Tempest
In the William Shakespeare play "The Tempest" the character Prospero has two contrasting sides, he is both good and evil. Prospero is the central character in the play and everything that happens involves him in some way. The two contrasting sides to his character can be seen in the ways that he interacts with the other characters. In the beginning of the play the audience meets Prospero as the father of Miranda. In the audience's first encounter with Prospero he is shown as an evil schemer who has no feelings. This is because he orders a ship to be sunk. When his daughter finds out about this she is emotionally distraught. "Against my very heart! Poor souls they perish'd! ( 1, 2, 9.) However this deed was done for her benefit. "Be collected. No more amazement. Tell your piteous heart there's no harm done." (1,2,14-16.) This is the evil side that Prospero is well known for. It is in the same scene that we see a different side to Prospero. He talks of being plotted against by his brother Antonio
These two sides make him hard to figure out. He seems to be both evil and kind at the same time. "If thou dost break her virgin-knot before All sanctimonious ceremonies may With full and holy rite be minist'red, No sweet aspersion shall the heavens let fall. He could be considered either an evil genius who knows how to manipulate people's emotions, or he could be a kind hearted man who was turned evil by mistreatment by others. "The government I cast upon my brother And to my state grew stranger, being transported And rapt in secret studies-thy false uncle- Dost thou attend me?" (1,2,75-78. However there are moments when he appears to be a sensitive, kind man. This is an evil deed to do because it is an attempt to take away the lives of others. Prospero shows that he cares for the needs of others when he tells Ferdinand to marry his daughter. He is the most developed character in the play. These two sides to his character make the play as entertaining and as interesting as it is. "Hast thou,spirit, Perform'd to point the tempest that I bade thee?"(1,2,194-195). ) This shows an innocent side to his character that conflicts with the evil image that is shown in the same scene These two sides to his character make him one of interest. He is very protective of his daughter throughout the play as well. He has the ship sunk for her benefit and in Act 4 he tells Ferdinand that he should not take her virginity before they are married or there will be no blessing bestowed upon them.
Common topics in this essay:
William Shakespeare,
Miranda Ferdinand,
Ferdinand Miranda,
character evil,
character play,
ship sunk,
evil hard,
throughout play,
tells ferdinand,
act 4,
central character,
evil prospero,
william shakespeare,
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