Student Question
Is Prospero a sympathetic character?
Quick answer:
Prospero's character can be viewed as both sympathetic and flawed, depending on interpretation. Critics note his meddling and vengeful nature, yet he exhibits signs of redemption by the play's end. Some argue he evolves into an ideal Renaissance Man by balancing anger with reason and scholarly pursuits with governance. Those who see their own flaws may find him sympathetic, aligning with Alexander Pope's notion that "to err is human; to forgive, divine."
It kind of depends on your point-of-view and interpretation. Prospero is viewed by a number of critcs as flawed. He can be seen as meddling and vengeful: meddling in the affairs of his daughter, vengeful towards anyone who crosses him, even former "friends".
On the other hand, he does show signs toward redemption at the end of the play. Some critics have argued that Prospero "must learn to control his anger with reason and to temper his sometimes arcane studies with the practical art of government before he is ready to return to Milan as duke, and that once he accomplishes this, he resembles the ideal Renaissance Man."
Is he sympathetic? Those who recognize their own flaws may find him to be so, especially if that reader or audience member has tried to make amends for wrong-doing. As Alexander Pope famously said, "To err is human; to forgive, divine."
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