Compares the characters of the film Prospero's Books with those from Shakespeare's play, The Tempest. Points out the similarities in each as well as the differences.
The Tempest, by William Shakespeare, unleashes the story of Prospero and his magic. The Tempest has been released as both a play and a silver-screen production. The film tells the story of Prosper and is set during the Civil War Era. The play depicts the story of Prospero, and is set during the Shakespearean Era. There are several occurrences of magic in both productions. Many similarities and differences between the magic in the play and the magic in the film can be observed.
Prospero has the ability to perform magic in both the film and the play. He uses the magic for both his good and the well being of others, including his daughter, Miranda, and his slave, Ariel. Yet, he acquires his magic differently in each production. In the play, the source of Prospero's magic is his magic robe and staff. In the movie, Prosper masters his magic from a slave. He recalls, "It was my great fortune to learn from a slave named Azali who showed me a different way to see and live in the world" (The Tempest 1999). Azali teaches Prosper how to create his magic using voodoo, chants, and a mysterious powder.
In both productions, there is a preposterous storm. In both films, Prospero initiates the treacherous storm as revenge against his evil, conniving brother. In the play, Prospero creates the storm as vengeance for his lost title as the Duke of Milan to his perfidious brother, Antonio. The storm is merely a deception of the minds of the fraughting souls of the ship. After evaluating the effects of the storm, Ariel tells Prospero, "Not a hair perished. On their sustaining garments not a blemish, but fresher than before" (Shakespeare 857). Yet, in the movie, Prosper conjures up the storm as revenge for his lost plantation against his brother, Anthony. This storm is deadly. Anthony is attempting to get important information from the Union to the Confederacy across a river. Everyone aboard the boat is thrown overboard. Some people drown.
Ariel is similar in both productions of The Tempest in that he's Prospero's slave and has the ability to use limited powers to perform some aspects of magic. In the silver-screen production of The Tempest, Ariel, who has the ability to morph into a crow, like his mother, initially refuses to learn any of the magic of his mother, Azali, because he feels that her magic killed her. When Anthony tries to shoot and murder Prospero, he puts his limited magic to the test. He tries to save Prosper, but it doesn't seem to work. Suddenly, his deceased mother's image appears in the campfire. She helps her son save Prosper's life. She chants, "Laeva, Lord of Creation, maid and god of Death, my son has honored you by returning when he could have gone free. I command you, heal Gideon Prosper. Heal" (The Tempest 1999). Immediately, Prosper's fatal bullet wound is healed, and all the blood disappears. In the play, Ariel is a spirit. He is invisible, and has the ability to morph into a water nymph and a harpy. He uses his magical voice to wake Gonzalo when the evil Sebastian and Antonio attempt to murder Alonso, a king. He also uses his voice to attract Ferdinand, the king's son, to the island. Miranda and Ferdinand fall in love. On one more occasion, Ariel uses his captivating music to divert Caliban and Stephano from their plans to murder Prospero. Stephano sings, "Flout 'em and scout 'em, and scout 'em and flout 'em! Thought is free" (Shakespeare 898). The invisible Ariel plays this tune on his drum and pipe and scares the two conspirators out of their wits. In Act 4, Scene 1, Prospero and Ariel use their magic to torture Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo. They set off spirits on the three drunkards. The spirits pinch and torture the three fools.
In both productions, Prospero uses his magic to inflict agony upon a lower being he abhors. In both the play and the movie, Prospero unrightfully seizes land from these beings. In both features, the being that Prospero dislikes is smelly, ugly, feeble-minded, and shows kindling interest for his beloved daughter, Miranda. In the play, Prospero detests his slave, Caliban. Caliban is the son of an evil witch named Sycorax. He is part man, part fish. Prospero is very opprobrious and inequitable towards his slave. Caliban declares to Prospero "This land's mine by Sycorax my mother, which thou takest from me" (Shakespeare 860). Prospero has stolen Caliban's inherited land for his own benefit and made Caliban his slave. Whenever Caliban disobeys him, Prospero uses his magic to inflict pain upon him. On one occasion, Prospero declares, "For this, be sure, tonight thou shalt have cramps, side-stitches that shall pen thy breath up; urchins shall, for the vast of night that they may work, all exercise on thee; thou shalt be pinched as thick as honeycomb, each pinch more stinging than bees that made 'em" (Shakespeare 860). In the movie, Prosper shows some dislike towards the slow-witted, Gator-Man. Gator is madly in love with Prospero's daughter. When Miranda visits his house one day, his urges overtake him. Prosper adheres witness to this and uses his magic to inflict pain on the poor, dumb soul. He conjures up his thaumaturgies and makes a tree grab Gator by the arm and slam him violently to the ground. When Gator is at camp with Anthony, he dreams about Miranda. He sees her bathing in the river and jumps in after her. All of a sudden, Miranda turns around and transforms into Prosper. Gator is still in the river when he awakens. On another occasion, Prosper uses his magic to make Gator look very foolish in front of the Confederate army. He creates a hallucination of a Union battalion. The foolish Gator wants to prove to the rebels that it's just a vision they're seeing. He runs up to the front lines, and suddenly feels a pain in his arm as though he is being shot. Frederick, Miranda's love, has been changed into an old man by Prosper and is sitting in a tree with a voodoo doll. He is inflicting the pain upon Gator by using Prosper's magic.
Similarities can be viewed as to what Prospero did with his magic at the end of both productions. At the end of both productions, Prospero rids himself of his magic. He has his brother punished for his misdeeds. He gives up his stolen land to the rightful owners. In the theatrical feature, Prospero gives up his magic robe. He says, "Now all my charms are all o'erthrown, and what strength I have's mine own, which is most faint" (Shakespeare 928). In the motion picture, Prosper drops his magic ring in the river and pours out his magical powder. He quotes, "Now my charms are all thrown. What strength I have is mine own. I suppose it will have to be enough" (The Tempest 1999).
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