Prose - The Tempest PDF

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WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE THE TEMPEST
The Tempest probably was written in 1610–1611, and was first performed at Court by the King's Men in
the fall of 1611. It was performed again in the winter of 1612–1613 during the festivities in celebration of
the marriage of King James's daughter Elizabeth.
CONTEXT
 The Tempest was probably written in 1610–1611, and was first performed by the King’s Men in the
fall of 1611.
 The Tempest is most likely the last play written entirely by Shakespeare, and it is remarkable for
being one of only two plays by Shakespeare whose plot is entirely original.
 Because of its theme of a great magician giving up his art, some scholars believe that The Tempest is
Shakespeare’s farewell to the stage.
KEY FACTS
Full title · The Tempest
Author · William Shakespeare
Type of work · Play
Genre · Romance
Language · Elizabethan English
Time and place written · 1610–1611; England
Date of first publication · 1623
Tone · Dreamy, mysterious, magical
Setting (time) · The Renaissance
Setting (place) · An island in the Mediterranean Sea, probably off the coast of Italy
Protagonist · Prospero
Major conflict · Prospero, the duke of Milan and a powerful magician, was banished from Italy and cast to
sea by his usurping brother, Antonio, and Alonso, the king of Naples. As the play begins, Antonio and Alonso
come under Prospero’s magic power as they sail past his island. Prospero seeks to use his magic to make
these lords repent and restore him to his rightful place.
Rising action · Prospero creates the tempest, causing his enemies’ ship to wreck and its passengers to be
dispersed about the island.
Climax · Alonso and his party stop to rest, and Prospero causes a banquet to be set out before them. Just as
they are about to eat, Ariel appears in the shape of a harpy and accuses them of their treachery against
Prospero. Alonso is overwhelmed with remorse.
Falling action · Prospero brings Alonso and the others before him and forgives them. Prospero invites Alonso
and his company to stay the night before everyone returns to Italy the next day, where Prospero will reassume
his dukedom.
Themes · the illusion of justice, the difficulty of distinguishing “men” from “monsters,” the allure of ruling a
colony
Motifs · Masters and servants, water and drowning, mysterious noises
Symbols · the tempest, the game of chess, Prospero’s books
Foreshadowing · Prospero frequently hints at his plans to bring his enemies before him and to confront them
for their treachery. Prospero also hints at his plans to relinquish his magic once he has confronted and forgiven
his enemies.
THE TEMPEST SUMMARY

