The Tempest by William Shakespeare “Rarer action is in virtue than in vengeance” In act five, scene one, I believe the lines; “The rarest action is virtue rather than vengeance” are central to the text, as the outcome of Prospero's decision determines how the play ends. There are many subtle allusions in the text that might suggest why Prospero makes the decision that he does. First, we must question the nature of forgiveness in “The Tempest.” The lines "I forgive you/Though you are unnatural" in act five, scene one are closely related to the lines "The rarest action is in virtue rather than in vengeance", because in both lines , it is not obvious why Prospero decided to forgive. Prospero says that "although you are unnatural", which could be a reason why he forgives Alonso, because he was able to recognize that "unnatural" creatures are not so far from man and Prospero him -even ; “This thing of darkness I recognize mine,” which he admits to being able to recognize in act five, scene one, lines 275-276. The lines "This thing of darkness, I recognize mine" offer us a