Tempestuous Justice

     Justice according to the Free Dictionary by Farlex is fair treatment and due reward with honor.  The concept of justice is rooted very deeply within Shakespeare's play The Tempest.  Prospero the sorcerer protagonist within the play seeks justice for himself at the expense of his brother Antonio: an ambitious traitor.  Prospero seeks the restoration of his honor as Duke of Milan ( due reward with honor) and the downfall of his brother for what was done by him against Prospero (fair treatment).   Prospero's want for justice takes the form of revenge, which begs the question: are revenge and justice one in the same?  Within this story the two are seemingly intertwined.  Through  the majority of the plot Prospero seeks to avenge himself for the dukedom that was taken from him by his brother and the King Alonso through betrayal.  This is a seemingly just cause for revenge, Prospero has suffered a wrong and therefore deserves to met out judgement to those who have wronged him.  As Prospero seeks justice for the wrongs committed against him another concept comes in: forgiveness over-riding justice.  This is seen in Act 5 Scene 1 when Prospero says to his arch enemy and brother Antonio; " For you, most wicked sir, whom to/ call brother/ Would even infect my mouth, I do forgive/ Thy rankest fault, all of them" (149-152, 5.1, Shakespeare).  Here it is seen that just when Prospero has the chance to get the justice he deserves he chooses forgiveness.  Although he still sees the wrong doings of Antonio as "rank" he is still willing to let forgiveness and mercy over ride these wrongs.  It is very clear that forgiveness covers over a multitude of wrongs such as the ones committed by Antonio.  Justice says that "tit for tat" when one person commits an offense toward another the other person deserves to hurt the other person.  However when forgiveness is brought into the situation, the "tit for tat" scenario is effaced.  When forgiveness is brought in wrongs are erased thus erasing the need for justice.