Character Sketch of Antonio
Antonio is the main villain of the play “The Tempest”. He is Prospero’s brother. He is cruel and inhuman, deceptive and treacherous and traitor and instigating in nature.
• An Evil Character
Antonio is one of those characters who represent evil in the play ” The Tempest”. Though he is a human being but he has little humanity in him. He not only causes his brother Prospero to be banished but he also tries to bring about the death of both Prospero and his infant daughter Miranda.
•Ambitious and Unscrupulous
Antonio is ambitious and hatches a cruel conspiracy against his own brother Prospero. Antonio wants to obtain what he wants by hook or crook. He replaced all the officers, loyal to Prospero with the officers who were loyal and sincere to him and then he joined hands with Alonso to expel Prospero from his dukedom.
A Treacherous and Traitor
When Prospero gives a detailed account of his past life to Miranda, we come to know that Antonio has behaved as a traitor and has taken an undue advantage of Prospero’s kindness towards him and of Prospero’s trust in him. Antonio hatches a conspiracy against his own brother Prospero. Being busy in his studied Prospero entrusted on Antonio and handed over his management of the state affairs to him. But Antonio deceived him. He joined hands with Prospero’s worst enemy Alonso to usurp Prospero’s dukedom.
After twelve years he also plots against Alonso who supported him to oust Prospero from his dukedom. He instigates Sebastian, Alonso’s brother to kill Alonso and become the king of Naples. He is a traitor, a deceiver and a sinner. It appears that his inner conscience is dead. When he is maddened by Ariel, he is not pricked by his conscience but instead of being repentant he draws his sword to slay.
Cruel, Inhuman and Emotionless
Antonio is cruel and inhuman person. He not only usurps the dukedom of Milan from his brother Prospero but he also tries to bring about the death of both Prospero and his infant daughter Miranda.
Antonio seems to be a man without feelings. He has little feelings for Alonso’s grief at the supposed death of his son Ferdinand. He does not have any kind of sympathy for him, nor does he make any effort to soothe the grief – stricken heart of Alonso. When Gonzalo, the old lord, tries to console Alonso, Antonio with Sebastian scoffs at him and ridicules at him.
Arrogant and Rude
Antonio is an arrogant person. He is hardly nervous in the face of danger that threatens the ship on which he is one of the passengers. When the boatswain speaks to him in a discourteous manner he abuses him and says
“Hang, cur! Hang, you whoreson, insolent noise maker!
We are less afraid to be drowned than thou art”
In short Antonio is thoroughly an evil minded person. He is over ambitious, arrogant and ruthless.