Parallels Of Faustus and Prosperos Use Of Magic

During my reading I noticed that just like Faustus, Prospero used his magic to just mess with the lives of others. Neither man used their magic to the fullest of their abilities. Faustus used his magic as we all know to purely mess with others. Like when he ate all that guys hay and what not. But Prospero is kind of doing the same thing here. He came to this island and enslaved the only other person (Caliban) on the island.. A person that was trying to help him survive and learn everything about the island and what it had to offer.. He constantly tortures Caliban for cursing and not doing his chores fast enough, when in all honesty Prospero could probably do all of these chores with a whoosh of his cloak. In Act 2 Scene 2 Caliban is verbalizing his anger for Prospero while collecting wood. When Caliban sees Trinculo he is so afraid that he cowers under his cloak believing Trinculo to be one of Prosperos spirits come to "torment" him. Both men could be using their magic to better others lives or their own, but instead use their magic to be obnoxiously cruel to others for their own personal gain.

Same Energy

I feel like if Prospero lived in the 2000's this song would be what he would have listened to when he and Miranda were set adrift. The song is about someone who's friend ditches them so they could be cool and being told they're an idiot. Similar to how Antonio took power from Prospero so that Antonio could be Duke of Milan and become more powerfull.

Prospero Just Can't Wait to be K̶i̶n̶g̶ Duke!

OK so I know this is ironic but bear (ha) with me. This song reminds me of Prospero because he wants to be king duke again and uses and abuses Ariel and to an extent his daughter to get his revenge. Scar wants to be king and plots revenge with the hyenas (what could go wrong?). And for those who don't get it, Lion King is the poor man's Hamlet so...connections connections. Anyway this song is what Prospero sings in the shower when he's getting ready to kill Antonio or whatever. This can also apply to Antonio and his plan to become king through assassination (sorry for the last minute addition).

Ariel = Big Smoke Monster from Lost?

Ariel is sorta like the big smoke monster from the show Lost, but in a more convenient way for the people on the island. Like the smoke monster, Ariel was on the island before everyone showed up and possesses magical powers. Even though Ariel isn't going around dragging people and killing them like the smoke monster, he still has a big impact on the island. Like the smoke monster he uses his power to control the people on the island. The smoke monster would take form of dead people to manipulate people on Lost or just take the form of smoke and drag people around, but the smoke monster wasn't a slave to anyone. Ariel takes the form of the harpy he calls out all the people and their wrong doings, giving them a chance to seek some help or do something instead of just killing them. Which makes me think that if Ariel was not a slave to Prospero he might've acted in the way the smoke monster did, possibly just killing all the people plotting to kill and betray one another, or just killing everyone when they got on the island. But Ariel could've been super chill without Prospero and just helped people off of the island if they ever got stuck. 

Magic or Morals

The use of manipulation and deception seems to be a bigger theme than the magic itself. People without magic are able to deceive others and persuade for example to kill ones own brother. These characters morals and personalities can also be seen through their interpretations of the island. Their perception is their reality and also a good indication of who they are as a person. 

Breaking the News to Prospero

Ariel appears to Prospero who is just sitting around

Ariel: Hey, so I may have heard some things.

Prospero: What do you mean?

Ariel: So I put the king and his men to sleep but left his brother, Sebastian, and your brother, Antonio, awake. It seems like Antonio is trying to murder the king and blame Gonzalo...basically he is trying to get Sebastian the throne.

Prospero: Looking at the ground and shaking his head Ugh my brother is up to his old habits. Has he not learned his lesson yet? Quick go awaken Gonzalo with whispers of the threat that is against the king.

Ariel disappears again.

Prospero: This day cannot get any worse they are going to ruin my plan.

A few minutes later Ariel reappears with a look of nervousness on his face

Ariel: So ugh got more bad news. Heard some more stuff. Seems like someone is planning to murder YOU now.

Prospero: HOW? I have shipwrecked them here using a storm. No one is aware that I live here or that anyone lives here for that matter. Who? Who is trying to kill me?

Ariel: Not anymore. There are two men who shipwrecked with the king on their way to murder you while you sleep. They found Caliban and he recommitted himself to be the ones servant if he murders you and takes control of the island.

Prospero: Can a man not just take his afternoon nap!? Its tiring sinking a ship and conducting a master plan. I am going to be cranky for the rest of the day now.

Couldn't he just kill them?

If Prospero has all of Ariel's powers at his disposal, why are the tasks he asks Ariel to carry out for him so small? Why put people to sleep to eavesdrop on your enemies' conversation, play mysterious music here and there, mimic voices to cause drama in a group, and threaten enemies in the form of a harpy? Why is that the lead-up to the perfect revenge plan? Wouldn't it be easier for Prospero to get his vengeance simply by killing his brother? Or maybe just stealing the boat and stranding him on the island? But, no. That would make too much sense.

Colonization?

Prospero's Values

At some point in the reading, I came to the realization that Prospero is one of, if not the first fictional characters that we've learned about that actually has some sort of support system: Family. This being said, I think because Prospero has family it changes what he values and how he uses his "magic". Family is such an important value to hold, it means that a persons not alone, they have someone to rely on and relate to. I think family can completely change your objective, you have someone looking up to you and even relying on you too. Prospero having better values than some of the the main characters we have read about before makes him a little more relatable and realistic to me. He doesn't seem like some far out, power maniac, he seems like a person.

Antonio + Sebastian or Abbott + Costello?

I really enjoy Shakespeare's tragedies but never had really but never had been able to get into his comedies much, until now. I love the way the first part of Act II flows. It's very syncopated and rhythmic. Looking at Lines 35-50, Sebastian, Antonio, and Gonzalo just hit each other with one liner after one liner. It actually reminded me of the famous Who's on First Routine by Abbott + Costello. I'm sure for Abbott + Costello, this took a lot of practice to nail down the timing and delivery, so the fact that Shakespeare was able to write it, and actually put it on paper, seems really impressive to me, because I can't imagine writing one liners is easy! When I was reading this, I actually read it as quickly as Abbott + Costello do their routine, which made it even more entertaining to me! Whether Shakespeare intended that or not, I found it really enjoyable.