Does the end justify the means? People have been asking this question since the dawn of time, but often can't find an answer. The Tempest is about deception and manipulation of the truth, but ends with a morally clear message. Prospero is the witch-king of the island where the drama takes place; throughout the play he manipulates the characters through language and deception. However, this does not mean that Prospero is a malevolent force. Indeed, Shakespeare demonstrates that Prospero's sense of justice is the right one with several key scenes in the play. This creates a paradox: if one must lie to achieve one's goals, but one's goals are noble in nature, is this acceptable? This essay will demonstrate that Prospero's manipulation of truth and facts leads to an interpretation of justice that Shakespeare believed in, an interpretation of mercy. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay It could be argued that any manipulation of truth leads to a false sense of justice. If justice is an inherently “good” concept and lying is an inherently “bad” concept, then there should never be a combination of the two. Shakespeare, however, demonstrates how this is an error that cannot exist in the real world. By siding with Prospero, Shakespeare demonstrates that achieving what is “right” does not happen in black and white, but rather in a much broader spectrum. The audience is almost immediately led to be suspicious of Prospero's motives at the beginning of the play. One of the most telling early scenes is when he berates Caliban, right after the two characters are introduced. What the public knows about Caliban is only what has been said so far on stage and what he looks like. Therefore, when it is learned that Caliban was the original inhabitant of the island, some of Prospero say that he is doubted. Especially when Caliban states “and then I loved you, and I showed you all the qualities of the island… Cursed be what I have done” (1.2 336-339). Caliban's claim that he loved Prospero creates doubt in the audience's mind. Love is well known to be one of the strongest emotions and whenever it is brought into play, it involves an implicit level of trust. So the fact that Caliban trusted Prospero in the past now indicates a somewhat unreliable narrative. Even though Caliban attempted to rape Prospero's daughter Miranda, his words have already been spoken. Although Caliban is clearly a despicable character, the implication is that at one point he was almost part of the family, which makes it doubtful, even though Prospero is the more sympathetic character after their exchange due to of Caliban's harsh language and insolence. This is also emphasized by Prospero's language. When he talks to Miranda, he says things like "Wake up, dear heart, wake up." You slept well” (1.2 301-302). However, when he addresses Caliban, his tone changes completely: “You, poisonous slave, caught by the devil himself, on your wicked mother, come out” (1.2 319-320). This juxtaposition of tones demonstrates that Prospero has several facets. At one moment he can be loving and kind, at another moment cruel. By showing that he has an ability for both, Prospero makes himself unreliable at the beginning of the story. However, Prospero is not the only unreliable character in the story. While Shakespeare ultimately asserts that Prospero's sense of justice is the right one, he must demonstrate that the other characters are wrong. He does it through Antonioand Sébastien, two lords who participated in the shipwreck. The characters of Antonio and Sebastian are classic Shakespearean villains. They are undoubtedly evil and malicious, but they are also incompetent. This is evident in Antonio's attempt to get Sebastian to kill his brother Alonso and take back his kingdom. While they debate whether to kill Alonso and Councilor Gonzalo, Prospero rescues Ariel through his mind. When the whole group wakes up and sees Antonio and Sébastien with their swords drawn, they obviously have some questions, to which Sébastien answers: “We heard a hollow roar, like bulls, or rather lions, didn't you? he not awake? (2.1 308-309). Sebastian's attempt to create a lie presents two ideas. Firstly, it shows what incompetent characters Antonio and Sebastian are, by making up a ridiculous lie. After spending hours on the island and recording no signs of animals as large as bulls or lions, this seems unlikely. Not to mention they had just gone to Africa, which is the home of lions, not an island in the Mediterranean. Second, it deepens the theme of information control. Since Antonio is the de facto leader of the party, the others must defer to him. He, and then Sébastien, are able to control how others perceive the island through their lies. This, along with their constant insults towards Gonzalo, allows the audience to see how information and lies can work both ways. Although the audience can see what the two main characters (Prospero and Antonio) have said questionable things thus far, their effects are largely different. Prospero seems to have the right to demean Caliban after learning of the attempted rape. However, Antonio seeks nothing but power and uses his lies to help only himself. This dynamic allows the audience to later conclude that Prospero is the harmless character he appears to be and Antonio is the villain. The third act represents a turning point in the novel, the love interests finally come together and Prospero is able to exact revenge on those who wronged him. Shakespeare continues with the theme of information control in all three scenes. In the first scene, Miranda and Ferdinand, Alonso's son, speak to each other for the second time and declare their love for each other. While they think they are alone, Prospero is there, invisible. This leads to a dilemma, because if Miranda and Ferdinand truly love each other, why does Prospero need to be there to confirm it? Although his intentions are entirely sweet: "So happy in this that I cannot be, who are equally surprised, but my joy in nothing can be greater" (3.1 93-95), Prospero is still there, controlling the situation. He expected Miranda to go to Ferdinand and watch to make sure everything was going well, which it was. This continues with how Shakespeare sides with Prospero's side of the story. Even though Prospero does something morally questionable, the result is good, something that is repeated throughout the play. This pattern of ambiguous morality leading to favorable outcomes for Prospero continually reinforces to the audience that Prospero is the hero of the play. Conversely, Caliban attempts to humanize himself with a speech about the wonders of the island: "Do not be afraid, the island is full of noises... which give pleasure and do not hurt... and then dreaming , the clouds I thought would open and show riches. …that when I awoke, I cried to dream again” (3.2 133-141). Caliban's monologue about the wonders of the island shows him in a different light than seen..