Although Prospero and Ariel used their magic to control it, nature has brought this ship to wreck. Here nature is being used as a violent tool against the crew on board. This sets the tone of the play and allows readers to have a better understanding of Prospero's power. Nature is used throughout The Tempest in an external and physical way. "The art of Prospero controls nature, at least in the outward sense" (Bloom 666). Many times that Ariel is to perform a duty for Prospero, he bewilders his victims into falling asleep. However, the other instances show magic used through nature. In Act I. Scene ii, Prospero orders Ariel to become a nymph of the sea. Using the sea and a creature of the sea which are both a part of nature; Prospero once again performs his duties. It is so significant to notice the theme of nature here because it is shown in the very first and very last actions of Prospero and Ariel. In the conclusion of the play, Prospero orders Ariel to perform one last duty before he sets him free: "I"ll deliver all/And promise you calm seas/My Ariel, chick/That is thy charge" (5.1.315-318). Just as the play begins, it also ends; leaving the audience with the knowledge of the significance of the theme of nature, brought about here through magic. "Prospero punishes, forgives, and restores joy to his former enemies" (Hoeniger 33). .
Prospero's magic is just one example that illustrates how nature is a barrier between the shipwrecked crew and those on the island. Those on the island, who include Miranda, Caliban, Ariel, and of course Prospero, represent a natural state of being. They are stranded on an island with no awareness of life anywhere else, and are consumed entirely by what nature has to offer around them. Contrarily, those who landed on the island, which includes Antonio, Alonso, Sebastian, Ferdinand, and the rest of the men, represent civilization, politics, and morality.
