
is justified. It is all right to have doubts about God just as it is all right for the characters
in the play to have doubts about Prospero. However, when the character’s doubts are
proven faulty and they still cling to them, then I believe their judgments of Prospero, and
our judgments of God, are erroneous. Sebastian and Antonio are examples of this.
These aspects of the play remind us of our views of God. We can see the parallels
or Prospero as a god-like figure and his subjects on the island as ourselves, subjects of
God. So is it wrong for us to judge God for the trials and the characters in this play to
judge Prospero for his tests? Not many of us can see God’s master plans just as not many
of the characters in the play can see Prospero’s. We base our judgments of God on our
own understanding or lack thereof and therefore misjudge Him. This is maybe not right
but it is at least understandable. However, the error or ignoring the big picture when we
do see it is in my opinion far more deadly. Sebastian and Antonio made this mistake and
they could not accept Prospero’s pardon.