Prospero's Forgiveness

I think a lot of people had an issue with how easily Prospero gave up on his revenge and attempted pursuing forgiveness. I can easily see why people would think that Prospero choosing forgiveness was poorly conceived, as Prospero spontaneously chose the path of forgiveness without any insight really being given on why he decided to choose that path. 

I myself went though that exact same thought process until I began to think of Prospero as an actual person, in the real world, rather than a character on a piece of paper. The reason that changed my thoughts on how easily Prospero offered forgiveness is that people  are not rational, even in real life. Sometimes they spontaneously do things or say things that do not fit with how they've been acting or what they've been saying previously. Sometimes you can know a person inside and out and they can find new ways to surprise you, both good and bad. 

Taking that line of thought and applying it to Prospero and I could see that it was certainly possible for him to give up on revenge and pursue forgiveness. He just did something surprising.

Things Prospero Could Have Done With His Magic

I know that by now most of you are thinking that we’re done with The Tempest, and most of you are going to just straight up ignore me, and that’s totally fine. I get that. I understand. Why would anyone want to stay too long on Shakespeare’s last play?

Unfortunately for you all, I am one of those Champion Grudge Holders.

By the end of The Tempest, Prospero has told us all about how he has PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWER, which he has spent at least the last twelve years perfecting the art of, and yet he spends three hours messing around with a few of the people who he wants revenge on, and then promptly decides that that is quite enough revenge, thank you very much. Then he goes on to give up his magic. Just like that. More than twelve years of his life gone in an instant, all in the name of forgiveness. Even if we were to stop and speculate on the idea that Prospero could easily be in the neighborhood of sixty, seventy, eighty years old, that still means that he tosses aside at least an eighth of his life, which seems to be, in the lightest terms I can stand to type and not think of myself as being too kind, “very, very stupid of him to do.”

The thing that really, really makes this decision to be a moment of PHENOMENAL COSMIC STUPID is that there is absolutely nothing that establishes that in order for him to have forgiveness and mercy in his heart for those who have wronged him, he’ll have to give up his magic.

So, because I have more rage in my heart than Prospero has magic left, I’m going to list out a few things that Prospero could have done with his magic after the events of the play. Maybe I’m just cruel. Maybe I just have an irreconcilable hatred for people who wield PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWER and then piss it away on meaningless horsepucky like ‘the greatest magic is friendship and forgiveness’ or ‘hahah! I can level cities or cure plague, I shall move the Pope’s cup!’. If Prospero had any sense in his magical body, he would have done something of consequence with his magic.

In case you’re wondering, yes, this is the Cracked style article-post that details what I hope will be the joint fanfiction project between Alex and I - The Tempest 2: Electric Boogaloo (working title).

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1 - Proven to the World that Magic is Real

We as the audience have already bought into the idea that Prospero is magical, and has magical powers. If nothing else, he has Aeriel. If Prospero’s only magical power was the oddly specific and highly useful ability to get Aeriel out of a tree, he still has that magic and a spirit to do his bidding. This is absolutely huge.

Although The Tempest is set in this nebulous chrono-space where all we know is that an English audience was watching something that was supposed to be happening to Italians from God Knows When, the fact of the matter is that Magic has been a huge part of European history since pretty much the first time someone had a question that no one else had a reasonable answer to, and it was pretty much always a big, bad thing. And yet in spite of this being a big bad thing, no one ever really came forward with a world paradigm shifting display of PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWER.

Prospero could have at least proven to the world that magic is real in one of any number of public displays of HOLY CRAP THIS GUY IS MAGICAL when he got back. He could do something relatively mundane, like turn some water into wine, which would have maybe let the world shift into thinking that maybe magic could be a good thing, because everyone loves wine and most people love biblical references. Serve God by aspiring to emulate him not just in deed or in manner, but in power! Although, thinking about it…

2 - Destroy Some Cities

A lot of people probably wouldn’t be too happy about that idea. Europe did just spend several hundred years hating on little old ladies with funny mushrooms under the pretense of “only God should have the power to do things like that!” so maybe Prospero would need to go on a weird sort of offense-defense combo and prove to the world that magic was real with something a little more terror-inspiring. He’s already shown that he’s more than willing to just mess with some people. Why doesn’t he just put the Vatican to sleep while he invites dignitaries from Florence to come watch him level Venice with an Earthquake?

