The Tempest

Through the use of his magic, Prospero seeks to surpass worldly values and create a utopia, or ideal society. This becomes evident in how Shakespeare portrays the innocence of Ferdinand and Miranda. He insists that Ferdinand not "Break her virgin knot before All sanctimonious ceremonies may."(Act 4, Scene 1) Prospero's seeking to create an ideal society also becomes evident in his attempts at making his usurping brother and his court to repent. Thus, he is trying to make right of what has gone wrong in the world. He does this by working with his faithful spirit Ariel and using his magical knowledge to create a world in which he can create his own future and reconcile with his past. When his opportunity arrives to make his enemies repent, Prospero seizes the opportunity and sets out to reverse the events that occurred twelve year previously.

"Hell is empty and all the devils are here,"(Act 1, Scene 1) Ferdinand yelled as he leapt from the burning ship during the tempest. The great tempest that Prospero bade Ariel to create was made by magic. The ship burned but it did not split, break, or sink. The ship was brought safely into the harbor and her crew was magically charmed to sleep. The occurrence of a mighty storm is a pivotal plot-mover, as well as a symbol for transformation. In The Tempest, the storm provides for the arrival of the King of Naples, the usurping Duke of Milan, Gonzalo, and the rest of their party, including Stephano and Trinculo. While the latter two do not experience any profound transformation, the rest do, and it is through the facility of the tempest that this transformation occurs. The survivors of the storm swam to shore and were separated into groups about the island. This serves two purposes. "It allows Prospero to operate on the protagonists separately. It also ensures the emotional shock of (supposedly) losing loved ones will make Ferdinand and Alonzo more open to the fresh experiences they will encounter on the island." (Hirst) The Tempest provides the means for Prospero to right what has gone wrong in the past. By bringing his usurping brother and his court to the island Prospero can teach them repentance and regain his dukeship.

Prospero uses Ariel and Caliban in very different ways. "The savage is used as a pointer to the evil black magic that is the opposite of the benevolent white magic Prospero uses." (Wagner) Shakespeare does not allow us to feel anything but fear for Caliban. Since magic was a very real concept in the Elizabethan period, the people who saw "The Tempest" believed that Caliban's birth from the black witch Syxcorax could actually happen. Shakespeare also described Caliban's father as a being a demon which makes his existence even more repugnant. Caliban's demonic nature in turn allows Prospero to be a man seeking wisdom for the betterment of the world around him. Prospero uses Ariel in a variety of functions. "Prospero's cruelest manifestation of magic is present in the storm, while the highest is in the music of Ariel."(James) "The music of Ariel always leads to a harmony of a personal or political nature." (Hirst)

The magician uses magic to bring Ferdinand and Miranda together. Prospero prepared them