The end scene makes the audience wonder whether Prospero, who neglected his duties as the Duke, deserved his dukedom back, compared to Prospera. When Prospera was a Duchess, she never allowed her love for her books interfere with her duties as a Duchess. The reason Prospera had to flee her country was because of Antonio, Prospera’s brother who in order to take the throne from Prospera, after her husband, the Duke died, falsely accused her of being a witch who used black magic. Changing the back story of how Prospera was banished, Taymor not only justifies Propsera’s return back to Milan but also shows that it was easy for women to be blamed for being a witch and using witchcraft and black magic for destructive purposes, “especially a female who moved beyond the traditional sphere of her gender” (Turner 692) like Prospera, a well-educated woman, in a time when women were not given much
The end scene makes the audience wonder whether Prospero, who neglected his duties as the Duke, deserved his dukedom back, compared to Prospera. When Prospera was a Duchess, she never allowed her love for her books interfere with her duties as a Duchess. The reason Prospera had to flee her country was because of Antonio, Prospera’s brother who in order to take the throne from Prospera, after her husband, the Duke died, falsely accused her of being a witch who used black magic. Changing the back story of how Prospera was banished, Taymor not only justifies Propsera’s return back to Milan but also shows that it was easy for women to be blamed for being a witch and using witchcraft and black magic for destructive purposes, “especially a female who moved beyond the traditional sphere of her gender” (Turner 692) like Prospera, a well-educated woman, in a time when women were not given much