I mean, hypothetically speaking, that has to be the sort of thing that would make everyone who hears about it completely lose control of their bowels. And for extra doses of Grim-Dark, the whole step of “putting the Vatican to sleep” isn’t just to mess around and make a callback to him putting his daughter to sleep whenever she got annoying - it would resonate with people as a whole thing about God being asleep. There’s no hope for you now, world! God’s mortal agents can do nothing to protect you from this sort of power! At least, they’ve shown no such capability yet. Such fools are they, to think that they can stand before such power as belongs to the mighty Prospero!

3- Raise an Army of the Undead

Even if he just wants to be Duke again, there’s going to be people who aren’t happy with the things that he’s done in the past, like not really be a Duke, and the whole magic thing, so he’s going to need some elite protection. Enter zombies. Prospero claims to have the ability to raise the dead, I say he put up or shut up. Build yourself an army of the damned, Prospero. You’ll need it to fight off all those people who really think of you as a monster for “abusing your power” after levelling Venice with an Earthquake. Hey! That’s where you can get your first wave of zombies! Venice! Such doge, much zombie, so wow.

It gets even more ridiculous when you realize that unless another Mega Wizard like Prospero happened to show up somewhere, the combined forces of the world would march on wherever Prospero damn well pleases to make his new headquarters in those old-timey marching lines. Know what those look like to a Lich King? More zombies!

4- Declare Himself Benevolent Dictator of the World

Sitting upon a throne of skulls at the top of his crystal tower, surrounded on all sides by what remains of every army that dared to stand against him, now his undead slaves, Prospero sits unchallenged. Magic is real, and its consequences upon the world are now known.

Cartographers no longer place Italy on the map. It is a dark and barren place for many years, thought lost. Prospero has delved into the sanctity of his books once more. Many question their faith. What kind God would allow a man like Prospero into this world?

Seven years pass after the last Christian Army falls before Prospero’s might before he makes himself known to the world once more. A roaring tempest whirls across Europe, earthquakes rock Africa, and the rain in Asia seems to not even want to stop.

Then, all at once, these troubles fade into nothing, replaced with the sunshine of a bright new day, and Prospero’s voice echoing throughout the world. “Fear not, for I bring unto you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.”

“No longer will humanity be bound by that which had for so long prescribed our fates, and a new era of joy and peace shall reign throughout the world. I, Prospero, shall lead you.”

5- Actually Use Magic For Good

Or he could skip right to this step and just go about doing things like, curing the plague, teaching people to wash their hands before eating or tending to a patient, and generally being awesome and good with magic. Sure, it’s not as fun to write as its own sequel, but he could have said he was going to do this at the end of The Tempest and it would have still made more sense and effective use of the time he’d spent practicing magic than just saying, “Nope, done, Aeriel, get us home and then you’re free.”

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In Defense of Miranda

I’ve read The Tempest before and it’s actually one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. The Tempest and A Midsummer Night’s Dream are the only plays by Shakespeare I really enjoy, in fact. I don’t know if it’s because of the magical element or if that is just a coincidence, but it’s probably something to think about. Prospero is kind of a jerk and is definitely full of himself, but for a powerful magic user, he sure lets his spirit, Ariel, do most of the work. Honestly, I find him a little bit boring, and Miranda is a much more interesting character (I’ll admit, I’m usually drawn to the women in Shakespeare’s plays, simply because their characters are so far in the background most of the time that I think it’s interesting to figure out what they are thinking when their male companions act like idiots).

It’s strange that not many people seem to want to analyze Miranda. They focus on Prospero, Ferdinand, and even Caliban, but few critics seem to want to look at Miranda at all. I guess it’s because she seems to fit the role Prospero intends for her. She is a dutiful, innocent daughter who falls in love with the first man she sees who isn’t her father or his slave, just as Prospero intends. I think it’s interesting, though, that Prospero uses his books to educate Miranda. She may be under her father’s control, like everyone else, but she has some level of education, as well. Prospero does not allow her to read his magic books, apparently, but she has to know what they are and what he does. It makes me wonder if, when everyone returns to civilization, Miranda will become like her father, absorbing herself in occult knowledge, and become just as powerful as he is.

 Despite Miranda’s position as being under her father’s control, and therefore under the control of male authority, she does speak against him several times, in Act I, scene ii, when she begs her father to stop the tempest, and again in the same scene, beginning around line 467, when Prospero freezes Ferdinand and she begs him to be nicer to him. Miranda may be young and naïve, but based on her ability to protest some of her father’s actions, I don’t believe it’s fair to say that she has no will of her own. Especially considering she lived her entire life on an island, with her only exposure to other people being her father and Caliban, her naivety and devotion to her father, and even the haste with which she falls in love and marries Ferdinand, is understandable.  I believe that with more life experience, and after meeting many new people, Miranda could possibly become a stronger, more independent woman. 