A raging storm at sea threatens a ship bearing Alonso, King of Naples, and his court on their voyage home
from the wedding of Alonso's daughter in Tunisia. Frustrated and afraid, the courtiers and the ship's crew
exchange insults as the ship goes down.
From a nearby island, Prospero, the former Duke of Milan, and his daughter Miranda watch the ship. Miranda
worries about the ship's passengers, suspects that her father has created the storm using his magical powers,
and begs him to calm the waters. Prospero then reveals to Miranda the details of their past, telling how, 12
years ago, he was betrayed his brother Antonio who overthrew him. With the help of Alonso, Antonio
arranged for Prospero and Miranda to be kidnapped and set adrift at sea. Now, Prospero says,
circumstances allow him to take revenge on his enemies, and for this reason he has conjured the storm.
Prospero charms Miranda, and she falls asleep. He then summons his spirit-servant Ariel, who created the
storm. Ariel says that he has made sure everyone made it to the island alive, but scattered separately, then
mentions that Prospero promised to free him from servitude early in return for good service. Prospero angrily
reminds the spirit that he saved him from the prison in which the witch Sycorax put him. (Sycorax was the
previous ruler of the island.) Ariel apologizes and follows Prospero's orders—he makes himself invisible and
goes to spy on the shipwrecked courtiers. Prospero then awakens Miranda and summons his servant Caliban,
the son of Sycorax. Caliban curses Prospero, and denies that he owes Prospero anything for educating him.
To prove his point, he recounts how Prospero stripped him of his ruler-ship of the island.
Meanwhile, Ariel, still invisible, leads Ferdinand, Alonso's son, to Prospero. Ferdinand and Miranda fall
immediately in love, but Prospero puts a spell on Ferdinand and takes him into custody. Elsewhere,
Alonso, Gonzalo (an advisor to Alonso), Antonio, and Sebastian (Alonso's brother) awaken to find themselves
safely on shore. Alonso mourns, thinking that Ferdinand has drowned in the storm. Ariel enters and plays
solemn music that puts Gonzalo and Alonso to sleep. While they sleep, Antonio persuades Sebastian to try
to murder Alonso and become king of Naples. Ariel wakes the sleeping men just in time to prevent the deed.
On still another part of the island, Caliban encounters Alonso's butler Stephano and jester Trinculo. He
mistakes them for gods because they give him wine and get him drunk. With Ariel listening in, Caliban
persuades them to help him murder Prospero with the promise that he will serve them as lords of the island.
While Ferdinand does hard labour for Prospero, he encounters Miranda. They express their affection for
each other. With Prospero secretly looking on, they agree to marry.
A bit later, Antonio and Sebastian resume their plot against Alonso, but Ariel again disrupts it. Appearing as
a harpy, he accuses them and Alonso of overthrowing Prospero and says that only sincere repentance can
save them now. Alonso immediately repents. Antonio and Sebastian pledge to fight back, but Prospero soon
enchants and traps them all.
Back at Prospero's cave, Prospero gives his blessing to Miranda and Ferdinand's marriage. He summons spirits
to perform an elaborate masque (dramatic performance) for the couple. Suddenly, Prospero remembers
Caliban's plot to murder him. He abruptly ends the masque and, with Ariel's help, tricks and then chases off
the three would-be murderers.
In the play's final scene, Prospero, with Ariel's counsel, decides that rather than taking revenge he will
instead give up his magic and forgive his enemies. He presents himself to them in the robes he wore as Duke
of Milan. The courtiers are astounded. Alonso apologizes and relinquishes control of Milan, though Antonio
remains silent. Alonso and Ferdinand are reunited, and Alonso gives his blessing to the marriage of Miranda
and Ferdinand. Prospero summons Stephano, Trinculo, and Caliban and exposes them to general scorn.
Caliban curses himself for mistaking them for gods. Prospero then charges Ariel to ensure a safe voyage
back to Italy for all, and then grants Ariel his freedom. The play ends with Prospero's epilogue, in which he
asks the audience to applaud and set him free.
PLOT SUMMARY
The play begins on the deck of a ship that has entered a storm. This ship is carrying Alonso, the King of
Naples, Ferdinand, his son, and Antonio, the usurping Duke of Milan, from the King's daughter's marriage in
Tunis. This storm has been created by the sorcerer and rightful Duke of Milan, Prospero. When the first scene
ends, it is doubtful whether or not anyone has survived.
On the island, Prospero and his daughter Miranda have lived for twelve years. He has raised her in the
company of their spirit slave Ariel and their servant Caliban. Prospero tells his young daughter of their
expulsion from Milan at the hands of his traitor brother (Antonio). Ferdinand, having survived the wreck, is
charmed by Miranda and is then controlled by Prospero, in order to be near his daughter.
The second act begins with the remaining passengers on the ship. They move about the island debating
whether or not Ferdinand has survived. Gonzalo, the counsellor, tries to assuage his king. Ariel, at Prospero's
bidding, puts all of them to sleep except for Antonio and Alonso's brother Sebastian. Antonio convinces
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Sebastian to kill Alonso and take his place as king. The two draw their swords but Ariel awakens everyone
else. The entire group goes off in search of Ferdinand.
Caliban is discovered by the drunken butler Stephano and the jester Trinculo. He tells them what the island is
like and together they plot to kill Prospero as he sleeps. Ariel reports this plot to his master.
Ferdinand hauls wood for Prospero as Miranda watches, pitying him. The youths admit their adoration for
each other and express a desire to marry. Prospero watches with approval because this is according to his
plan. Meanwhile, Caliban and the two drunkards continue their plotting. Caliban tells them about Miranda's
beauty and they consider her yet another reason to kill her father. They hear noises in the woods which they
disregard at Caliban's bidding.
On the other part of the island, Ariel creates a spectacle for the King and his companions. Ariel enters as a
harpy and alludes to their respective crimes. The men are shocked and worried for their fate. They exit with
swords drawn.
Ferdinand, Miranda and Prospero re-enter the stage. Prospero has Ferdinand swear an oath not to sleep
with Miranda before they are married. Ariel ushers in more spirits who play the parts of deities blessing their
proposed union. Prospero remembers that there is a plot afoot against his life and he ends the charade. The
conspirators re-enter and are distracted by royal garments hanging in a tree. Caliban tries to warn them
away from the clothing, but he cannot. Prospero uses his magic to attack them and chases them off.
Prospero re-enters the stage with Ariel and comes to the king and his companions. Alonso is in disbelief upon
seeing Prospero alive, and Prospero forgives his brother for all of the sins against him. The penitent Alonso
grants Prospero his kingdom back and rejoices when he discovers his son is still alive. He approves the
marriage between Ferdinand and Miranda. Ariel reveals Alonso's ship to be in fine condition. Prospero
promises to release Ariel from servitude. Caliban's plot is revealed to the king, but they all poke fun at the
presumptuous trio. They all go to Prospero's lodging for the night, with plans to leave in the morning.
NARRATIVE EVENTS
Act 1, Scene 1
The play begins with the storm, magically created by Prospero with the help of Ariel, which disrupts the
journey of the royal party (Alonso, Ferdinand, Sebastian, Antonio, Gonzalo, Stephano, and Trinculo) who
are returning from Claribel's, Alonso's daughter, wedding in Africa. The men aboard begin to argue
during the distress of the storm - the Boatswain orders the royals to go below deck which causes Gonzalo
to gently reprimand the worker for forgetting the power of the king, and Sebastian and Antonio begin
to insult the Boatswain whilst he attempts to save the ship. The sailors enter, with thoughts that they are
going to be killed by the storm, and the royal party all go below deck to pray for their survival.
Act 1, Scene 2
This scene shows Prospero and Miranda watching the storm from an island and Miranda begs her father
to end the storm and save the men aboard.
Prospero tells Miranda the story of her heritage and how they both came to inhabit the island. He informs
her that he was the Duke of Milan and that his brother, Antonio usurped his power because Prospero had
begun to neglect his royal duties by spending too much time with his books and learning magic. Prospero
narrates how he and Miranda were sent away on a dangerous boat, but that Gonzalo took pity on them
and provided them with necessities such as Prospero's books.
After telling Miranda this story Prospero puts her into a magical sleep and summons his spirit servant,
Ariel. Ariel informs Prospero that he has separated members of the royal party onto different parts of
the island and that the ship's crew is in a magical sleep under the deck of the ship.
As Ariel has carried out Prospero's demands, the spirit asks Prospero to provide the freedom that he has
promised Ariel but Prospero refuses and argues that he must continue Ariel's enslavement for a few days
longer.
Ariel leaves angrily, Prospero then awakens Miranda and summons Caliban, another of his servants.
Prospero and Caliban argue as Caliban rebels against Prospero's control as he believes the island to be
his property as Caliban was born on the island, and Prospero has to resort to controlling Caliban through
magic. Prospero threatens Caliban, and claims that Caliban is corrupt as Caliban had previously tried to
rape Miranda. Caliban's presence scares Miranda and Prospero demands that Caliban leaves.

