William Shakespeare play, The Tempest engages the idea of “The Golden Mean”. This concept that there is a scale defining different types of human behavior, and the middle is the perfect human being. The lower end of the scale is associated with revenge and the animalistic side of humans and the higher end of the scale is mercy and the godly side of humans. It is human nature to take action against those who wronged us. While many characters in The Tempest desire the need for revenge the play is saved from being a tragedy through the characters’ abilities to recognize the necessity of mercy. We are all sinners in this world in one way or another, the ability to forgive allows us to move on from the past and gain a new sense of power.
Caliban…show more content… His ability to realize the power of forgiveness, and not the power of his magic or revenge moved him from being stuck in the past. Prospero struggle throughout the playing in embracing the golden mean. His grudge against Antonio and Alonso drove him to become more of an animal in his behaviors. His torture and enslavement of Caliban was his way of avenging the attempt rape of his daughter. While he also had Ariel as a slave, his behaviors toward him were much kinder because he had no desire to have any revenge on Ariel. Prospero soon recognizes his faults in what he is doing. Even though he can fulfill his plot against Antonio and Alonso, he says to Ariel, “the rarer the action is in virtue than in vengeance”, he realizes that their are more bad things happening than good, and he chooses to forgive everyone on the island instead of punishing them. He takes full responsibility of his actions by “abjuring” his rough magic” and creating an even playing field. When he gives up his magic he gives up his tool that allows him to act deviously and vindictively. He no longer messed up the chain of being, and began to embrace the golden mean. While he finally forgives his brother Antonio, his big push for mercy is acknowledging that Caliban is his. “This thing of darkness I acknowledge mine.” Prospero realizes in his taking over of the island, Caliban is the island, so he took over Caliban too. He accepts Caliban and the darkness that comes along with that and brings closure to his constant struggle with Caliban. In the end Prospero acknowledgement to the audience shows he understand the power of other people, and he gives the audience a greater power to end the play, and in hopes end the play with setting him