Cock-A-Diddle-Dow

Prospero, though infused with unfathomable powers of sorcery, seeks absolute sovereignty over his sparsely populated island. In accomplishing this supremacy, his most favored and effective technique consists of ruthlessly preying on the dependence of those around him.  Because Prospero has been the sole figure of authority and knowledge in their lives, the others are forced to rely on him out of necessity, a sense of indebtedness, and the fact that this way of living is all they have ever known- and Prospero revels in the opportunity to take advantage of this. For example, Prospero begins to manipulate Miranda, first by defending his actions on the grounds of his love and devotion to her, “I have done nothing but in care of thee, of thee my dear on,” (Act I Scene II). He then proceeds to capture her attention with suspense and intrigue, and thus the trap has been set for him to elaborate in full on the narrative of his tragic history. Innocent, unsuspecting Miranda drinks in his poignant recollection of Antonio’s jealous deceit and betrayal, of their own miraculous survival, and of the noble and priceless schooling Miranda has received. Additionally, to maintain his superior position over the enslaved Ariel, Prospero constantly reminds her of, “the foul witch Sycorax,” under whose horrific authority Ariel stayed until her death, and that it was him, “when arrived and heard thee, that made gape the pine, and let thee out.” Because of this, Ariel feels she owes her service to this man whose rule, though only slightly more bearable than Sycorax’s, is her daily sustenance. She, like the naïve Miranda, is also taken into a false sense of security and hope by Prospero’s meaningless promises that after however many days doing whatever tasks, he will, “discharge thee.” Unfortunately, Prospero’s influence is not complete, as he requires it to encompass every living creature in his vicinity. Caliban, the, “abhorred slave,” is enslaved as well under Prospero’s merciless rule. Though, being, “not honour’d with a human shape,” (Act I, Scene II). Caliban is considered even more inferior and undeserving of human sympathies. Caliban remembers his childhood, the time when he was most impressionable, as a period of tender interactions between himself and Prospero, who instantly became a father figure in his life. However, all tenderness has vanished and now been replaced with biting hatred and resent, as Prospero imprisons him within a miniscule perimeter, and forces him to bend to their every whim through violent threats of physical harm, attempts at igniting guilt upon recollecting all that he did for him, and relentless insults and forcefully degrading speeches that have become a sort of ever present mantra that even Miranda engages in. In this way, Prospero utilizes the power of a single story being established as absolute truth to manipulate the emotions, desires, and actions of others and to maintain his tyrannical control over the “subjects” in his limited “kingdom.”