The Tempest has long been regarded as a play that interrogates the role and responsibility of playwrights themselves. Prospero, whose magical ability allows him to create and manipulate people's surroundings so that their experiences differ from their immediate reality, has been frequently compared to a dramatist in early modern England. Like Prospero, the playwright uses words and images to give the audience the illusion of an alternative reality, to generate emotion and sympathy, and to create entire worlds out of a small stage. Prospero's dedication to his magic is understood most by Caliban, who understands how vulnerable Prospero is without his books. Furthermore, Prospero himself hints that, as Duke of Milan, he was more interested in his library than in the responsibilities of his political station.
Many consider Prospero a stand-in for the playwright figure because he is both consumed by his art and flawed in his preoccupation with it. Through Prospero's character, the play raises questions about the role of a playwright and the power the dramatist possesses, subtly encouraging the audience to notice the labor inherent to play-writing and the value of the theater at a time when drama was often considered a low-brow form of entertainment.
Still others argue that Prospero is not simply a representative of all playwrights, but of Shakespeare himself. Indeed, Shakespeare's biography tells us that he, too, was so preoccupied by his play-writing that he shirked many other responsibilities (he lived away from his wife and children for the majority of his career). Finally, scholars frequently point to Prospero's final speech to the audience in the Epilogue to suggest that it is actually Shakespeare's final goodbye to the theater (he retired shortly after The Tempest was performed). Prospero asks the audience to "free" him with their applause, since he can no longer practice his magic. While this is a lighthearted request that was not uncommon on the early modern stage, the context surrounding Prospero's calls for applause (his renunciation of his greatest passion) have led many to consider Shakespeare's biography when reading or seeing The Tempest performed.
