Both contemporary and modern audiences would agree that Prosepro was right to give up his magic. Shakespeare portrays Prospero’s yielding of his magic as right, as it aligns with the view of a society of orders in 17th-century England. Similarly, a modern audience would view his relinquishment as correct, as through a post-colonial perspective, he has used his magic as a means of enslavement against the islands natives.

Shakespeare constructs Prospero as rightfully giving up his magic because it acts as a return to order. In Act 1, Scene 1, Prospero creates a “tempestuous noise of thunder and lightning.” The adjective “tempestuous” characterises the storm as violent and turbulent, which mirrors Prospero's psyche, as he is enacting anger on his usurper brother. From the perspective of a contemporary audience, he is subverting the 17th-century society of orders, in which God was placed above all. This is shown through Prospero’s playing of God, supported by Frank Kermode, who states, “ Prospero’s Art controls nature.” Therefore, his eventual relinquishment is pertinent as it allows for man to stop manipulating God's creations (weather and nature). Shakespeare reiterates this sentiment in the epilogue, in which Prospero exclaims, “I’ll break my staff…I’ll drown thy books” and “my ending is despair, unless I be relieved by prayer.” The verbs “break” and “drown” convey Prospero’s desire for forgiveness through means of atonement. This is built upon through the imperative phrase “unless I be relieved by prayer,” as it emphasises that Prospero is trying to reverse his transgression of societal order by submitting to God. Thus, Shakespeare conveys that Prospero’s surrender of magic is correct, as historically it meant a return to societal order.

Critic Sam Jordison states, “Different generations interpret the play according to their own concerns and knowledge.” Thus, a post-colonial critic would argue that Prospero was correct in relinquishing his magic, as he used it as a means of enslavement against the island's natives. Caliban’s native status is established in Act 1, Scene 1, where he states, “This island mine by Sycorax, my mother.” The first-person pronouns “mine” and “my” convey his rightful ownership of the island; this is reiterated through the noun “mother,” as it establishes his heritage as an intrinsic part of the island. However, his rightful claim is diminished at the hands of Prospero’s tyrannical magic. In Act 1, Scene 2, Prospero threatens Caliban, stating, “Thou shalt have cramps.” The use of the detached second-person pronoun, “thou,” effectively “otherises” Caliban, in turn positioning him as a slave and Prospero as a master in their twisted dynamic. This is built upon through a lexical field of pain, “cramps,” “pinched,” “stinging,” and “side-stitches.” This portrays Prospero as enslaving Caliban, physically through his magic, mirroring practices of the transatlantic slave trade, in which traders used physical harm. This dynamic is portrayed in modern interpretations of the play, such as the Mermaid Theatre production (1970), in which a West Indian actor portrays Caliban as an uneducated field slave, and Prospero is shown as a tyrannical slave master. Therefore, it can be argued that Prospero was correct in abolishing his magic because it was used to hold power over the island's natives and enslave them.