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Ariel re-enters the scene with Ferdinand and he and Miranda fall in love immediately. As part of his plan
to marry Miranda and Ferdinand, Prospero pretends to be suspicious of Ferdinand and imprisons him,
and secretly thanks Ariel for the spirit's help in his scheme.
Act 2, Scene 1
The royals are gathered on the island discussing their situation. Gonzalo gives a speech, celebrating their
survival but Alonso is despairing at the loss of his son, as he believes Ferdinand to be drowned. Antonio
and Sebastian distance themselves and mock both Gonzalo's optimism and Alonso's anguish. Antonio and
Sebastian then begin to tell Alonso that he should not have allowed his daughter to marry and African
and that if he had not then they would never have been in the storm which causes Gonzalo to chastise the
pair for being so insensitive. Ariel enters the scene, invisible, and puts Gonzalo and Alonso into a magical
sleep. As the pair sleep Antonio and Sebastian plot to murder them, so that Sebastian can become king.
Sebastian shows some signs of apprehension but agrees to attempt the plot after Antonio convinces his
and they both draw their swords on Alonso and Gonzalo but Ariel awakens Gonzalo so that their plan is
foiled. Sebastian creates a story to excuse their behaviour, suggesting that they heard a dangerous noise
and were protecting the king and Alonso accepts this explanation. They royal entourage then leave to
continue their search for Ferdinand.
Act 2, Scene 2
Caliban begins the scene, cursing Prospero and his imprisonment. He hears the noise of somebody
approaching and assuming it to be Prospero lies on the ground, throws a cloak over his body and hides,
showing only his feet.
Trinculo enters and seeing Caliban believes him to be monster made of half of a man and half of a fish.
Inspecting the unknown being, Trinculo wonders if he would be able to sell the beast back in civilization
and touches him but discovers that he is an inhabitant of the island not a monster. Seeing that a storm is
approaching, Trinculo decides to take shelter under the cloak with Caliban. Stephano, drunk, enters and
seeing the covered Caliban and Trinculo, initially believes it to be a monster, and ponders its financial
possibilities whilst examining Caliban. This scares Caliban and Stephano makes Caliban drink his wine to
calm him down. During this Trinculo has recognized Stephano's voice and emerges to drink wine with
Stephano and Caliban. Caliban, being drunk, believes Stephano to be a God and swears to worship him
and become his slave, promising to show Stephano the most prosperous parts of the island.
Act 3, Scene 1
Ferdinand enters carrying a log, a task that Prospero has demanded of him as a punishment. He claims
that he does not mind the work, as thoughts of Miranda make it worthwhile and he wants to serve
Miranda. Miranda enters, having disobeyed he father by coming to see Ferdinand, but Prospero is
secretly watching the couple, and offers to carry out Ferdinand's work for him so that he can rest but he
refuses.
Miranda tells Ferdinand her name, something that her father had forbidden and Miranda becomes
worried. The couple confess their love for each other, Ferdinand telling Miranda that he has never seen
anyone so perfect, and Miranda telling Ferdinand that she has never seen another man, except her father,
and that she has no wish to. Miranda asks Ferdinand if he loves her and begins to cry when he says that
he does. She tells Ferdinand that she loves him, and is willing to be his wife, mistress, or slave as she
believes herself unworthy of him but Ferdinand agrees to marry her and Prospero is pleased by this, as
it benefits his plan.
Act 3, Scene 2
The scene returns to Stephano, Trinculo and Caliban on the island, drunk, plotting to kill Prospero. Caliban
has informed Stephano and Trinculo that Prospero rules the island and that if the men help him to kill
Prospero they can control the island.
Ariel arrives and overhears their plan to burn Prospero's books so that he does not have any magical
power, and Stephano's plan to marry Miranda and Ariel resolves to inform Prospero of these schemes.
The drunken men begin to sing and Ariel scares them by making music to accompany them, but Caliban
reassures Stephano and Trinculo that the island is full of magical noises that should not always be feared.

