Human beings are not one-dimensional, nor are they two-dimensional. Every individual is a dynamic, three-dimensional person who should be treated and viewed as such. Just as it is foolish to view only part of a painting and believe that one is able to understand both the meaning and the subject of it, one cannot fully understand a person without viewing it from other perspectives. However, it is often assumed that the part glimpsed is indeed the whole picture. This misjudgment is commonly given to those who are considered solely by their actions, not their intentions, and are thusly labeled “evil” or “immoral” people. William Shakespeare’s last solo playwriting venture, The Tempest, contains one of these misinterpretations. The main character,
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However, that is merely an assumption. Prospero never states an intention to kill the castaways. Indeed, his actions speak against this because why would he kill them on the island when they could have died, ‘accidentally,’ in the shipwreck? It makes little logical sense, yet some see Prospero as heartless and logic less, intent only on revenge until his humanity is finally challenged by Ariel. If he had wanted to kill his brother and the king, Prospero could have done so easily; he could even have committed the murders in the second act of the play. Nevertheless, he does not. Prospero brings them to the island where he influences and maneuvers the king into restoring his dukedom while the prince courts Miranda. Prospero is not a violent man. He is a scholar, a man of thoughts and books, not of aggression and bloodshed. When Prospero orders for the release of the then-imprisoned castaways, he declares that “The sole drift of my purpose doth extend/Not a frown further” (V. i. 34-5): signifying that his only purpose was to cause misery in those who wronged him. With his goals of mental and emotional harm—not physical—accomplished, Prospero is satisfied. This occurs perhaps sooner than if Ariel had not challenged his humanity, but it is done. Prospero is manipulative and cunning, but he is not bloodthirsty and
However, that is merely an assumption. Prospero never states an intention to kill the castaways. Indeed, his actions speak against this because why would he kill them on the island when they could have died, ‘accidentally,’ in the shipwreck? It makes little logical sense, yet some see Prospero as heartless and logic less, intent only on revenge until his humanity is finally challenged by Ariel. If he had wanted to kill his brother and the king, Prospero could have done so easily; he could even have committed the murders in the second act of the play. Nevertheless, he does not. Prospero brings them to the island where he influences and maneuvers the king into restoring his dukedom while the prince courts Miranda. Prospero is not a violent man. He is a scholar, a man of thoughts and books, not of aggression and bloodshed. When Prospero orders for the release of the then-imprisoned castaways, he declares that “The sole drift of my purpose doth extend/Not a frown further” (V. i. 34-5): signifying that his only purpose was to cause misery in those who wronged him. With his goals of mental and emotional harm—not physical—accomplished, Prospero is satisfied. This occurs perhaps sooner than if Ariel had not challenged his humanity, but it is done. Prospero is manipulative and cunning, but he is not bloodthirsty and