Topic > Prosperous as a Renaissance man in Shakespeare's Tempest...

The reader can also see the qualities of a Renaissance man that allow him to control people and situations using his physical and social skills. Physically, Prospero is nearly omnipotent and his servants, Ariel and Caliban, fear him. However, this fear is not only due to his physical qualities, but also to his expertise as a magician. The relationships Prospero has with Alonso and Antonio, both of whom had conspired against him, best portray his social faculties. When Prospero meets Gonzalo, Antonio and Sebastiano, he issues a warning to Antonio and Sebastiano, who want to kill Alonso, threatening to denounce them as traitors, but stating that for now he will not do so (VI 129-131). This text illustrates that Prospero has control over both Antonio and Sebastian with this simple warning and can bend them to his will. Following this meeting, Prospero meets Alonso. As they talk about the future, Prospero says that in the morning he will take his ship and sail to Naples, where he hopes to see his daughter married to Ferdinand (VI 323-325). Prospero has every right to hold a grudge against Antonio and Alonso, considering that they both wronged him, but he chooses not to take revenge. Instead he takes matters into his own hands by declaring that he wishes his daughter to marry the Prince of Naples. The strategy used by Prospero allows him to obtain an advantageous result