Prospero's Plan

Shakespeare’s The Tempest tells the story of an orchestrated plot to safely shipwreck a sailing crew of nobles.  The man behind the storm, Prospero, initially desires to confront the man who overthrew him as duke, Antonio; however, new wrinkles are added to his plan as the story progresses. 

In Act I, Scene ii, Prospero’s daughter, Miranda, sees King Alonso’s son, Ferdinand and falls in love.  Prospero understands this and makes the first minor change to his plan: he will acquire Ferdinand and allow the marriage of his daughter to him. 

Prospero makes small addition to his plan again when he is told of what Ariel discovered from Caliban, Trinculo, and Stephano in Act III, scene ii.  The trio plot to steal Prospero’s magical books and kill him; Stephano then plans to become king of the island, taking Miranda as his queen.  Prospero easily foils these plans in Act IV, scene I when he summons spirits to scare the drunken men away.  

I believe Prospero’s final confrontation with Antonio and the other nobles seems unchanged from his initial plan.  His words about the men, prior to this scene, never seem vindictive, and his forgiveness and final speech towards the men seems well thought out and planned.  All along Prospero wished to confront the man that usurped his title and forgive him without stooping down to his level and exacting revenge.  He only altered his plan when he felt it would be responsible and positive, taking all parties into account.  By not exacting his revenge, Prospero in effect makes the guilty men feel regret and shame for their actions.