Prospero

Prospero Character Summary

Prospero is the protagonist of the play. He is father to Miranda and he is ultimately after justice for his brother's betrayal. The whole play centres around his desire for power and revenge.

Knowledgable and powerful

People would perceive a character as knowledgeable and bookish as Prospero as intimidating.
The very rich were the ones who could afford any form of tuition. So wealth, education and power came hand in hand.

Controlling

Even when not on stage, Prospero’s presence is felt because he is either controlling a situation (such as Ferdinand and Miranda’s courtship or the haunting of Trinculo and Stephano) or he is being discussed because of how he's impacted upon another character (such as Caliban’s cursing of him).
Even Antonio does not gain or control Milan until Prospero 'cast[s]' it onto him.
Ferdinand and Miranda are merely puppets in Prospero’s grand plan to regain power: '[aside] It goes on, I see, / As my soul prompts it.'

Magical

The name Prospero itself means ‘fortunate’ or ‘prosperous’. You could argue that Prospero is anything but fortunate for being stranded for 12 years though!
Because of his love for books and knowledge, Prospero is presented as a character who uses magic to achieve his 'project'. He is a character who should be feared because of this.

Prospero Character Summary

Prospero is the protagonist of the play. He is father to Miranda and he is ultimately after justice for his brother's betrayal. The whole play centres around his desire for power and revenge.

Protective father

Prospero’s treatment of Caliban can be seen as quite cruel and unnecessarily severe.
But it is implied that he was kinder and fairer to Caliban before 'thou didst seek to violate / The honour of my child.'
Caliban's attempted rape of Miranda causes Prospero to become protective over his 'cherubin' and desire a punishment for such a foul crime.
He also shows his protective fatherly side when warning Ferdinand not to take Miranda’s 'virgin-knot' before the marriage is complete.

Villain turned humble

We first meet Prospero in Act 1, Scene 2, when he is casting the storm to wreck the ship.
- This might portray Prospero as quite villainous at first. But throughout the play, he shows his humility. He admits that his interest in his 'liberal arts' (which refers to his books and learning of alchemy) led to him losing his dukedom.

Key Quotations for Prospero

Here are three key quotations that highlight aspects of Prospero's character:

'If thou more murmur'st, I will rend an oak'

'If thou more murmur'st, I will rend an oak / And peg thee in his knotty entrails till / Thou hast howled away twelve winters.'
- Here Prospero is telling Ariel off for questioning him.
- This highlights that Prospero is tyrannical and controlling, as well as forgiving.

'Now my charms are all o'erthrown'

'Now my charms are all o'erthrown, / And what strength I have’s mine own'.
- Prospero gives up his magic once he has achieved his goals - this shows that he is not abusing or controlled by magic.

'But release me from my bands'

'But release me from my bands / With the help of your good hands.'
- This line is from The Epilogue. Here Prospero seems to be addressing the audience.
- But it could also be Shakespeare speaking to his audience - as this was one of his last plays.

1Key Words

1.1Key Words

1.1.1Key Words 1

1.1.2Key Words 2

1.1.3Key Words 3

1.1.4Key Words 4

2Context & Overview

2.1Context & Overview

2.1.1Overview

2.1.2Context

3Act 1

3.1Act 1 Analysis

3.1.1Overview

3.1.2Scene 1

3.1.3Scene 2

4Act 2

4.1Act 2 Analysis

4.1.1Overview

4.1.2Scene 1

4.1.3Scene 2

5Act 3

5.1Act 3 Analysis

5.1.1Overview

5.1.2Scene 1

5.1.3Scene 2

5.1.4Scene 3

6Act 4

6.1Act 4 Analysis

6.1.1Overview

6.1.2Scene 1

7Act 5

7.1Act 5 Analysis

7.1.1Overview

7.1.2Scene 1

7.1.3The Epilogue

8Key Characters

8.1Major Characters

8.1.1Prospero

8.1.2Miranda

8.1.3Caliban

8.1.4Ariel

8.1.5Ferdinand

8.1.6Alonso

8.2Minor Characters

8.2.1Antonio

8.2.2Stephano

8.2.3Sebastian

8.2.4Gonzalo

8.2.5Trinculo

9Themes

9.1Major Themes

9.1.1Power

9.1.2Magic

9.1.3Status, Race & Pronouns

9.1.4Comedy

9.1.5Freedom vs Servitude

9.1.6Revenge

10Authorial Method

10.1Authorial Method

10.1.1Genre & Time

10.1.2Music & Illusion

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