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Act 3, Scene 3
After exhausting themselves searching for Ferdinand the royal party collapse onto a beach, unknowingly
being watched by Prospero. Prospero summons many spirits which provide the royal entourage with a
banquet and music and after inviting the men to eat the spirits vanish.
The men are wary but are also very hungry and begin the feast but Ariel arrives, disguised in the form
of a harpy and ruins the banquet, turning the atmosphere of celebration into one of defeat. He accuses
the men of committing sins against Prospero and magically immobilizes the men so that they cannot draw
their swords.
After Ariel's speech, the men are terrified and flee the beach, becoming separated from each other,
Gonzalo and Alonso in one group, and Antonio and Sebastian in another, but Gonzalo has sent Adrian
and Francisco to keep an eye on them.
Act 4, Scene 1
This scene sees Prospero admitting that he has treated Ferdinand unfairly. Prospero suggests that the
tasks he made Ferdinand complete whilst imprisoned proved that he would be a worthy husband to
Miranda and Prospero offers Miranda to Ferdinand as a wife, but warns Ferdinand that he cannot sleep
with Miranda until their wedding night.
Prospero then calls Ariel to summon the spirits of the island so that there can be a masque to celebrate
the upcoming marriage.
The masque takes place, with the blessing of the goddesses Iris, Juno and Ceres who sanctify the
marriage.
This is disrupted by Prospero who remembers that Stephano, Trinculo and Caliban are plotting to murder
him and he ends the masque.
He summons Ariel, who reports that the men are drunk and that Ariel has managed to lead them through
a briar patch and into a filthy pond. Prospero is pleased and tells Ariel to place extravagant clothing in
the path of the men to distract them from their task.
Stephano, Trinculo and Caliban appear, wet, smelling and complaining about the loss of their alcohol but
are distracted, just as Prospero had planned, by the fancy clothes hung up nearby.
Caliban attempts to convince the men to leave the clothes and complete their plot but Stephano and
Trinculo ignore Caliban's pleas and warning that Prospero will find them and Prospero and Ariel enter
with spirits disguised as hunting hounds. Stephano, Trinculo and Caliban flee, being chased by the hounds.
Prospero is extremely pleased by these events and realising that he holds power all of his enemies he
decides to promise Ariel freedom.
Act 5, Scene 1
Ariel informs Prospero that Alonso, Antonio and Sebastian are worried, desperate and remorseful and
Prospero assures Ariel that he will he compassionate when dealing with the royal entourage and asks
Ariel to bring them to him.
While waiting for the men to arrive Prospero gives a soliloquy about how he achieved many great things
through his magic and then he promises to give up his knowledge of magic, to bury his staff and drown
his books.
Ariel re-enters with the royal party who are in a sort of trance, and places them within Prospero's magical
circle and removes the spell on the men.
Prospero appears, dressed in the clothes of the Duke of Milan, assumes his rightful place and
embraces Alonso as a gesture of reconciliation. Prospero also embraces Gonzalo, who he does not
chastise because he helped Prospero when he was banished, and Prospero tells Antonio and Sebastian
that he will not treat them as traitors this time and he forgives Antonio - who is required to give his
dukedom back to Prospero.
Prospero informs Alonso that Ferdinand is not dead, after Alonso continues to mourn, telling him Ferdinand
has agreed to marry Miranda and reveals to Alonso Miranda and Ferdinand playing chess. Alonso
welcomes Miranda as his daughter and Gonzalo, as the sight of this reconciliation, begins to cry at the
miracle the island has brought to them.