Even if she does not, that does not make her an inherently bad character or a reason for scorn. Miranda’s good traits are plentiful, despite living on a mostly uninhabited island and only having two men who are, basically, complete jerks for company. She is compassionate and loving, two words that would not describe either Prospero or Caliban, and while they are considered feminine traits, neither is bad in any way. Her calm demeanor and gentle innocence are also what calm Prospero’s rage, it seems. Prospero genuinely cares about his daughter and while he has his plan in mind before she protests what she believes is his murder of everyone on the ship, perhaps without her influence, his rage may have been so great that he would have simply killed everyone instead. 

Essentially, Miranda is a much more important character than she may seem to be at first, both in the role she plays as Prospero’s pawn and in her overall character. She may seem to be passive, but in a way, her passivity is exactly what her character, and the other characters, need, and is something that she shows hints of outgrowing even early in the play.

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Prospero's Magical Epiphany

I am not very happy with the way The Tempest ended. I applaud Prospero for forgiving his brother and realizing that he needs to stop using magic. However, I felt like the whole play was leading up to this big plan Prospero had and bam! We get forgiveness instead of a giant magical vengeance.

In act four, Prospero says, "at this hour/lies at my mercy all mine enemies" (291-2). Is it just me or does that not sound like he is going to exact revenge on Alonso and Antonio and everyone with them? Granted, he uses the term "mercy", but I view it more like, "yeah, I could save you if I want to, but nah, I'm good" rather than, "I'm going to forgive you because that's what you deserve." Prospero just seemed so intent on using his magical powers again his brother, which he did, but not to the level I expected him to.

In the last act, it's like he has this epiphany and decides to forgive everyone instead of acting on his first intentions. In the last act, he says, "though with their high wrongs I am struck to th'/quick,/Yet with my nobler reason 'gainst my fury/Do I take part. The rarer action is/In virtue than in vengeance" (32-6). I appreciate that Prospero grows as a person and is able to understand that holding grudges and acting on those grudges does not solve anything, but couldn't he do that AFTER he exacted his major plan? Perhaps it is the dark side of me that wanted a little more magic from good ole Prospero. But at least he got his Dukedom back, right?

Last Thoughts of the Powerful Merlin

Merlin will always be one of the very first "famous" people I think of when I hear the word magic. I know that Harry Potter has changed this greatly for our generation, but everyone always thought of Merlin when they first heard the word magic. This crazy old wackjob throughout the ages has defined magic for years and years.
Merlin is seriously a just a celebrity of the pre-Harry Potter era. It's clear that Harry has taken his lime light but in comparison of the two, Merlin is more powerful. Even though the origin of Merlin's power is forgotten about, let's not forget that both Satan and God game this single human unlimited power (Prose Merlin). Well it was more like Satan's plan backfired, but Merlin was given the power to know the past, present, and future (like the three Fates of Greek Mythology). The "past" part of the deal came from Satan, while the other two were given to Merlin from God. With these powers, he was solely able to choose his own path in life. If he was only given the powers from Satan, there is no doubt that we would all know Merlin for the horrible things rather than the great things. God gave Merlin the chance of freewill, giving him a chance to find a happy median between the two.
Despite what we've read in class, I will always see Merlin as the cooky old man from Disney's version of the The Sword and the Stone. That movie is seriously one of my favorites! After reading the excerpt from The Once and Future King, I can applaud Disney for their accuracy. I'm quite impressed. While I was reading, I could see the movie playing in my head. The Merlin in the story and the movie were very much alike. He wasn't a crazed selfish man who obsessed over nuts in the forest. He was a wise mentor and a friend to Arthur. A very different Merlin than the one in Prose Merlin.
Ultimately, even though I am team Harry Potter, I will always think of Merlin when it comes to magic. He was the wizard celebrity of the ages before the time of the boy who lived.

Mediation Might be Needed for Merlin and Me

          We are moving away from Merlin now. However, before we are to far from him I had a few thoughts on Merlin (the TV show). I watched the first episode and had a mixed reactions. So I decided to watch a few more to get a better picture of the show and... it did not improve for me. I understand that a lot of people like it, and I will admit that there are a few parts I enjoyed (specifically I really liked the character of Gaius)

That's right, don't judge me.

http://images2.fanpop.com/image/photos/9300000/Gaius-gaius-9385045-460-276.jpg

          However, there were a couple of this that really bothered me. It is not that I have a problem with a reinvasioned story, or the telling of a story from a different perspective. The story of a young Merlin, where he is the focus, has potential for me. My problems with the show had to do with some issues and inconsistencies about armor, plot features, and some of the actions taken by characters that don't make since to me. However, that is not what I wanted to talk about, and I will spare you my thoughts on this unless someone specifically wants to hear about them. But that is probably about as likely as....

