Karina Sanchez

Dr.Linda Reesman

April 19, 2020

English 102

The Tempest

In the play “The Tempest” by William Shakespeare the characters in the play all have

different views of the world and society, they all have different backgrounds and social status.

Two characters where you can see extremely different views, would be Prospero and Stehpano’s

views of the world and society. These two characters are in two different circumstances and

different social classes. The play consists of each character bring something different and unique

to the play, that engages the readers to relate to the characters. Prospero plays an important role

in the play as the main character, in the beginning of the play he is anger ruler that is just seeking

revenge on what was taken from him, but as the play continues, we see how his revenge plan

changes. Stephano is also an important asset to the play because he gives the play a little bit of

life by being the comical drunken butler, his character is relatable to many readers because like

many we would all want to be a ruler. Prospero and Stephano should have different perspectives

of society and world due to their backgrounds, social class, and the circumstances that they come

across. Although some people may say they have the same view of the world and society.

Prospero in the beginning of the play is presented as the mysterious main character that is

anger and vengeful of the wrongdoing done to him and his daughter by his own blood brother.

While telling the story of how his brother went against him, he says “Those being all my study,

The government I cast upon my brother And to my state grew stranger, being transported And

rapt in secret studies.” (1.1 92-95), he mentions how his brother had the opportunity to do so,
because he was neglecting his everyday duke matters, due to his secret studies of the use of

magic. Prospero view’s the world as a cruel and unjust due to the life that was taken from him

and his daughter. His view on society, is that everyone should do as he pleases. We could say

that he sees himself as the best and as the ruler of everyone and everything because of his

knowledge of magic. In the play in act three he says, “My high charms work, And these, mine

enemies, are all knit up In their distractions. They now are in my power” (3.3 107-110), this is an

example of how great he feels knowing that he is in control and satisfied that his revenge plan is

working accordingly.

Stephano’s enter the play as the drunken butler that reaches the island after the storm.

Since he is just a simple butler his view of the world is just living one day at a time and just

seizing the opportunities that come his way. We see this when he makes it to the island and the

first person of the island that he meets is Caliban who he fools into believing that he is king. He

uses Caliban's hatred towards Prospero, to conquer a plan to kill Prospero so that he can become

a ruler. He makes him swear allegiance to him by having drink from his cup, when he says “He’s

in his fit now, and does not talk after the wisest. He shall taste of my bottle. If he have never

drunk wine afore, it will go near to remove his fit. If can recover him and keep him tame, I will

not take too much for him. He shall pay for him that hath him and that soundly.” Stephano’s

view of society is a more relatable view for many people that like himself and Caliban have to

follow and do as told by their King. He is an opportunist that would like to take any opportunity

to move up in society but will do it only if the opportunity presents itself unlike Prospero, that is

revenge plan is happening accordingly due to him making it happen with his magic power.

In the play Stephano is put in it to show how he is the opposite of Prospero, like in the article

“Stephano’s Leather Bottle” by Andrew Gurr says that Stephano “exists through the play as a
parodic opposite of Prospero”. In the play Stephano is an asset to the play because the role he

plays which is the parodic opposite of Prospero, which gives us two different views from each

character. When we compare these two characters, we can see how Prospero is a serious man

that by all means necessary is going to achieve his revenge plan against his brother. Though

Stephano may really want to kill Prospero to become king, he is still the drunken butler that on

his way to find Prospero with Caliban and Trinculo he is still drinking and making jokes and

doesn’t really take it serious though it may be something he really wants, the only semi-serious

thing he does in the whole play is when he makes Caliban swear to serve him, like the in article

“Stephano’s Leather Bottle” by Andrew Gurr he says “Stephano, in giving Caliban the bottle,

declares ‘here is that which will give language to you Cat’ echoing Caliban’s charge to Prospero

in the second scene, ‘You taught me Language, and my profit on’t/Is, I know how to curse’. He

orders Caliban to swear allegiance ‘by this Bottle’.”, to Stephano this is semi-serious and to fool

Caliban to drink from his bottle and make himself Caliban’s master.

Prospero relationship to the other characters in the play, is important because he is the

one controlling them and what will happen to them. He is the key person that connects all the all

the characters together, being the one that controls everything that happens to anyone in the play

makes him the most powerful character. Stephano’s relationships to the other characters is

important because he unites Caliban and Trinculo in a plan to kill Prospero. Like in the article

“Stephano’s Leather Bottle” by Andrew Gurr he says “When he discovers Caliban, and the

grumbling servant of Prospero wants him to become his new master, Stephano secures his

allegiance by giving him drink from his bottle”. Stephano wants to secure that Caliban will see

him as his Master and serve him to kill Prospero.

 The play would be different without these two characters because they both give different

aspect, as well as propose to the play. Prospero as the main vengeful character is important

because without him there wouldn’t be a plan of revenge. Without him we wouldn’t have the

key character that connects to all the other characters. Stephano is important as well because he

gives us a few laughs as well as the view of butler’s point of view. With Stephano we get a more

realistic view of society and the world, like most of us middle class and lower class that will

always want to better ourselves and be more than what we are and where we are.

I believe that they have extremely different point of views because they both come from

different social backgrounds and face different issues, because even though they both want to fix

and better situation Prospero has the power of magic to help him do it, unlike Stephano that

relies on a plan he comes up with by using Caliban to help him try and accomplish. Some people

may say that they should share the same point of view because even though Prospero is a duke,

he doesn’t feel like a duke on the island even though he has control over Miranda, Ariel, and

Caliban, he would still do anything to back home. Another reason why they may say that they

both have the same point of view of the world, being unjust is because they are both facing the

same circumstances, Prospero being exiled and left alone with his daughter on the island and

Stephano the drunken butler that has to serve his masters.

In conclusion, Prospero and Stephano have different point of views to many things due to

their circumstances. With Prospero we see the view of someone of a higher social class that is

just seeking revenge and gaining his old life back by any means possible. Stephano gives the

view of just trying to make it one day at time and seizing everyone opportunities that comes his

way.
 Works Cited

Andrew Gurr, Stephano’s Leather Bottle, Notes and Queries, Volume 59, Issue 4, December,

2012, Pages %49-550

Shakespeare, William. The Tempest from The Folger Shakespeare. Ed. Barbara Mowat, Paul

Werstine, Folger Shakespeare Library