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murder him, Prospero is furious about his deeds which cause no effect on Caliban’s evil nature:
on whose nature
Nurture can never stick; on whom my pains Humanely taken –all lost, quite lost! (4.1.188-190)
Also, regulating one’s power means there would be things which should be, yet cannot be, done. Prospero acknowledges the evil of Caliban and Antonio, yet he could not change them as long as he uses power with compassion. Very early in the play, Prospero has realized that compassion is unworkable in changing Caliban when he describes him as a slave that “stripes may move, not kindness” (1.2.345-346). In order to protect Miranda and maintain the order on the isle, Prospero does use his magical power to punish and regulate Caliban. However, he does not go further to change his nature with magic forcibly. Similarly, even if Antonio expels “remorse and nature”
(5.1.76), Prospero does not correct his wickedness by magic. Although condemning that Antonio is “unnatural” (5.1.79), the sorcerer does not compel him to change.
III. New Challenges for Prospero
Although acknowledging that he will meet limitations, the sorcerer still restrains his power. He understands that seeing power as solution in some cases will make one a tyrant. As a result, problems that cannot be solved by power are achieved through forgiveness and trust, which are the new challenges for Prospero. Egan suggests that preservation of order requires forgiveness of evil. Instead of punishing his servant in cruel ways, Prospero has realized that the order can be maintained by
“re-acknowledging his responsibility for, and even kinship with Caliban” (275-276).
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Forgiveness is not only a merciful way to preserve order, it is also the most effective solution to end quarrels. It is a quality that Burton describes as the remedy of hatred. According to Burton, wickedness is rooted in nature, and so is the will to revenge. When being wronged, revenging will only continue hatred and cause more harm. Being caught in these contentions hurts both the good and the wicked sides.
Therefore, the remedy for hatred is forgiving: “Tis the nature of wicked men to do injures, as it is the property of all honest men patiently to bear them” (197). In providing the remedy, Burton suggests: When being wronged, “wisely consider of it, and if thou canst possibly, compose thyself with patience to bear it” (198). By ending the continuing circle of revenges, to consume the hatred patiently is therefore “the safest course,” and one shall find “greatest ease to be quiet” (198).
Bacon further gives the act of forgiving a symbolic meaning. Forgiving is not only a remedy to end hatred. It is a virtue that makes one superior and noble. When passing the wrong doings over, one shows one’s difference from one’s foes:
Certainly, in taking revenge, a man is but even with his enemy; but in passing it over, he is superior; for it is a prince’s part to pardon. (13)
Forgiveness thus makes Prospero one step closer to a good sovereign. If taking revenge on his enemies, Prospero would be no different with his enemies who make others suffer to satisfy their own wish. Prospero stops his punishment on his foes once his goal is achieved: “they being penitent, / The sole drift of my purpose doth extend/
Not a frown further” (5.1.28-30).
A contrary example to Prospero would be Sebastian. Lacking compassion, Sebastian knows no moderation in causing another’s suffering. When Alonso is in extreme desperation of the loss of his son, Sebastian brings up more future loss of the
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kingdom and blames the fault on the king (2.1.121). Gonzalo thus criticizes Sebastian for his lack of understanding:
My lord Sebastian, The truth you speak doth lack some gentleness, And time to speak it in. You rub the sore
When you should bring the plaster. (2.1.137-140)
While Sebastian’s inconsideration receives condemnation, Prospero chooses a nobler action that makes him superior in stopping the sufferings of his enemies. What Prospero has done to his foes is described by Bacon as “a prince’s part” (13), and the action enables him to be a good sovereign. At the last scene of the play Gonzalo addressing that “Prospero” finds “dukedom/ In a poor isle” (5.1.211-212). Gonzalo’s words not merely point out the fact that Prospero has made the isle his dukedom;
these words at the same time serve as a metaphor that marks Prospero’s growth. After the events that happen on the isle, Prospero has found out the true essence of being a sovereign. Therefore, Prospero not only claims the isle by his magical power; the isle is made into his dukedom as he becomes a good duke.
Besides forgiveness, learning how to trust his people also becomes the new challenge for Prospero. In forgiving his foes, Prospero also bears the risk of keeping them beside him. He has once paid a harsh price for trusting his brother with “no limit” (1.2.96). This trust has raised “a falsehood in its contrary as great/As my trust was” (1.2.93-96). The risk of being betrayed by Antonio still remains as Prospero decides to spare him, and it would be necessary for Prospero to come up with
measures when trusting his perfidious brother. However, the result of being forgiving to his enemies is not necessarily negative. Prospero’s forgiveness to his enemies also
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brings possible changes in them. Egan suggests that Prospero’s forgiveness “sparks hope” (181) in changing the wicked. When released from Prospero’s charm, Caliban is regretful to make conspiracy with the two drunkards. After receiving Prospero’s pardon, Caliban declares to "be wise hereafter/ And seek for grace” (5.1.295-296). In inspiring Caliban to learn good virtues, Prospero’s forgiveness decreases the
possibility of Caliban’s rebellion.
Also, Prospero has to rely more on his subjects as he no longer holds magical power. In order to eliminate the possibility of being a tyrant, Prospero abjures magic.
Therefore, he has to rely on his subjects in doing things that cannot be done without his almighty power. However, this reliance does not necessarily serve as a weakness in making his position more vulnerable. Prospero’s future reliance on his people also means a deeper engagement between the ruler and the ruled. Furthermore, in trusting his subjects and forgiving Antonio, Prospero becomes a better sovereign. Prospero has once lost the connection with his subjects, and on the isle he sustains the master-servant relationship with the help of magic. Finally, the connection with his people in Milan will be rebuilt on the base of the good intentions of both his people and the duke, which is praised by Erasmus as a qualification that differentiates a king from a tyrant:
The tyrant guards his security with a gang of foreign attendants and with hired brigands, the king considers himself safe enough in his good will towards his subject and their good will towards him. (27)
By trusting his subjects, Prospero has the chance to build a stronger bond between him and his people. While he once grows “stranger” (1.2.76) to his state, trusting his people keeps him engaged with them. When the relationship grows tight, it is less
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likely that it would be intermediated again. Antonio has once had the chance of being the ivy that hide on Prospero’s “princely trunk” (1.2.86), with a tighter relationship formed between Prospero and his subjects, there will be less space for Antonio to take over Prospero’s position with conspiracies.
This possible reliance is not addressed directly in the play. However, it is hinted skillfully in the end as we take a metadramatic point of view. Prospero’s new
connection, which will be created in the future, is practiced in front of the audience by Prospero the actor. In the Epilogue Prospero asks for the aid from the audience to bring him back to Milan: “With the help of your good hands. / Gentle breath of yours my sails/ Must fill” (Epilogue 10-12). He also confesses that his freedom depends on the favor of the audience: “Let your indulgence set me free” (Epilogue 20). When the audience rewards the actor with what he asks for, a connection between the audience and Prospero as the actor is thus established. Even though what will happen in Milan is unknown to the audience, this metadramatic moment in the Epilogue indicates a solution that Prospero might possibly take in the future. This relationship serves as an implication for another bond, which will be built after Prospero returns to his state.
Prospero, with a compassionate intention, is able to enhance the state for the future heir and build stronger bonds with his people. Compassion thus brings effects in sustaining the state and allowing it to thrive, which cannot be achieved by one’s competence, either political or magical power, alone. With compassion as the motivation that guides his competence, Prospero meets the qualification of a good sovereign.
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Chapter V
Conclusion