The Tempest - Analyzing Prospero's Character in Act 5, Scene 1, Lines 1-97

In Act 5, Scene 1, Lines 1-97 of The Tempest, Prospero's plan has began to reach its conclusion. He is having a good day and everything is working in his favor, for Prospero is someone who plans ahead. He has had his whole idea of revenge outlined in his mind since the very beginning of the play and probably even years before the play begins. Prospero also has Ariel by his side to makes sure that everything runs smoothly, however, if anything does not go as planned, Ariel can help Prospero get everything back on the right track.

An aspect of Prospero's character that helps him in his plans is his commanding presence. Prospero has a commanding presence because he is able to control spirits and the magical arts. Prospero uses this power along with his strategically-thinking brain to get the upper hand in most situations. This upper hand starts at the beginning of the play with the tempest. Though Prospero relies on his magic to help get him this upper hand, he acknowledges in lines 50-57 that he will get rid of his magic when he no longer needs it. This time comes in lines 83-86 when he is ready to step back into his position as the Duke of Milan.

Prospero cares about the people who he got caught in the tempest. In lines 25-27, Prospero tells that though he remembers the wrongdoings of the people he shipwrecked, he will no longer be angry at them. Prospero is forgiving, but he does call out those who have done him wrong because he wants them to remember exactly what they did to him. This helps define that Prospero still has his emotions and his feelings. He is still human. Ariel points this out when he tells Prospero that, if Prospero saw the shipwrecked group that he was holding, his "affections / would become tender" (5.1.18-19). Prospero is someone who understands and keeps his promises and contracts. In the end, Ariel is set free after his allotted time of servitude and those who were shipwrecked are allowed to go back to Italy. Throughout the play, those who were shipwrecked remain physically unharmed, just like Prospero wanted.