The Tempest ends as it begins, with the story of Prospero's life. Alonso says to Prospero as they are leaving the island, 'I long / To hear the story of your life, which must / Take the ear strangely.' Prospero promises to 'deliver all.' So when the audience sets Prospero free to go back to Milan, the more attentive ones will realise that the start of his Dukedom will be like Act I scene ii, where Prospero tells Miranda the story of their life. Critics often comment on how overbearing Prospero is in this scene. And we see that, even before he puts her to sleep, his story telling and memory, his control over the story of her life, is part of how Prospero controls the island.
The Tempest, biography play
The Tempest, biography play
The Tempest, biography play
The Tempest ends as it begins, with the story of Prospero's life. Alonso says to Prospero as they are leaving the island, 'I long / To hear the story of your life, which must / Take the ear strangely.' Prospero promises to 'deliver all.' So when the audience sets Prospero free to go back to Milan, the more attentive ones will realise that the start of his Dukedom will be like Act I scene ii, where Prospero tells Miranda the story of their life. Critics often comment on how overbearing Prospero is in this scene. And we see that, even before he puts her to sleep, his story telling and memory, his control over the story of her life, is part of how Prospero controls the island.