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Ariel enters with the Boatswain who, along with the other royals, is puzzled by how they came to be on
the island and Prospero tells the men not the worry about such things as they have solved all of their
problems.
Ariel then leads Stephano, Trinculo and Caliban into the scene, all still drunk, and Prospero explains to
the rest of the characters the plot that these men attempted against him. Immediately, Caliban repents
and promises to seek forgiveness from Prospero and Stephano and Trinculo are sent to decorate
Prospero's cell.
Prospero invites the men to spend the night with him, and that he will tell them the adventures of the last
twelve years of his life.
Prospero asks one last thing of Ariel before he grants the spirit total freedom - to ensure that the men
have calm seas to sail home on.
Prospero, alone on the stage, asks the audience to free him as he has now given up his magic, freed his
slaves, and forgiven those who have wronged him in the past. He asks to be returned to Naples as the
island has been his prison and suggests that the audience's applause will show that they have freed him.
He also suggests that forgiveness is what all men desire and during the audience's applause Prospero
leaves the stage.
FORM & STRUCTURE

 The ancient Greek Laws of Drama, the three unities, were the Law of Time, Place, and Action.
 Law of Time: the four hours on stage should correspond to the length of time in actual action.
 Law of Place: all events must occur in one place.
 Law of Action: nothing must be presented to take attention away from the subject presented, such
as secondary plots.
 Unlike many of Shakespeare’s other works, The Tempest is unique in the fact that it does follow
these rules: the entire play occurs in one day, in one location, with focus on one major plot line.
Form: Chronological structure
The structure of the play in is chronological order as the events take place within a few hours and his play
has a clear beginning, middle - with a climax, and an end. This allow the audience to engage fully with
the play as they are present for the majority of the events, and even the events that they do not see are
fully explained by the characters in the other scenes. The clear five act structure, which was common at
the time of Elizabethan theatre, gives the play coherence and a credulity which also helps the audience
to comprehend the events and the characters. The first act is the Exposition - it sets the scene, expresses
the problem and introduces the main characters, the second act is the Complication where conflict is
developed, for example Antonio and Sebastian plot to kill Alonso and Caliban, Stephano and Trinculo
(the villains) appear, act three is the Climax of the play where Miranda and Ferdinand develop their
love and the plot to kill Prospero is created, the fourth act is the Falling Action which begins the resolution,
and the fifth act is the Conclusion of the play where Prospero resolves his problems.
Structure: Verse and Prose Changes

The verse of The Tempest is usually written in iambic pentameter but not in a traditional manner -
Shakespeare often adds extra syllables to his lines and varies the rhythm, which suggests that the play is
subverting tradition, which can also have been seen through the themes of the play which challenge social
hierarchy. The play's lines are not end-stopped, yet the line during the Masque are which is used to show
that the event is extremely formal.
Traditionally, prose is spoken by low-status and comic characters, such as servants whereas high-status
characters spoke in verse. We can see this through Prospero's speech - verse, and Stephano and Trinculo's
speech - prose. However, Shakespeare disregards this rule when it comes to the character of Caliban
who, although has a low-status as a servant, speaks in verse and even is responsible for some of the most
beautiful poetry in the play. 'And then I loved thee/And showed thee all the qualities o'th'isle,/The fresh
springs, brine-pits, barren place and fertile -' (Act 1, Scene 2) This may suggest that Shakespeare is

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commenting on the Western view of low-status people and that civilisation should change their views to
treat natives as equals.
THE TEMPEST’S SETTING

