Essay: Power Grabs and Revenge in Shakespeare’s The Tempest: Uncovering Caliban and Prospero’s Desires to Rule the Island

n William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, almost every character in the play desires to obtain power and eventually become the lord of the island. The drama is filled with tricks and schemes that are used by the characters in order to throw others off their path or boost an individual’s own command. In the beginning, we learn of a man named Prospero who was once the Duke of Milan. His brother, Antonio, eventually had Prospero removed as Duke and stranded him on the island they are currently on. Many years later, Prospero is eager to get revenge on his brother when he realizes his brother is on a ship passing the island. He orders his spirit helper, Ariel, to cause a shipwreck so his brother will be stranded on the island like he is. Prospero made it clear to Ariel not to cause anybody on the ship any harm. Antonio and everybody else aboard the ship are now stranded on the island and plotting how they can become lord of the island. In Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Prospero and Caliban are the characters who clearly express their hunger to obtain power and take over the island.
Caliban’s desire to become lord of the island comes from the fact that he is indigenous to it and he has become a slave to Prospero. Son of a diseased witch named Sycorax, Caliban is a strange looking creature that appears to be half-man and half-monster. This causes the other characters to view him as unintelligent and not worthy of respect. In the beginning of the movie, his hatred for Prospero is clearly displayed when he is interrupted while eating his dinner by Prospero screaming for her slave to appear (Julie Taymor, The Tempest). Prospero shows an extreme lack of respect for Caliban and takes no consideration to how he feels. He is simply a slave in Prospero’s eyes, and there is nothing that Caliban would like more than to have power over his master. With this kind of rude treatment, it is easy to understand why Caliban would have so much tension with Prospero. Before Prospero arrived, Caliban was essentially the ruler of the island. He believes the island deserves to be his and Prospero has no right to take it from him: “This island is mine, by Sycorax my mother, which thou tak’st from me, when thou came’st first, thou strok’st me and mad’st much of me…and here you sty me in this hard rock, whiles you do keep from me the rest o’th’ island” (Act 1, Scene 2). Caliban is talking about how when Prospero first arrived on the island, he showed mercy towards the odd-looking creature and treated him well. He even taught Caliban how to speak their language, which Caliban is now grateful for because it has given him the ability to curse: “You taught me language, and my profit on’t is, I know how to curse. The red plague rid you for learning me your language!” (Act 1, Scene 2). However, once Caliban showed Prospero all of the island’s attributes, Prospero turned on him and made him his slave. If Caliban became lord of the island, things would most likely return to the way they were before Prospero and Miranda appeared. His genuine love for the island can be seen in the film when he is talking to Stephano and Trinculo about all of the noises that occur on it (Julie Taymor, The Tempest). This is where the audience truly understands Caliban’s attachment to the island and all of its characteristics. It is a home to him, not just something he would like to rule. Although he is portrayed as a strange and sometimes unintelligent monster, I believe Caliban deserves to be the lord of the island because it has been his home since birth.
Perhaps the character with the most power in the entire play is the former Duke of Milan, Prospero. As someone who has ruled before, he knows how it feels to be in charge. He appears to be a somewhat arrogant individual who believes wholeheartedly that he is the best candidate to rule the island. Prospero is a very manipulative person who uses his magic to intimidate other characters and make himself seem better than everybody else. There were several times in the film where Prospero used her magic to intimidate the other characters and express herself as being superior. A perfect example of Prospero using her magic in the film can be seen when she creates the storm (Julie Taymor, The Tempest). Still holding a grudge over his brother for sending him to the island and stripping away his power, Prospero purposely caused the shipwreck that left his brother and all the other passengers stranded on the island. He could not pass up the opportunity to get revenge on his brother. His brother’s success created an even bigger desire for Prospero to acquire power on the island: “I pray thee, mark me. I, thus neglecting worldly ends, all dedicated to closeness and the bettering of my mind with that which, but by being so retired, o’erprized all popular rate, in my false brother awaked an evil nature, and my trust, like a good parent, did beget of him a falsehood in its contrary as great as my trust was, which had indeed no limit, a confidence sans bound” (Act 1, Scene 2). Prospero trusted his brother with all his heart and was appalled when Antonio stabbed him in the back. If Prospero ended up becoming lord of the island, he would most likely treat everybody else as his subordinate and demand for their respect.
William Shakespeare’s The Tempest is consumed with the idea of obtaining power and ruling over other people. Both Caliban and Prospero are prime examples of this desire to have power and regain the lives they once had. Both characters have their own personal reasons for wanting to become lord of the island, but the overall goal is to return to the lifestyle they used to have. Caliban would free himself from Prospero’s command and roam the island like he was meant to, while Prospero would take control over the island and demand respect from all that comes with it. The quest to become lord of the island from these two characters was a major theme throughout the play and was intriguing to witness, both in the film and in the play.