“Now my charms are all o’erthrown” (The Tempest) Ariel tells Prospero that the day has reached its “sixth hour” (6 p.m.), when Ariel is allowed to stop working. Prospero acknowledges Ariel’s request and asks how the king and his followers are faring. Ariel tells him that they are currently imprisoned, as Prospero ordered, in a grove. Alonso, Antonio, and Sebastian are mad with fear; and Gonzalo, Ariel says, cries constantly. Prospero tells Ariel to go release the men, and now alone on stage, delivers his famous soliloquy in which he gives up magic. He says he will perform his last task and then break his staff and drown his magic book.
Ariel now enters with Alonso and his companions, who have been charmed and obediently stand in a circle. Prospero speaks to them in their charmed state, praising Gonzalo for his loyalty and chiding the others for their treachery. He then sends Ariel to his cell to fetch the clothes he once wore as Duke of Milan. Ariel goes and returns immediately to help his master to put on the garments. Prospero promises to grant freedom to his loyal helper-spirit and sends him to fetch the Boatswain and mariners from the wrecked ship. Ariel goes.
The Epilogue of the Tempest is an excellent — if not the best — example of Shakespeare’s brilliance. In 20 lines Shakespeare is able to write an excellent ending to his play, while speaking through his characters about Shakespeare’s own life and career. Even more amazingly, he seamlessly ties the two together.
In the context of the story Prospero’s monologue makes perfect sense. He has lost his magical power, so his “charms are o’erthrown, and what strength [Prospero] have’s [his] own, which is most faint.” He is now “confined” on the Island, for his other choice would be to go to Naples and reclaim his dukedom, but he doesn’t want to do that because he has already “pardoned the deceiver” who took his position many years ago. Prospero then says something a little strange, but it makes sense in the context of the story, he ask us to “release [him] from [his] bands with the help of your good hands.” In other words, clap so that the sails of the boats his friends are riding in will be safely returned and Prospero can be “relieved by prayer” of the audience.
The most interesting part of this monologue is what Shakespeare himself is saying. “Now that my charms are all o’erthrown, and what strength I have’s mine own” means, now my plays are over, and it’s no longer my characters speaking. The “Island” or stage Shakespeare is on is now “bare” and it is time for “you” the audience to release Shakespeare and his actors from this play with the “help of [y]our good hands.” Shakespeare was not only being released for the performance of the play, he was being release from his career as a playwright. But there are more reasons to clap besides the obvious reason that the play is over, Shakespeare could not allow his final play to be bad, his project “was to please.” He reiterates this point by saying “and my ending is despair unless I be relieved by prayer”, or the clapping of the audience and it frees “all faults” and allows Shakespeare to indulge the clapping and joy of the audience.
