Mercy is the turning point of the Tempest. 12 years before the play begins, Prospero's brother Antonio took his dukedom and sent Prospero and his daughter Miranda out to sea in a boat. A storm brings those same men to his island and Prospero has the magic and the opportunity to make them his prisoners. the spirit Ariel tells him that his feelings would soften if he saw how miserable they were, adding, "Mine would, sir, were I human" (5.1.26). Prospero answers, "The rarer action is / In virtue than in vengeance," and has them released (5.1.35-36). He also tells Antonio, the brother who betrayed him, "I do forgive / Thy rankest fault" (5.1.151-152), and he gave a pardon to Caliban (5.1.349-350). Mercy changes Prospero too, because he gives up his magic.(5.1.59-66). In the epilogue he asks the audience for the same mercy he gave: "As you from crimes would pardoned be, / Let your indulgence set me free" (Epilogue 19-20). The play shows that mercy frees the person who gives it as well as the person who receives it.
I had my own chance to choose between justice and mercy at work the other week. I manage affiliates, who are business partners that send leads to us, and I am responsible for the quality of those leads. I found out that an affiliate had sent a text blast to the leads he had already sent us and used vulgar language to try to get them to respond. It was completely unacceptable and misrepresented our brand. I had every right to shut down his account or make him pay for the damage. But before the call I took a few deep breaths to calm down, and I listened and let him talk. He apologized over and over and explained that the message was meant for a different group of leads and was never supposed to go to ours. He promised it would not happen again, and after we talked it through, I decided to keep him on. He has been a good partner since then.
Hugh Nibley taught that the name Prospero means "to move forward, to advance, to get better and better," and that "it's only in Christ that it can happen" (Nibley). For me, to "Prospero" is to keep getting better at showing others the kind of mercy the Savior shows me. The first way I plan to do that is by becoming a better listener. James taught, "let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath" (James 1.19). Whenever I get into a conversation, I will remind myself to slow down and let there be silence so the other person has room to speak. That pause kept me from judging my affiliate too quickly, and I want to bring it into my conversations at home and at work. The second way is to be kinder, because kindness is a form of mercy. When I choose not to assume the worst about the people I meet, they can sense it. Prospero left his island a better man because he forgave, and I believe that as I follow Christ and choose mercy each day, Heavenly Father will help me keep moving forward.