Illusions and Dreams in the Tempest

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“Thee of thy son, Alonso,/They have bereft” (3.3.93-94) meaning that the “higher powers” have taken Ferdinand. After hearing this, Alonso exclaims “It did bass my trespass./Therefor my son i’ th’ ooze is bedded, and I’ll seek him deeper than e’er plummet sounded,/ and with him there lie mudded.”(3.3.) Alonso believes that he killed Ferdinand and that he need to die and join him in the mud. This is exactly the effect Prospero wanted. He even says to Ariel “My high charms/work,/And these mine enemies are all knit up/in their distractions” (3.3.107-110). Prospero says that because of the illusions that he has created to alter reality and make the characters think that the gods are against them, his enemies are confused. The reality is however, that Prospero wants to remind his enemies of their actions and make them confused and scared just like he was when he was thrown into the sea. By making these illusions, Prospero is giving the characters a different reality and at the same time, exacting his revenge. Later in the play, Prospero comments on these illusions and ties it into life and death.

In act four, Prospero is using spirits to perform a masque for Ferdinand and Miranda. When Prospero makes the illusions performing for the couple disappear, he comments to Ferdinand:

“And like the baseless fabric of this vision,

The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces,

The solemn temples, the great globe itself,

Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve,

And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,

Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff

As dreams are made on, and our little life

Is rounded with a sleep”

(4.1.168-175).

Prospero explains to Ferdinand that just like the imaginary world Ferdinand just saw disappear, the actual world will dissolve and everyone and everything in it will as well. Prospero makes the claim that all life is in fact a dream, where one begins in a state of sleep, they are born, die and go back to sleep again. Prospero makes an interesting argument about abstract perceptions of life. He knows that, as when one goes to bed they dream and therefore life could just be one giant dream with more miniature dreams inside of dreams when one goes to sleep. Prospero’s belief that life is just a dream influences his decision later in the play to forgive many of his enemies. It also leads him to break his staff and give up his magic in order to rejoin the world as the Duke of Milan. Prospero believes that life is a dream, and if everyone is going to wake up when it is over, he should not be vengeful, but instead a part of this great dream as the Duke of Milan.

In the play, Prospero uses illusions and dreams to hide reality from other characters so he can achieve his revenge plot against them for ruining his life. However, when Prospero voices his beliefs about life being a dream, he comes to realize that he should not take revenge, but instead be forgiving and return to his former life. The ideas in this play have the possibility to influence society today. If the idea that life is a dream could be accepted, humanity could become more tolerant, patient and forgiving and therefore each person on earth could live life to its fullest potential not worrying what tomorrow will bring.