Prospero

[Paul]

I don't want to sound harsh, but I believe that summary provided on this site ruins a large part of the play: you have painted Prospero as this noble, perfect, gunuinely good character, a character that Shakespeare did not create--Prospero is manipulative, shrewed, dishonest, unjust and, not to mention, he was not deposed without reason--he was neglecting his dukedom and wasn't simply "deeply studying literature" but rather sorcery. Although Prospero is not the villain, he is not the character that you have lead people to believe he is in this summary.

[trinityshiva]

dear paul
i did not read the tempest as presented by this site is one thing. secondly i had to make 102 or 106 i dont recall as at now.
prospero was the character created by shakespeare to show us the upcoming of the universities. he had established the concept of university education and research. what area is chosen by him for his research is immeterial because the knowledge he gained by the study of the secret sciences and the knowledge so gathered in the stride was never utilised for any wrong ends apart from safeguarding his self and his baby miranda. you did not sound harsh to me but ill informed.
i may be a poor man but i am not after money and that is the reason that i am poor even today and dont mind to die poor and unrecogonised i have put my effort and it is upto this world to recognise and utilise or be blind for another few centuries.
god bless u
shiva

[ophelia2602]

i agree that there are two sides to prospero's character... the fact that he was 'rapt in secret studies' is usually read as a warning to james I, who himself published 'on demonology'; therefore shakespeare is most likely warning james against the consequences of getting to involved in sorcery and neglecting your kingdom. prospero could also come across as hypocritical when we consider his usurpation of the island from caliban and his mother, and although caliban had tried to rape miranda he is presented as having normal, animalistic desires to reproduce 'i had peopled else this isle with calibans', rather than a purely malevolent motive... however, like this and all the other characters in the play, the reading of prospero is ambiguous and so open to many interpretations - do not accept any reading as definitive.

[Daizee]

Although Prospero could be seen to be virtuous in his forgiveness of Antonio, Alonso etc, I don't think this makes up for his over - inflated ego and high manipulation of other characters. The character of Prospero is not one which I look up to or admire at all, as he seems self - centred. He seems to make some rather far-fetched claims too - "Graves at my command have waked their sleepers". Is Prospero saying he can resurrect the dead? In conclusion, I don't find Prospero a terribly likeable character at all!
Yours, Daizee xx

[whiteangel]

I really dont like the character of Prospero, he is clearly a maverik and a meglomanic. Interpretations obviously vary and thus create a variety of views and opinions on his character's nature.
personally I think Prospero reflects Shakespeare himself...breaking his staff-mirrors shakespeare ending his solo writting carrer... what do you all think?
In many aspects Prospero is similiar to the witch "sycorax" the only difference being, he belives in God and she in "Stebos"... this clearly had a impact on the Elizabethan audiences because he was a "beliver"....yet the fact that he claims to have brought back the dead, proves that he is to an extent, a hypocrite who seems to only be appluaded even though his belifes of sexism (treats Miranda like a second class citizen, who must obey his every wish) and racism (calls Caliban a "hag born" and "devil-born"because of his beliefs in stebos) are clear. Prospero has created a dictatorship on the Island...all must be decided by him, including "Love" and "Freedom"