I Have Me, But I Am Not Me

French theorist Guy Debord once said, “Behind the masks of total choice, different forms of the same alienation confront each other.” Through characterization, syntax, and imagery, William Shakespeare’s The Tempest callously demonstrates that an individual who is alienated from society and power will futilely attempt to re-connect to society and their previously-known power.

William Shakespeare expertly employs direct characterization in his portrayal of Prospero to elucidate Prospero’s alienation and desperation to return to his previous power. When Prospero tells his daughter, Miranda, of the wrongs he suffered so many years ago, he states, “… he was/ The ivy which had hid my princely trunk/ and sucked my verdure out” (Shakespeare I, II 85-88). In speaking with such venom, Prospero shows his anger over losing his power, and his desperation to get it back. He specifically blames one person (His brother, Antonio), and quite obviously sets the stage for some sort of plan, which ensues as the play proceeds. Because Prospero so vehemently desires power, he consequently becomes very dangerous. When speaking to, (or rather, threatening) his slave Ariel, Prospero declares, “If thou more murmur’st, I will rend an oak/ And peg thee in his knotty entrails till/ Thou hast howled away twelve winters” (Shakespeare I, II 294-296). Ariel really didn’t do anything to warrant such a threat, and yet Prospero sees to it that if his exact orders aren’t followed, he will not hesitate to carry out a punishment. Prospero doesn’t care whether or not people are hurt, scared, or otherwise harmed during his plot to regain power, as long as his end is met. In this, he is possibly the most dangerous and terrifying monster any character from the play could encounter during their stint on the island. Prospero is the monster to end all monsters. Thus, through direct characterization, Shakespeare establishes an individual alienated from power will proceed to become dangerous in his quest to regain power.

Because Prospero feels the need to do anything in his power to regain status and subvert his alienation from so many years ago, he proceeds to use the most valuable asset he has: his cunning. Shakespeare exposes this cunning through equally cunning use of syntax through punctuation. Whilst Prospero is plotting, he uses his slave Ariel most cunningly, and quite often. While planning a trick to further the wedding plans between Ferdinand and Miranda, Prospero tells Ariel, “I must use you/ In such another trick,” thus stating clearly his deceit (Shakespeare IV, I 36-37). The lack of punctuation in the statement demonstrates a clear and simple understanding of the implications of his actions. He knows that he deceives the King, his brother, and even his own daughter. Since Prospero has reduced himself to straight manipulation in order to reach his endpoint, he stops at nothing, deceiving even his own blood. As he observes Ferdinand and Miranda falling in love, he slyly states, “… this swift/ Business I must uneasy make, lest too light winning/ Make the prize light” (Shakespeare I, II 448-450). Prospero, so caught up in his desperation to regain power, will not even stop at deceiving his family. At a time when family was very important to not only the people of England, but people all over the Western world, this is shocking. In his quest to return from alienation, he alienates himself from the only support he has (as demonstrated from the use of comma, as if to try to regain structure where it is slipping away), and begins to lose himself. Thus, through punctuation in syntax, Shakespeare demonstrates the beginning of a loss of self as a result of alienation.

As a direct result of allowing himself to lose his closest support, Prospero experiences a loss of self, finally demonstrating that alienation from power drives the individual to attempt (unsuccessfully) to regain that power. This is done through selective word choice on Mr. Shakespeare’s part. The first aspect of Prospero is one of loving, doting even, over his daughter, as shown when he says, “O, a cherubin/ Thou wast that did preserve me” (Shakespeare I, II 152-153). He clearly loves his daughter, and would do anything for her. This is his first “face,” if you will. He calls her a “cherubin,” a noun which has a connotation of love, and happiness. Having her trust, he is happy. Because he essentially loses her, through such deceit (in his own mind, maybe not in hers), he becomes a completely different person. In his epilogue, he states, “my project fails, / which was to please… /and my ending is despair” (Shakespeare epilogue 13-15). Using the words “fails” and “despair” Prospero clearly shows his loss of self. Though he achieved his end, he no longer lives an honest life (as he asked those who wronged him to do). He is, for all intent and purpose, a completely different man, lost. In this, his final statement, we see the difference between the loving man from the first act and the angry, vengeful one from the end. Truly, he loses himself, his daughter, and his purpose in his attempt to return from alienation. Thus, with imagery through word choice, Shakespeare demonstrates that a successful return from alienation does not come without cost.

Finally, Shakespeare uses characterization, syntax, and imagery to demonstrate that though man is often alienated and attempts to return to the state previous to alienation, often the person loses himself in the process. The process to return from an alienated state is long and requires a person to do things they may not do in an ordinary situation. Thus, the man attempting to become “un-alienated,” if you will, is not the same in his return.

So, I leave you with this parting thought: is it not better to remain alienated with a person or group who loves you and will always stand with you than it is to attempt to regain a past state, but in the process lose the core of who you are, and become someone who would be less-than-liked, despised, even (a monster, if you will)? Is it not better to retain who you are than to prove something to someone else, just for the sake of making a point?