 Almost all of The Tempest takes place on a remote magical island where Prospero and Miranda
have lived for the past twelve years.
 Prospero, once Duke of Milan, was overthrown by his younger brother Antonio. Antonio then cast
Prospero and Miranda out to sea, which brought them to this island by “providence divine”.
Setting
The setting of The Tempest takes place on an island somewhere in the Mediterranean, and perhaps
inspired by the real-life tempest which stranded several ships in Bermuda. The unspecific location of the
island functions to allow Shakespeare, and the reader, to create endless possibilities for the activity on
the island. This also gives the theatre companies who perform the play a multitude of possibilities when
staging the play, as they are free to interpret the setting in a number of ways. For example, Trevor Nunn's
West End production of The Tempest keeps with the traditional Elizabethan dress, setting and shipwreck,
whereas Rupert Goold's 2006 production staged the setting of the play as the frozen North. This shows
how ambivalent the setting of The Tempest is, as it is susceptible to a ranging variety of interpretations.
This ambivalence is reinforced by Shakespeare's use of character's conflicting opinions on the island.
Caliban, an inhabitant of the island argues that the island is full of variety 'The fresh springs, brine-pits,
barren place and fertile -' (Act 1, Scene 2,) whereas Adrian believes the island to be 'Uninhabitable, and
almost inaccessible -' (Act 2, Scene 1) which suggests that the island is barren and arid, which contrasts
entirely to Gonzalo's view of the island - 'Here is everything advantageous to life.' (Act 2, Scene 1) which
shows that how each of the characters view the island is influenced by their personalities, as Gonzalo is
a very optimistic character whereas many of the others tend to be quite pessimistic. This may emphasize
the idea that the island is magical, and perhaps that it can alter its appearance to suit the individual.
Further, the island is used as a tool by Shakespeare to expose the nature of each of the characters. For
example, it highlights the significance of colonialism through many of the Western character's, such as
Prospero and Stephano's, desire to control the island.
The island isolates the characters from the restraints and rules of civilization and the bounds of reality,
which allows the play to use the natural and supernatural, the real and the imagination. It is this isolation
that allows the characters to carry out their unusual actions, such as magic. Isolation allows Prospero to
become omnipotent, holding complete authority over Miranda, and the natives of the island Ariel and
Caliban. Miranda is also isolated from society as she has little knowledge of civilization and this functions
to create the character's naivety. This isolation allows the setting to fully utilize its capabilities for
supernatural events and magic. Caliban says that 'the island is full of noises' which suggests that the setting
has its own level of control, and is full of magic and the supernatural. We can see this through Prospero's
use of magic to control Caliban and through his magical creation of the tempest, and through Ariel's
magic.
The island is seen as a piece of property by many of the characters, rather than a part of nature. For
example, Prospero, when he initially comes to inhabit the island takes complete control of it, similarly to
Stephano's view that his being on the island gives him the right to control it. Caliban, although a native of
the island which may suggest that he has a right to rule the island, also wants complete control of the
island and its inhabitants. Additionally, Gonzalo dreams about taking the island and turning it into a form
of utopia in which there are no rules.
A Tempest in Bermuda
It is believed that The Tempest was inspired by a series of pamphlets concerning the survival of some mariners
in the Bermuda Islands after a tempest in 1609. The Bermudas were popularly thought to be inhabited by demons
and fairies, and this sparked Shakespeare’s imagination for the creation of the play.
THE TEMPEST CHARACTERS

MINOR CHARACTER CONTRASTS
 Categorizing The Tempest

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 While The Tempest was originally listed as a Comedy by Shakespeare, recent scholars have
chosen to give it the more adequate label of Tragicomedy.
 Tragicomedy refers to works that blend aspects of the both tragedy and comedy into one hybrid
genre.
 In a typical tragicomedy, the action moves towards catastrophe like a tragedy, but fortunate
events or actions intervene to bring about a happy ending.
THE TEMPEST CHARACTER MAP
 Prospero
Prospero’s attempt to return to Milan after twelve years of expulsion is the main plot of the play.The
rightful Duke of Milan, though his kingdom and title were usurped by his brother Antonio. Prospero was
able to survive a plot on his life, and he and his daughter Miranda were set aboard a wrecked craft, but
managed to land safely on the island. Prospero is able to gain control of the spirits of the island, and
uses his vast knowledge and control over the spirits to direct acts of magic as he pleases. He is ruler of
the island, after taking control of it from its rightful heir, Caliban, and he makes sure that Alonso's ship
wrecks on the island, so he can get his revenge on his brothers for their wrongdoing.
As a sorcerer, he compels the elements of nature to do his will and he orders his slaves about. Through his
plan of playing upon the consciences of his betrayers, he means to regain his kingdom and leave the

