FREE ESSAY ON PROSPERO THE LEADER

PROSPERO THE LEADER

Prospero the Leader
Shakespeare, by concealing part of the truth at first, shows us the development of
Prospero's character while on the island, from excessively trustful, too tyrannical, to a
man who is willing to forgive. By the end of the play, Prospero indeed combines power
over himself with power over the outer world (Elye 7). Although this does put him in an
ideal position to lead, Prospero is brought to a point where he develops control over
himself, rather than being presented as such a character immediately. Prospero's magical
powers allow him singlehandedly to take control of a situation of slowly developing
chaos, caused by his eviction from Milan. He has powers over his surroundings, far
greater than those of an ordinary mortal, is incontestable, as is the fact that he uses
them for good throughout the play. However, it remains to be presented whether
Shakespeare actually favors Prospero as an ideal leader. 
Although we hear Prospero tell the story of his eviction from Milan, the manner in which
he tells his history inspires distrust and self-pity. While Duke of Milan, he trusted his
brother Antonio too much, and consequently lost his dukedom, and nearly his life. On the
island, he befriended Caliban, brought him into his house and treated him as a member of
the family. Repeating the pattern of trust, which was again betrayed, when Caliban
attempted to rape Miranda. Although Prospero learns from this second betrayal, he goes to
the other extreme (Thomson 27). As stated by critic Karl Elye: Prospero's apparent
tyrannical stance is revealed in his exile and verbal abuse of Caliban, and also his
tirade and threat to imprison Ariel again till / Thou hast howl'd away twelve winters
(Elye 24).
Aside from the sin of tyranny, Prospero also seems unforgiving toward Caliban and
Antonio. When we see Caliban willingly serving Stephano and Trinculo, we begin to realize
that Caliban is not evil, and could in fact be a most affectionate servant. When Caliban
speaks of Prospero as a tyrant, Shakespeare implies that the fault of alienating Caliban
lies with Prospero's failure to understand Caliban's limitations. Furthermore, Prospero's
treatment of the court party seems to show that he is interested only in frightening
them, and at this point we do not realize that he wants to educate them. We can only
assume that Prospero wants to take his revenge on Alonso. As yet, we have heard no other
speech from Prospero about his intentions for the court party except the long history he
told to Miranda, when he called Alonso an enemy / To me inveterate and spoke bitterly at
great length about Antonio (Elye 27).
Prospero is also consistently self-indulgent and vain. At the beginning of the play, he
calls himself poor man in his story to Miranda, and answers her question in extremely
long-winded fashion, suiting his own wishes rather than hers. Although he says that his
only care has been to serve Miranda, the first thing we see after that is Miranda serving
Prospero by helping him takes off his cloak, inferring hypocrisy. When Stephano's party
is getting ready to kill Prospero and the court party is apparently going to commit mass
suicide, aided by Antonio. Prospero indulges his vain desire to show off his art to his
children, and makes most of it before he gives it up. Even at the end, we are a little
uneasy at Prospero's desire to tell everyone his life story, a wish that seems selfish. 
However, this has been but one side of the coin. Although Prospero appears tyrannical at
the beginning of the play, our impressions of him change drastically by the end. His last
lines to Ariel are that once he has blown them safely home,he is free. 
At a point when Ariel again reminds him of his promise, he reacts calmly, unlike his
earlier outburst. We also discover that while Prospero has punished Caliban ever since
his offence, he has also constantly searched for an opportunity to educate him further.
It began to seem likely that Prospero only waited until the arrival of the court party
because he could not have provided, by himself, the opportunity for Caliban to be
educated. This seems to invalidate, to some extent, Caliban's accusation that Prospero is
a tyrant. Prospero may be an absolute monarch, but he does care for and educate his
subjects. Also, in the end, Prospero accepts Caliban this thing of darkness I acknowledge
mine and forgives Antonio (Tolman 12).
For Prospero's self-indulgence and vanity there seems little excuse. It is the only
factor that may interfere with his rule in Milan. However, this is a minor fault when
held in check by his other virtues. He genuinely cares for his subjects, witness the fact
that he does not give up on the task of educating Caliban, and carries it out while he
undertakes the delicate task of educating the court party. The cruelty he shows to
Ferdinand and his failure to heed Miranda's plea for mercy is done for a good reason. He
is willingly giving her away to seek her new life. His use of magic, while done at times
to indulge himself, is always for some greater purpose that involves others (Thomson 7).
Even the masque's main objective is to warn Ferdinand and Miranda, not to amuse
themselves.
At the end of the play, Prospero gives up his magic. Shakespeare clearly wants us to see
this as a necessary action. Magic has set Prospero above the human hierarchy, has made
him into a demigod. This is no more a natural or appropriate position for Prospero than a
place as a member of Prospero's family was for Caliban. Although this magic has given
Prospero great power to lead the others on the island, it has been in the nature of a god
that he has led. In order for Prospero to become an ideal human leader, he must give up
this rough magic, and consent to allow his power to flow only from the loyalty of his
people (Tolman 17).
Shakespeare does not present us with the perfect ruler immediately. Instead he develops
Prospero from a basically good, but flawed man, to one who although retaining some vanity
and therefore is not perfect, will act in a manner befitting an ideal leader.
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