Tempest, Act 1, Scenes 1 & 2.

So far it seems as if the main topic of The Tempest is manipulation just as it was for 1984. It’s obvious that Prospero influences the characters through the past, and some by “magic.” Every time that he speaks to either one of the characters, like Ariel, Caliban, or Miranda, Prospero always brings up the past and either uses it against them or uses his “magic” to manipulate the way he wants them to think. An example of this would be when Prospero talks to Ariel and uses her past to control them. “You have forgotten, and you think it’s a burden when I ask you to walk through the ocean, or run on the north wind, or do business for me underground when the earth’s frozen solid…You lie, you nasty, ungrateful thing!” (Act 1, Scene 2) As stated, Prospero manipulates Ariel into thinking that she’s ungrateful. Not only that but when he talks to Miranda about the past and what happened with his brother and him, he twists the words so well that it’s actually believable. When all you know is the “past” and your “father” tells you so, of course you’re going to believe it. It’s history. Hm, or so you think it is. That’s the way that Prospero controls and manipulates the very own people on that island. As long as you can control the past and what it’s made up of, you can control anything that happens here and now. All Prospero has to do is twist a few words, a few events that happened, and bam! You’ve got yourself a good way to manipulate others into thinking and believing what you believe.