Okay, brace yourselves for this one. Are you seated? Here’s my latest discovery: I think Prospero is a very complex character. Shocking, right?

I’ve been going through the text, paying much attention to the verse. It seems obvious that the way a thing is said can affect the meaning – it can give context clues, for example. In analyzing things that are written in verse, though, there’s another layer of meaning. The rhythm of a speech can give clues as well. More on this in a minute, because I’m going through my weekend of “discoveries” in chronological order.

I’ve mentioned that Prospero seems very self-centered and appears to have a need to dominate. Keeping that in mind as I was working through the rest of the text, I came across one passage that I thought unlocked everything. Once Ferdinand and Miranda meet, Prospero says, in an aside, “The Duke of Milan / And his more braver daughter could control thee / IF NOW ‘TWERE FIT TO DO’T.” Well, that’s it, I thought. That’s the plan – all of the action of the play is set up so that Prospero can control Ferdinand, and by extension, Naples AND Milan. Perhaps the profit which Prospero has made as Miranda’s schoolmaster involved reading The Prince, and so on… But, after more reflection, I don’t think it’s that simple, because I believe Prospero really does love Miranda. She’s more than a tool to be used to dominate others.  When Prospero turns his attention from the brace of lords after the illusory feast appears to them, and turns his attention back to the young lovers, he says, “and in these fits I leave them, while I visit / Young Ferdinand, whom they suppose is drown'd, / And his AND MINE LOVED darling.” This last line could have been written, “and his beloved darling,” and would scan in perfect iambic, as the previous two lines do. As it is, I read it as, “and HIS and MINE LOVed DARling.” Whether or not the –ed at the end of Loved is sounded, I think you still have “mine” and “loved” together, both stressed, after several lines of regular verse - to me, that says so much. Serious emphasis is being placed on Prospero's love for Miranda in this passage.

Much more work to do.