Do the ends justify the means? People have been asking this question since the beginning of time, but often can't find an answer. The Tempest is about deception and manipulation of the truth, but ends with a morally clear message. Prospero is the wizard-king of the island where the play is set; throughout the play, he manipulates the characters through language and deception. However, this is not to say that Prospero is a malevolent force. Indeed, Shakespeare demonstrates that Prospero's sense of justice is the correct one with several key scenes in the play. This creates something of a paradox, since, if one must lie to achieve their goals, but their goals are noble in nature, is that acceptable? This essay will argue that Prospero's manipulation of truth and facts leads to an interpretation of justice that Shakespeare believed in, an interpretation of mercy. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay It could be argued that any manipulation of the truth leads to a false sense of justice. If justice is an intrinsically “right” concept and lying is an intrinsically “wrong” concept, then there should never be a combination of the two. Shakespeare, however, demonstrates how this is a fallacy that cannot exist in the real world. By siding his narrative with Prospero, Shakespeare demonstrates that getting what is "right" requires not black and white, but rather a much broader spectrum. The audience is almost immediately made to distrust Prospero's motives at the beginning of the play. One of the most significant early scenes is when he berates Caliban, immediately after the introduction of both characters. What the audience knows about Caliban is only what has been said so far on stage and what he looks like. Therefore, when it is learned that Caliban was the original inhabitant of the island, some say that Prospero is doubted. Especially when Caliban states "and then I loved you, and showed you all the qualities of the island... Cursed be I if I did" (1.2 336-339). Caliban's claim that he once loved Prospero creates doubt in the audience's mind. Love is well known to be one of the strongest emotions and whenever it is brought into play it carries an implicit level of trust. So, the fact that Caliban trusted Prospero in the past points to a somewhat unreliable narrative now. Even though Caliban attempted to rape Miranda, Prospero's daughter, his words have already been spoken. Although Caliban is clearly a despicable character, the implication is that he was almost a part of the family at one point leaves some doubt, although Prospero is the more sympathetic character after their exchange due to the harsh language and insolence of Caliban. This is also accentuated by Prospero's language. When he talks to Miranda he says things like “Wake up, dear heart, wake up. You slept well" (1.2 301-302). However, when he speaks to Caliban, his tone changes completely: “You, poisonous slave, taken by the devil himself, upon your wicked mother, come forth” (1.2 319-320). This juxtaposition of tones shows that Prospero has multiple sides. At one point he can be loving and kind, the next, cruel. By demonstrating that he has capacity for both, Prospero makes himself untrustworthy at the beginning of the story. However, Prospero is not the only unreliable character in the story. While Shakespeare ultimately states that Prospero's sense of justice is the correct one, he must prove the other characters wrong. It does so through Antonio and Sebastien, two gentlemen who were part of the shipwreck. The characters of Antonio and Sebastien are theclassic Shakespearean villains. They are undoubtedly evil and malicious, but they are also incompetent. This is evident in Antonio's attempt to convince Sebastien to kill his brother Alonso and take over his kingdom. While they debate whether to kill Alonso and the councilor Gonzalo, Prospero saves them through his spirit, Ariel. When the whole group wakes up and sees Antonio and Sebastien with their swords drawn, they obviously have some questions, to which Sebastien replies: "We heard a dull roar of bellowing, like bulls, or rather lions, didn't you wake up? " (2.1 308-309). Sebastien's attempt to create a lie presents two ideas. First, it shows how Antonio and Sebastien are incompetent characters by making up a ridiculous lie. After being on the island for hours and not recording any signs of large animals such as bulls or lions, this seems unlikely. Not to mention they had just been to Africa, which is the home of lions, not some Mediterranean island. Secondly, it promotes the theme of information control. Since Antonio is the de facto leader of the party, the others must defer to him. He, and later Sebastien, are able to control how others perceive the island through their lies. This, along with the constant insults to Gonzalo, allows the audience to see how information and lies can work both ways. Although the audience can see what the two main characters so far (Prospero and Antonio) have said dubious things, their feelings are largely different. Prospero appears to be right to suppress Caliban after learning of the attempted rape. However, Antonio seeks nothing more than power and uses his lies to help only himself. This dynamic allows the audience to later come to the conclusion that Prospero is the benevolent character he seems and Antonio is the villain. The third act represents a turning point in the novel, the love interests finally come together and Prospero is able to exact revenge on those who harmed him. Shakespeare continues with the theme of controlling information in all three scenes. In the first scene, Miranda and Ferdinand, who is Alonso's son, talk for the second time and declare their love for each other. While they think they are alone, Prospero is there watching invisibly. This leads to a dilemma, because if Miranda and Ferdinand really love each other, why does Prospero need to be there to confirm it? Although his intentions are entirely kind "I am as happy with this as I can't be they, who are surprised, but my joy for nothing can be greater" (3.1 93-95), Prospero is still there to control the situation. She expected Miranda to go to Ferdinand and observe to make sure everything goes smoothly, which it does. This continues with how Shakespeare sides with Prospero's side of the story. Even if Prospero does something morally questionable, the outcome is good, something that happens repeatedly throughout the play. This pattern of ambiguous morality leading to favorable outcomes for Prospero continually reinforces to the audience that Prospero is the hero of the play. Caliban, on the other hand, tries to humanize himself with a speech on the wonders of the island "Do not be afraid, the island is full of noises... which give joy and do no harm... and then dreaming of the clouds I thought they would open and show riches... which at the When I woke up I cried to dream again” (3.2 133-141). Caliban's monologue on the wonders of the island shows him in a different light than previously seen. Especially if you remember how he talked earlier about how the island was his and how he existed in some sort of symbiotic relationship with the island. This speech creates sympathy for Caliban and questions Prospero. Caliban appears to be a creature.