Shakespeare's Goodbye

          The one idea about the Tempest that was brought up in class that made me think the most was the idea that Shakepeare is saying goodbye through Prospero.  All people who become famous and liked in the public eye must say goodbye to their fans and put down the tools of their profession eventually.  Examples abound in actors, athletes and authors and Shakespeare is no different.  Shakespeare is certainly bidding his fans farewell during Prospero's ending epilogue.  The similarities between Prospero and Shakespeare are quite striking.  Each has a power that could be described as magical as Prospero bids Ariel to do as he pleases and Shakespeare has the power and magic to entertain and influence an audience through his marvelous play writing.  Both were getting up there in age and had acquired a lot of wisdom and had accomplished many things throughout their life.  Despite accomplishing many things, they both felt they needed to do something more.  Prospero felt that he needed to find a suitable mate for his beloved daughter and he felt the need to free his slaves and forgive those who had wronged him.  Shakespeare felt the need to write his final play and share more messages to the world about society and human nature.  At the end of the story, both Prospero and Shakespeare are able to be free as each laid their burdens behind them and hung responsiblity up on the coat rack for the last time.  They had both accomplished what they wanted to do with their lives and they said goodbye to those they had influenced and those they had touched over the years.  While the Tempest isn't Shakespeare's most famous or best work, his ability to say goodbye through his character Prospero is one of the greatest and sneakiest endings to a literary career in history.