Like the Party in 1984, Prospero too manipulates his people in order to portray a less-than-true image of reality. He crafts new stories for Caliban, Miranda, and Ariel, each story being different than the next. Through this method, he captivates his audience into believing a false story, persuading them the “good” in his intentions. In this way, he dishonestly controls these characters into believing he is the better person in the given situations.
In Caliban’s situation, for instance, Caliban explains to the audience that he treated Prospero with much respect when he first arrived on the island, eager to show Prospero "the qualities o' th' isle". He later states that Prospero treated him cruelly in return, keeping the island from him. However, Prospero replies to his explanation he truly was kind to Caliban until he attempted to rape his daughter Miranda. Being true or not, Prospero’s story immediately demonstrates the wicked nature in this slave by pointing out his biggest flaw. With such a vivid image as attempted rape, Prospero persuades not only his audience of terrible nature of Caliban but also his sheltered daughter, who views the slave as a “villain” before she even meets him. Thus, Prospero achieves his goal in influencing these negative opinions towards Caliban with his one-sided explanation. He subtly enforces his power upon the people around him in such a way that they hardly notice the lies in his tales. His aggressive threatening techniques further pull Prospero into complete control and power over Caliban. Prospero forces Caliban to see what Prospero wishes him to see, and this demonstrates the frightening amount of power he holds.
For Miranda’s case, however, Prospero uses a much different technique. He retells the story of his coming to the island, but instead of telling the truth, he bends reality farther than necessary to show his daughter that he is a hero. During the story, he emphasizes his time spent on “secret studies” and being “so reputed in diginity”, eagerly highlighting the good deeds he performed for his country. However, he additionally mentions without haste the negative qualities about his “false brother” and the awful circumstances that the brother created. Already Prospero understands the importance in influencing his daughter to believe that he is as pure as he seems. This understanding ultimately proves his power over his subjects. His daughter all too quickly swallows the one-sided story he feeds to her, feeling the need to "cry all over again" after his moving story. This only further reinforces Prospero’s power over her life.
Prospero shows control over Ariel as well through his frequent, violent threats and his constant story telling of how Ariel arrived at the island. Prospero’s “once in a month recounts” for Ariel continually show Ariel why he listens so closely and loyally to Prospero. He once again highlights the good deeds he accomplishes, explaining that only his “art” saved Ariel from the “torment” in which he found his slave in. By consistently reminding Ariel of the favor Prospero gave to him, Ariel soon forgets even the slightest possibility of a second side to the story he hears. Like the message Adichie lectured about, Prospero forces one story upon his slave, thus demonstrating his power in controlling the thought process of his subject. Similar to his treatment towards Caliban, Prospero enforces threats often so that Ariel simply has no other choice but to listen to what he is told. Through this method, he controls his subjects into believing what he pleases, demonstrating the true power Prospero holds.
Prospero molds the reality of these three characters into the shape he wishes to see: one that recognizes him as the ultimate power.
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