Language as a Source of Power in The Tempest

As Caliban attempts to convince Trinculo and Stephano to murder Prospero, he urges them to first destroy his books, which seem to be the main source of his power. Caliban instructs: “Remember / First to possess his books, for without them / He’s but a sot, as I am, nor hath not/ One spirit to command…Burn his books” (3.2.100-104). He implies that the books are endowed with some sort of magical ability that help their possessor to rule over others in an authoritarian fashion. Conversely, the absence of these books makes one into a “sot” and seems to degrade the individual, just like Caliban. This connection between books and power is also made by Prospero himself, when he decides to renounce his powers: “deeper than did ever plummet sound / I’ll drown my book” (5.1.65-66). He claims he wants to “drown” his book, which suggests that his powers are contingent upon his possession of it. Othello also makes a similar remark when he exclaims that language is like “witchcraft,” suggesting that it can be used to control people’s behavior (1.3.170). In The Tempest, Shakespeare seems to underscore this power of language upon others, which can often lead to harmful effects since language can be used to deceive and to keep others them in a base and subservient position. Moreover, there seems to be a master-slave relationship between those who master the use of language and those who lack this ability. From a metatheatrical perspective, those with special linguistic abilities, the playwrights, have complete control and over their subjects, the audience, since they dominate the story in the play. Prospero’s speech seems to disclose Shakespeare’s discontentment with language, his ultimate renouncement of his writing career and his forsaking of the authoritarian power he once held as a writer.

Rossely Amarante
Aaron Gorelik