Magic - Quotes
English Lit: AQA GCSE The Tempest, topic 11.2.2
Quotations About Magic
Prospero's magic is presented as good and productive, unlike the black magic of Sycorax.
Sycorax's black magic
- 'For mischiefs manifold, and sorceries terrible.'
- 'Damned' and 'foul witch Sycorax'.
Heroic Prospero
- Prospero is presented as heroic for ridding the island of 'her most unmitigable rage.'
Punishments for using magic
- Prospero states he will 'bury' and 'drown' the three items that symbolise his powers: his 'magic garment'; his 'book'; and his 'staff'.
- The verbs 'bury' and 'drown' are reminiscent of (recall) the punishments for practicing witchcraft after King James I became King of England (1590).
Giving up magic
- Prospero is also able to give up his magic without much hesitation in Act 5, Scene 1. This shows that it was a temporary way to get political power back: 'But this rough magic / I here abjure.'
Test yourself on Magic - Quotes
How is Prospero's magic presented?