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island. He also intends to marry his daughter, Miranda, to Ferdinand, the Prince of Naples. He is the
brother of Antonio.
Prospero's humanity is clearly obvious in his treatment of Antonio, whom he calls traitor but whom he
declines to treat as a traitor. Another example of Prospero's goodness is when he stops Alonso from
apologizing to Miranda, telling him that there is no need for more amends. By the play's conclusion, it is
clear that Prospero is just and fair, in addition to intelligent.
 Alonso, King of Naples
The King of Naples who was involved in a plot to overthrow Prospero. Twelve years previous to the play,
he helped Antonio usurp the Dukedom of Milan from his brother Prospero. (He gave Prospero's dukedom
to Antonio). He is the father of Ferdinand and the brother of Sebastian Ferdinand, is also heir to the
kingdom. When he believes that his son has died, Alonso is grief-stricken. Later, he is overjoyed to find
Ferdinand still alive. Alonso may have been corrupt in his dealings with his brothers, but he does not prove
to be an evil-natured man; he is a flawed politician, but is a highly regarded king and is not a villain.
Alonso bears some responsibility for the events in Prospero's life, because Antonio would not have acted
without Alonso's agreement. However, when confronted with his responsibility, Alonso is genuinely
repentant for the pain he caused Prospero in the past. Alonso's concern for his son's safety and his deep
grief when he thinks his son is dead help to construct an image of Alonso as a good and loving father who
has made mistakes in the past. The quickness with which he accepts Miranda as his daughter, as well as
his attempts to apologize to her, also reinforce the image of Alonso as a good and just king.
 Sebastian
Brother to Alonso and is with Alonso on the trip back from Tunis. During the play he is convinced by Antonio
that he should plot against his brother and become the King of Naples himself. He is the brother of Alonso.
Sebastian is easily infected by a plot for the crown made by Antonio, and impressed upon him by the
magic of the spirit Ariel. He is also not evil, but has a flawed nature.
 Antonio
Antonio is motivated by envy and by a desire to create trouble. He took advantage of his brother’s
(Prospero's) absorption in his studies to steal his Dukedom 12 years earlier. He is now the fraudulent duke
of Milan and is still actively engaged in plotting rebellion. On the island, he continues this sort of behaviour
by attempting to convince Sebastian to betray his brother, Alonso. Antonio is probably the least scrupulous
character in the play, and he is the originator of another plot to take the throne from Alonso through more
murders though this plot is engineered by Prospero, and made possible by Ariel's magical powers. He is
typically sarcastic and remote, and unrepentant of his crimes. Although he may be frightened when
confronted with the spirits and later Prospero, Antonio reveals no sign of remorse for the actions he has
committed.
 Miranda
Miranda is Prospero's only daughter, she has lived most of her life on the island and has been educated
by her father, Prospero. She’s so young that she cannot remember anyone she knew before she came to
the island. She is intelligent and headstrong, having learned a lot from her father. Her virginity is guarded
sharply by her father from Caliban because Prospero wants to use her to create a union with the king of
Naples. Under Ariel's enchantment; she follows her father's plan, and falls in love with Ferdinand willingly.
She and Ferdinand end up together, bound by their mutual infatuation.
 Ferdinand
Ferdinand is Alonso's son and heir to the kingdom of Naples. Ferdinand spends a good portion of the
play believing his father, Alonso, to be dead. When he meets Miranda he becomes enchanted by her
beauty and toils for her father. He pledges to her in marriage of his own accord.
Prospero arranges, through his magic, for Ferdinand to fall in love with his daughter, Miranda; Prospero's
plot to have Miranda and Ferdinand married is his key to reclaiming his power in Italy. Ferdinand is
honest and kind, a loving son, who will make a loving husband to Miranda. For the brief span of the play,
Ferdinand is completely lovelorn and presumed dead by his father because they are separated during
the shipwreck; out of his infatuation with Miranda, he agrees to become Prospero's servant for a span.
Ferdinand is an honorable match for Miranda, sharing many of the same qualities that his innocent bride

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displays. Prospero finally declares him worthy, and the engagement is at last approved by both Prospero
and Alonso.
 Ariel
Ariel is a spirit of the island, over whom Prospero becomes master after ousting Sycorax. He is less
offensive and more powerful While Prospero is the ‘sorcerer’ of the play, Ariel carries out most of his
commands. He is the source of Prospero's magical powers, causing the tempest and many of the
conspiracies in the play, and works for Prospero somewhat against his will. He is an intelligent, capable
servant, and is finally freed by Prospero for his devoted service.
 Gonzalo
Gonzalo is the wise old man of the play. The councilor to the king, and an honest man as well; he is the
one who helps Prospero and Miranda survive Antonio's plot to have them murdered. Twelve years earlier
he had provided Prospero and Miranda with the goods that made their life on the island easier. He
advises Alonso, although his advice is not always heeded and his words are often mocked by others.
Gonzalo is optimistic, good-tempered, and loyal; he is one of the unquestionably good characters in the
play, with no apparent dark side in him.
 Adrian and Francisco
Adrian is a noblemen and member of Alonso’s court who accompanied him to the wedding of his daughter.
He was shipwrecked with the rest. Adrian tries his best to console Alonso when Alonso believes that his son
is dead; and Francisco also tries to be helpful to the king. . His main function in the play is comedic as he
pokes fun at Gonzalo with Francisco.
Francisco joins Adrian in ridiculing Gonzalo and providing comedic; perhaps even slapstick, relief in the
performance.
Neither plays a very important role within the play, but they do appear to be good-tempered men, and
Adrian at least is taunted by the very sarcastic pair of Antonio and Sebastian.
Prospero's humanity is clearly obvious in his treatment of Antonio, whom he calls traitor but whom he
declines to treat as a traitor. Another example of Prospero's goodness is when he stops Alonso from
apologizing to Miranda, telling him that there is no need for more amends. By the play's conclusion, it is
clear that Prospero is just and fair, in addition to intelligent.
 Caliban
Caliban is the oldest resident of the island. His mother, Sycorax, came to the island from Algiers. Prospero
steals control of the island from him. When Prospero came to the island he took Caliban into his company
and taught him English. He becomes Prospero's only subject, doing all of his hard labour and dirty work;
Caliban tries to rape Miranda, and is shunned by both Miranda and Prospero because of this. All who
encounter Caliban regard him as sub-human, or reprehensible, because of his different looks and strange
ways. Caliban is a poor judge of character: He embraces Stefano as a god and trusts his two drunken
conspirators to help him carry out a plot to murder Prospero. Caliban is an innocent, reacting to emotional
and physical needs without the ability to think through and fully understand the events and people who
surround him. He is truly a child of nature, uneducated and reacting to his surroundings in much the same
way that an animal does.However, Caliban has a capacity for poetry and understanding beauty, as
shown by a speech in Act III, which is one of the most poetic, beautiful, and descriptive of the play.
Gonzalo is the only one within the play who even tries to evaluate Caliban and his kind fairly; the others,
blinded by prejudice, mistreat him to various extents. Caliban plots against Prospero with Trinculo and
Stephano.
 Trinculo
Trinculo is a consistently drunken jester, who is a servant of Alonso's, and brought ashore in the shipwreck.
He is a dull fool mostly, not capable of any real action, and providing a good deal of comic relief. When
Caliban meets him, he immediately dislikes him and his inebriated insults; but, Trinculo does become a
part of Caliban's plan to murder Prospero and take over the island, though Trinculo proves completely
ineffective in this.
 Stephano
Stephano is a drunken butler with delusions of grandeur. He is Trinculo’s friend. He is jolly, inebriated, He
is easily encouraged by Caliban’s tale of Prospero and the riches of the island; and Caliban takes him

