The Tempest

Has Prospero been the innocent cause of his own ruin in "The Tempest"?

If we take Prospero's ruin to be the loss of his Dukedom then he can be considered to blame in some respects because it was his interest in magic and studying over ruling that ultimately lost it for him. He admits to "neglecting worldly ends, all dedicated, To closeness and the bettering of my mind" (Act 1 Scene 2) and, in order to undertake these "secret studies" (Act 1 Scene 2), puts his brother in a position of power. His brother, Antonio, gets a taste for it and conspires to have his brother banished - which leads to the setting of the play on the desert island. Indeed you can argue that this experience is necessary for Prospero's redemption as a Duke because, by the end as he is about to reassume his role, he renounces his studies in order to focus on ruling Milan. He has learnt to accept responsibility for his divinely appointed role. This would have resonated with Shakespeare's audience as it was widely accepted that your station in life, particularly the hereditary roles of power such as King or nobleman, was chosen for you by god and it would be going against the natural order to try to change or deny it.