Magic in "xThe Tempest"

Throughout The Tempest, magic is a central subject that drastically effects the plot of the play.  This is unusual that Shakespeare would choose magic as such a central theme because magic in his time was very taboo.  Thus, in order to see the reason for while he decided to have a mere mortal place judgement on characters in The Tempest instead of having it all divine will (which would be much more accepted in his time) we must look at Prospero's magic in more detail.

Prospero uses magic by simply stating his intentions and stating its desired effects.  For instance when Prospero finishes telling Miranda about her history, he tells her "Thou art inclined to sleep," (line 220) and as a result Miranda is overcome with tiredness and falls asleep.  He also does the same thing when he paralyzes Ferdinand when Ferdinand challenges Prospero by drawing his sword.  Ariel, Prospero's servant, also states clearly his intentions whenever he casts magic on the people.  For instance, he wakes up Gonzalo in Act 2, Scene I by simply stating "If of life you keep a care...Shake off slumber and beware... Awake!" Thus, it is clear that the words Prospero and Ariel speak to do magic is not as important as the meaning behind the words they state.  We also are told in Act III that Prospero's source of magic comes from his books, which once again stresses the importance and power of language.

Now, it is important to realize that throughout The Tempest characters are subjected to Prospero's will as a result of magic and the words he speaks.    It doesn't matter how strong or how high of ranking in noble status the characters are, they are all still equally effected by Prospero's magic.  Thus, I think it is clear that Shakespeare decided to use magic in The Tempest because he wanted to leave a message to his audience.  He wanted to show that language and being able to yield it well is stronger than the strongest warrior or the most high ranking individual.  Also, perhaps he was also telling his audience that if they truly want to understand his plays well, they can't just simply read or listen to the words but must also deeply consider the meaning behind the words because that is where the magic of his plays truly come to life.