Earlier, on his entrance, Caliban cursed Prospero with blisters. The red plague rid you/ For learning me your language”(39). Prospero psychologically transforms Caliban into a demon, forcing him to perform household chores under the threat of curses to the point that his daughter Miranda hardly recognizes him as a fellow human being, causing her to say, “Abhorred slave, which any print of goodness will not take, being capable of all ill!”(39).Ĭaliban later says in response to Miranda, “You taught me language, and my profit on ‘t/ Is I know how to curse. Transformative magic manifests itself in the dynamic between Prospero and Caliban. This transformative magic references the psychology of slave owners where, from the perspective of the slave owner, the person enslaved is no longer seen as human but as an object whose sole purpose is to perform tasks. Sycorax’s magic confined Ariel in a cloven pine once upon a time. Magic apart from that of Prospero comes in other forms. Hunger for revenge drives Prospero to create the tempest that traps those who have betrayed him and blinds him from love. He is a prisoner on an island and a prisoner of his desire. Magic is also an expression of Prospero’s internal and external state. He uses similar threats on Caliban in order to earn Caliban’s obedience. The threat of dark magic acts like a whip to keep his slaves in place. When Ariel complains of his service to Prospero and desires a break, Prospero further amplifies his dominion over Ariel by saying, “I will rend an oak and peg thee in his knotty entrails till thou hast howled away twelve winters”( 33). He exerts control of his daughter in order to hide the truth from her and then turns around to influence Ariel. In Act 1, scene II of the play, Prospero charms his own daughter into a deep sleep in order to speak with a spirit called Ariel. By obtaining “fortune” from a star, Prospero can channel that energy to perform illusions, charms, and curses. To Prospero, magic means absolute control. Ironically, Prospero is the most powerful man on Earth despite being trapped on an island, and he exercises that power to serve his desires. But reasoning is not what Prospero uses his magic for. His magic or “fortune” is drawn from a star, alluding to the scientific study of the mysterious universe. Prospero sacrifices worldly possessions to study these radical ideas. In the eyes of the Church, science was as heretical as magic. Prospero’s exile can be read as an allusion to the poor treatment of scientific figures like Galileo who were persecuted for their ideas. This scholarly approach to magic elevates it beyond the typical notion that magical ability is innate and is proof that Prospero’s magic is scientifically grounded. Shakespeare refers to Prospero’s magic as “the liberal arts” that Prospero learned through “secret studies” ( The Tempest 17). Magic also extends to the scientific world because, at the time, scientific discoveries were considered radical, something that was beyond the realm of understanding. The magical tempest provides negative commentary on the cutthroat nature of politics and how those without power can be blamed for crimes if they perform a single misstep Prospero’s charm and the extremes Ferdinand is willing to go to court Miranda in his bound state is a satire of courtly love, presented as a silly game between the pursuer and the one being pursued. In a seventeenth century societal context, both tempest and charm have meaning. With these two pivotal characters, readers receive two major themes of love and violence shown through the gaze of Prospero’s magic. Conversely, Ferdinand shows his love for Miranda to be true when Prospero binds him with a charm. For example, in the midst of Prospero’s fabricated tempest, with clapping thunder and roaring waves drowning sound, Antonio reveals his murderous tendencies by threatening the boatswain with hanging if he doesn’t rescue them from peril. The magic that Prospero uses often reveals the character of those whom his spells ensnare. Magic as a way to illuminate the true nature of humanity is a powerful theme in the play. Though, in a work like The Tempest, magic has a deeper social meaning expressed in how and why Prospero wields his magic and in the varying effects of magic on the play. Magic is an essential device in works of fantasy because of the layer of mystery and wonder it provides.
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