The Prophet

Almitra is a seeress and a citizen of Orphalese. She was the first townsperson to believe in Almustafa and vouch for him when he arrived 12 years ago. On the day of his departure, she emerges from the temple and, while acknowledging that it’s time for the prophet to leave, convinces him to delay his departure and “tell us all that has been shown you of that which is between birth and death.” She herself gives Almustafa the first two prompts, on love and then marriage. She recedes to the background for most of the afternoon until speaking up to give Almustafa the final prompt, on death. The Prophet ends with Almitra standing apart from the crowd, remaining silent while they lament Almustafa’s departure and ruminating mysteriously on the prophet’s promise to return. She sets the central dialogue of the work in motion, and as an intellectual, enigmatic, and spiritually searching figure, she acts as a foil to the implicitly simple-thinking townspeople, acting as an intermediary of sorts between them and Almustafa.