Perspective and its role in The Tempest.

Perspective plays a major role in Shakespeare’s, The Tempest. The ways in which people or situations are portrayed is significant in understanding the power dynamics running through the play. This masking of reality and portrayal of an illusory world is brought forth by Prospero, whose character can be viewed as the stage director of the play. As a conductor of magic, he uses illusions as a veil over reality, which demonstrates the large amount of power he holds over other characters in the play.

Miranda

One significant relationship that highlights the power Prospero holds over another and the manner in which it impacts one’s understanding of the play deals with Miranda, his daughter. Prospero’s control over his daughter emphasizes the dominant role he holds in the father daughter relationship.

While some may view Prospero’s actions to his daughter as controlling and forceful, in his eyes, Prospero believes that they are justificable due to the paternal love he feels towards her. His love for his daughter and need to protect her are factors that continue to motivate his actions and need to control her perspective on the world.

This is shown in the opening scenes of the play as Miranda asks about the shipwreck that has occurred offshore. From here, it is evident that MIranda has no direct or clear knowledge of her past, only knowing bits and pieces of what Prospero wishes to tell her.

This selection of detail is significant, for it underscores the fact that Miranda’s knowledge all stems from Prospero, giving him the power to filter out or place biases on the stories and create an alternate reality that his daughter now lives in. Moreover, Prospero’s control over Miranda is further addressed later as he puts her to sleep and calls forth his servant—the spirit Ariel.

‘Tis far off

And rather like a dream than an assurance

That my remembrance warrants.

(1.2.56-58)

His ability to put her to sleep links the relationship between dreams and memories, which is interesting in recognizing how that ends up impacting the characters he holds power over. The excerpt sheds light to an instance where Prospero decides to use magic over his daughter and blurs the lines between reality and illusions. The memories that are under Prospero’s watch do not seem to hold the same trust value that it had previously.

Why does it matter?

As we continue to dive deeper into our analysis of the play, one interesting question that has been raised deals with the idea of Prospero as Shakespeare.

The levels of power and knowledge granted to Prospero are interesting to note, causing us to wonder whether or not that had be intentional on the playwright’s part. While we briefly touched upon the idea during lecture, it is interesting to see the different parallels that have been drawn between the two individuals. Moreover, Prospero’s role in The Tempest is an indicator of his connection to Shakespeare.

Acting, essentially, as a playwright, Prospero’s ability to control a wide array of characters and storylines mimics the role Shakespeare holds in reality. The portrayal of Prospero’s “art” draws parallels between the theatrical world and the magic that he conjures up throughout the play, linking him to Shakespeare’s work as a writer.

Ultimately, many are convinced in believing that Prospero’s character acts as a portrait or reflection of Shakespeare himself, giving him a space to write his “retirement speech”, as The Tempest has been suggested as one of the last works the playwright wrote. The distinctions made raises the question of whether or not Shakespeare had done this intentionally?