  

... This... happening again.

http://static.fjcdn.com/pictures/Raptor_d06a0f_1182509.jpg

 



          The thing that I wanted to talk about (which only took me two paragraphs and one shark to get at) is Merlin himself. In the show he struck me as, well... kind of an idiot. He does things that make no since at the time (telling a prince what to do, then after find out he is a prince Merlin continues to mess with him), does not follow simple directions (stay out of trouble and don't do magic in public), and it frequently comes back to bite him (There was one episode were every other scene shows Merlin in the stockades). Yet he really never learns. At first I chalked this up to, well, stupidity. But during our class discussion I had a thought.

 

 

What if "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" is really butter?

http://comp.webstockpro.com/cultura/36sp0331rf.jpg

 

          Many of Merlins actions make little to no sence in his time, some unspecified point in the middle Ages/fantacy world, but they make more sence for a person in our own time. Think about it. Merlin sees a guy forced to carry around a target so Arthur, a man clearly so some significant social status, can throw knives at a moving target. So Merlin, with little to no social status, goes to tell Arthur to lay off the guy. A medieval person would obviously see Arthur in this moment as a jerk (and probably mock him for it later), and they would sympathize with the poor guy Arthur was tormenting. But to go right up to Arthur's face and tell him off in the way Merlin did, was to suppose a kind of egalitarianism that was not widely endorsed at the time (whenever it was). Who is Merlin to talk to Arthur like that, especially after finding out Arthur was a prince.

 

"How dare you think you have the right to point out I am a jerk! Who do you think you are? A person capable of morality and independent thought?! Away with you peasant, before I laser-eye you!"

http://scorpiove.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/vlcsnap-794149.png

 

          However, it makes much more since when you look at Merlin, not as a medieval person, but a person with modern values who happens to be in the Middle Ages. He believes, as we tend to that people should be viewed as equals. Thus Merlin believes that no man should be above the consequences of his actions, no matter the possession he has in society, and so Merlin was willing to stand up for that poor un-named character that Arthur was harassing. In doing so he easily identifies himself as a character that modern audiences can identify with more easily with. Also, by doing this Merlin demonstrates his willingness to stand up for others, again, making it easier for the audience to sympathize with him and rout for him. Thus some of the actions that I previously wrote off as Merlin being stupid, I now see as features that may have been given to him to make Merlin a more relatable and sympathetic character for our own time.

 

Although honestly, can't they give him the hat back? That hat is the cat's pajamas!

http://static.webshopapp.com/shops/002381/files/000418159/carnival-costumes-children-magician-merlin-deluxe.jpg

 

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Final thoughts on Merlin

During class, we started discussing Merlin, and how he has changed throughout the stories we have read as well as his portrayal in the BBC television series. One of the conclusions we came to was that Merlin has lost power and magic throughout time. Perhaps I am alone in thinking this, but I don’t think that he has become any less powerful. I see it more as he is becoming a more rounded character.

Instead of seeing all these stories as separate pieces, try thinking of them as parts of a whole. What we would get is a version of Merlin who is a wide-eyed youth (Merlin, BBC), who becomes a kind elderly chap who takes care of lost kids (sword in the stone), and who is deeply troubled by the loss of his dear friends (Monmouth). When you combine all these stories of Merlin together, you get a more personable character rather than an extreme attribute of a personality. I remember a book I read for fun in high school called…..Magic Inc. Merlin was a background character but he was portrayed as a CEO of the magic industry and looked sharp in a pinstriped suit.

            Unfortunately my need combine things I read or see have now permanently given me the image of Merlin as the ultimate magical being with a pointy hat who can see the future and the past, adorkable in his youth, and can run a company pretty well.

             It is possible that this is a stretch but Merlin is supposed to be immortal, right? And, he is awaiting the return of King Arthur when the world needs him most? Couldn't that be said that even if Merlin is a fictional character, by having him appear in stories and TV shows today, you are keeping Merlin alive?  I know that in a lot of lore from around the world to speak, a name is to give it power, and in some cases it gives it life. Perhaps Merlin’s immortality is dependent on how long people remember him. And if nothing else at least he looks good in a suit. 

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