Prosperos Mistakes in The Tempest - Essay Example

Prospero's Mistakes in 'The Tempest' by William Shakespeare, 1611 Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan was a strange mixtureof human nature. He was a powerful, manipulative magician, a loving father, kind, but often bad tempered and controlling. In reality, he just wanted his life back, to see his child happy and to forgive those who had wronged him. The story of his leadership mistakes was told during the shipwreck that brought his enemies into his hands, when he finally sat down with Miranda to explain the past. His 'blind spot' is about his love and trust in his brother Antonio. He handed the running of his business over to him completely and was betrayed. "and my trust, Like a good parent, did beget of him A falsehood in its contrary as great As my trust was, which had indeed no limit.." (Act 1, Sc. 2, v. 93-96) He admitted to wrapping himself up in his studies, so that Antonio, in taking on the Duke's role, actually began to believe he was the rightful duke and that Prospero was incapable of ruling. Prospero seemed unaware of the idea that power can corrupt, as it did with Antonio. His brotherly love and trust blinded him to his brother's faults and actions until it was too late. He was complacent in his belief that his deputy and his team would always be there for him. But he did nothing to keep their loyalty or to lead that team. Antonio was greedy, ambitious and ruthless, using the King of Naples, Prospero's enemy, to help throw his brother and niece into exile. He loved power and looked for more. This showed on the island, when he plotted with Sebastian to kill old Gonzalo, who loved Prospero and stood in his way of taking over Naples. "Draw together; And when I rear my hand, do you the like, To fall it on Gonzalo." (Act2, Sc. 1, v.295-297) He had no conscience, just a love for power and wealth, and would stop at nothing to get them. Prospero did not see these traits and he let go of the reins and lost. In exile, Prospero changed, he was forced to examine the situation and find the resources in himself and his environment in order to survive. He taught Miranda, and Caliban the monster, but always controlled them. Ariel, his spirit helper, might be seen as his deputy, but Prospero gave the orders, checked progress and examined the results of every activity with discussion and consultation. He took charge of an alien world and managed it so as to reach the desired outcomes. He no longer took anything on trust, but set tests and conditions, and gave explanations. As in the case of Ferdinand's love for Miranda; he tested him before giving consent to a betrothal. "I tender to thy hand. All thy vexations Were but trials of thy love," (Act 4, Sc.1, v. 5-6) His experiences in life had not made him bitter, he learned a great deal on the magic island away from the real world. But he wanted to be back in business, taking up his rightful role as the Duke of Milan. To do this, Prospero understood the need to show who was in charge, but at the same time, to put the past behind him and offer forgiveness. His management skills had developed to a point where he was capable of organizing everybody and everything to his satisfaction, in order to achieve the final result that he wanted, but with no hard feelings. He showed how he felt about it when he said: "Yet with my nobler reason 'gainst my fury Do I take part: the rarer action is In virtue than in vengeance;" (Act 5, Sc.1, v.25-28) In the end, Prospero had power as himself, without spirits or magic, having kept his word and set Ariel free. By forgiving his enemies, he showed himself to be a stronger leader than when he landed in exile. He had learned never to take anything or any person at face value, to look at people's characters and motives and to always maintain control. And finally, to move forward and work together. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. 1611. The Tempest. Penguin Shakespeare, Penguin Books London, New York. 2005. Name: Tutor: Class: Date: The Best Shakespearean Supervisor Looking again at the leadership skills, characters and personalities of the four people, Portia, Vincentio, Henry and Prospero, I can see that all of them had some good qualities that would fit well with the role of supervisor. My first thoughts were that it was a difficult choice for me between Portia and Henry. Portia has a lot of appeal from a female point of view, but the final choice has to be Henry. The others best supervisory skills were in their motivation, they wanted everything to work out well for all concerned, and both Prospero and Vincentio did the best they could in difficult circumstances. The reasons for taking them out of the picture are around the trickery and dishonesty they used in order to achieve goals. Though both showed that they wanted everyone to have justice and mercy and to be happy, they also stood outside of it all. They took a controlling and manipulative stand, that could, in a work situation, make people feel used and mistrustful, creating resentment in the staff. That would result in a less happy team and maybe less cooperation. Portia was realistic and inventive, but had to become like a man to be heard and get results. This is something women could relate to. She was intelligent, fair and resourceful and looked for a good solution for everyone. I have no doubt she would support her staff and be loyal to everybody, but I think she might be too much of a 'boss' and too focused on the task, rather than the whole team and the individuals in it. Henry is the first choice because he accepted a big challenge, rose to it and brought everybody on board. He managed to get the funds to carry out his task, so had great negotiating skills. He had a vision, he sold it to his backers and his team and showed them how much they mattered. He was a good listener, a clever and far-sighted leader and very decisive. He inspired confidence because of his strong, charismatic personality and he shared the bigger picture with everybody because he was a great communicator on every level. Working with Henry as a supervisor would mean that staff would be comfortable in approaching him, knowing he would listen to ideas and concerns and act on them, recognizing their value. Even though he had set the goals, staff input would be treated as important. Henry's authority would never be in doubt, but he would always treat people as equals, all in the same boat, working for the same positive results. I believe that he would not make a distinction between the highest and the lowest, he would recognize that the skills of everybody were important to the working of the whole operation. If disputes occurred, Henry would be an impartial and unemotional decision-maker. He would be willing to accept that not everybody thought as he did, so would try to influence them to see the best way forward. But he would never allow underhand or sneaky practices to go unnoticed or unpunished. To some, this might seem ruthless, but he would ensure that everyone saw the need to remove those people not willing to work together; a team has to work towards a common goal. He would boost morale when necessary, listen and consult, support, advise and motivate. All these leadership skills make him the best choice of supervisor to work for. It would be exciting and inspiring to work for him, he would make a team value themselves, their leader, their work and their achievements. He was a winner, and would make his staff and company winners too. Read More