I.ii.70-200, a flashback to when Prospero was ejected from his kingdom, shows Prospero as he was prior to his end-of-play epiphany when he accepts his responsibility, and as he is for most of the play. He blames his brother for his downfall entirely. He fails to recognize his own fault in not paying attention to his kingdom, saying that Antonio merely thought that he was "of temporal royalties [...] now incapable," rather than seeing that he genuinely was too absorbed in his study of magic to adequately maintain his kingdom (I.ii.131-132). Indeed, there would seem to be an inconsistency in the fact that he claims he knew "who to trash for overtopping" and yet he did not recognize the threat of his brother (I.ii.99-100). He discusses how "he did believe he was indeed the Duke, out o' the substitution," but doesn't realize how he is doing the same thing by deceiving himself into thinking that it is entirely his brother's fault (I.ii.122-123).
He is visibly not crazy, though, in that he doesn't blame everyone involved instinctively. He recognizes Gonzalo as "a noble Neapolitan" rather than simply blaming him as well for merely being one who accepted his exile (I.ii.192). He likes Gonzalo, despite the company he keeps, because Gonzalo aided him "out of his charity" (I.ii.193). Prospero is sane enough to recognize his friends, even if he can't recognize himself as his enemy; no man would recognize himself as his own enemy with so clear a scapegoat, so the audience can justify his actions as "righteous anger" from his point of view, despite the one ultimately at fault being Prospero himself, because Prospero has not crossed the line from "being in self-denial" to "being paranoid and attacking friends and enemies alike."
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