A variant of Prospero, Prospero arguably serves as the primary manipulative authority throughout Shakespeare's drama The Tempest. Through a postcolonial reading of the text, one can discern that The Tempest is riddled with indigenous characters, forced servitude, language assimilation, and ultimately Prospero's own construction of the characters' fates. Summoning the storm itself in order to marry off his daughter, Miranda, and reclaim his lost power, Prospero aims to construct the play's outcomes by repeatedly manipulating those around him. Often referring to his "art", Shakespeare's ambiguity leaves the reader wondering what, or who, Prospero's "art" actually is. Throughout The Tempest, Shakespeare constantly questions both the source and legitimacy of Prospero's powers. Through his manipulations of denotations in Prospero's dialogue, Shakespeare subtly reveals that Prospero's art is nothing more than a carefully constructed illusion of power, simultaneously undermining his authority in the text and characterizing him as the hegemon colonial par excellence desperate for power. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get an original essay The ambiguous nature of Prospero's art is referenced several times throughout the play by the secondary characters and by Prospero himself itself, thus reinforcing its relevance as a major speculative subject. of work. In a rather manipulative moment in the text where Prospero seduces Ferdinand into loving the island and his daughter, he begins his proclamation: “Spirits, who by my art” (IV.i.120). Responding to Ferdinand's fear and question of whether the spirits are indeed present, Prospero chooses to grandly emphasize his own powers over them. By using the term “art” – something considered a skill often the product of knowledge or practice – Shakespeare demonstrates to Ferdinand and the reader that spirits and the supernatural come from Prospero's efforts. By repeatedly highlighting diction that denotes individual skill and value, Shakespeare creates a picture of Prospero's narcissism. By constructing a man of such valiant and experienced character, he also alludes to the manipulative language that Prospero uses when speaking to other characters. Prospero not only proclaims the existence of art, but also makes a point of calling it “my art.” The presence of this possessive diction reflects the ownership and ownership Prospero claims over the art, further grounding it as something unique to his character and abilities. By so clearly asserting his free will and skill over the supernatural, Prospero positions himself as authoritative and all-knowing to those around him. This rather arrogant insistence on his own power reinforces his status as hegemon of the island, as he implores the other characters that he undoubtedly controls magic that they cannot even begin to understand. While the "art" immediately illustrates Prospero's power, Shakespeare's surrounding diction conversely helps to undermine his assertion of authority. The spirit entities themselves diminish Prospero's claims to domination. By beginning Prospero's response to Ferdinand with the subject "Spirits," Shakespeare elicits an interrogative ambiguity that suggests two meanings of the word. Arguably the two most influential interpretations of the term "spirits" contrast sharply: one suggests that the term denotes a temporary separation of the immaterial and material parts of the human being whilethe other explains it as an entity distinct from anything physical or material. Thus, this leads to the question of whether the spirits are immaterial extensions of Prospero himself or fully autonomous, unaffiliated beings. By choosing such ambiguous diction as the subject of the dialogue, Prospero's power and control over his art is eroded by both the presence of spirits; Shakespeare plants the seed that art is most likely an entirely separate entity from Prospero. As the dialogue continues, Prospero asserts forcefully, and rather manipulatively, his control over the spirits. However, the image of control over minds that is revealed in the next two lines separates Prospero from the source of power, revealing instead his goal to take and control "art." Shakespeare continues Prospero's response by writing: "From their limits I was called to act/My present fancies" (IV.i.121-122). The asserted possession that “to have” means, for Prospero’s orders to the spirits, implies one’s strength and control over the situation. However, the ambiguity about the source of power extends even further when we recognize a familiar use of “to have”: an act of deception or trickery. This interpretation of Shakespeare's diction gives rise to a direct reference to Prospero's projects. The subtle use of this lesser-known colloquialism undermines Prospero's assertive control over "art", instead conveying his manipulative hoax in the quest for power. Additionally, the use of “called” reflects a scene of Prospero commanding the spirits with force and authority. This image of active control explains Prospero's role as the dominator of the play. By demanding action from the spirits, he proclaims his authority over the other inhabitants of the island and positions himself as a slave to what is undoubtedly their “art”. Shakespeare's description of the "boundaries" within which minds are kept reinforces Prospero's characterization. as the colonial ruler in the play. Denoting “confines” as an enclosure or limitation of boundaries – or even borders – Shakespeare's precise choice of this diction isolates minds from the physical island. By distancing them and their powers from the material world, Shakespeare reveals that spirits are distant essences through the image of their limitations. Not only does this corrode Prospero's connection to "art" by physically detaching him from the earth, but it also characterizes him as a manipulative authority bent on control. Already confined within the confines of an island, the characters in Shakespeare's play are confined by the natural boundaries of the landscape. Prospero's assertion of further "boundaries" of the mind, beyond the simple geography of the island, illustrates his desire to expand the boundaries for those around him, firmly distinguishing him as the colonial authority of the text. This assertion of domination and restriction over the spirits' habitat solidifies Prospero as an aggressor and further distances him—via physical boundaries—from an art he claims as his own. Toward the end of Prospero's brief dialogue with Ferdinand, Shakespeare very clearly dismantles the notion of Prospero as the complete wielder of power. Proclaiming that the Spirits are present to "implement/[his] present fancies" (IV.i.121-122), Prospero's error of the verb "to implement" highlights the spirits as actors of art. Considered a performance, the verbiage acclaims the spirits rather than Prospero himself. This use of "enact" demonstrates Prospero's role as manipulator rather than owner of art. Furthermore, ending his dialogue with the notion of his “fantasies” indicates that acts of magic are only fantasies of the.