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on as a new master, thinking that he has some magical powers. He agrees to Caliban's plot to make him
ruler of the island, and gain him the favors of Miranda. However, like Trinculo, he is not cunning, and is
completely incapable of carrying out the plan.
 Sycorax
Although she is not actually in the play, Sycorax is a powerful symbol of the natural world as well as
Prospero’s antithesis and Caliban's mother.
 Master of a Ship, Mariners
The master opens the play and deals with the ensuing storm. He appears only in Act 1, scene 1. The royal
passengers do not heed his warnings, even though he is in command of the ship. The master tries to hearten
the sailors, and get them to sail the boat through the storm; but, one of Ariel's spells makes them lose
heart and abandon ship. They are whisked safely away, and will take the party back to Italy at the
play's end.
 Boatswain
He aides the Master of the ship in trying to weather the storm and his the right hand to the ship master,
in control of the workings of the ship. Antonio and Sebastian try their best to pick a fight with him in the
first act, and basically keep him from doing his job. The boatswain reappears in the last act, and tells
about what happened to the ship's crew after the tempest.
 Iris, Ceres, Juno, Nymphs, Reapers
These characters are figures that appear in Prospero's betrothal masque for Miranda and Ferdinand in
Act IV. Iris, Ceres, and Juno are goddesses from Roman myth; Iris is goddess of the rainbow, Ceres
presides over agriculture, and Juno is queen of the gods. The parts are all performed by spirits, with Ariel
performing the part of Ceres.
THEMES IN THE TEMPEST

Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.
 Power and control and the nature of just and productive leadership.
Some related scenes:
 Act 1 Scene 2: Prospero tells Miranda of his betrayal by Alonso and Antonio and explains that he
has instructed Ariel to shipwreck the King's party; Ariel challenges Prospero; Prospero lambastes
Caliban and punishes him for his defiance.
 Act 2 Scene 1: Antonio and Sebastian discuss the idea of conscience and attempt to murder Alonso
and Gonzalo.
 Act 2 Scene 2: Caliban acquires a new master, Stephano, who calls him 'Monster.'
 Act 5 Scene 1: Ariel reports that he has charmed the noblemen into immobility as Prospero instructed
him to do. Prospero plans to break his magic staff and drown his books after this last piece of his
revenge plan is complete.
 Betrayal, revenge and forgiveness, the consequences of each and the journey from turbulence to
harmony.
Some related scenes:
 Act 1 Scene 2: Prospero tells Miranda of his betrayal by Alonso and Antonio and explains that he
has instructed Ariel to shipwreck the King's party.
 Act 3 Scene 2: Caliban, Stephano and Trinculo plot to murder Prospero.
 Act 3 Scene 3: In response to Ariel's magic banquet Alonso feels remorse for his past behaviour
while Sebastian and Antonio continue their plotting.
 Act 4 Scene 1: Prospero thwarts Caliban's plot to murder him and tells Ariel to inflict them with
cramps, convulsions and pinches.
 Act 5 Scene 1: Prospero releases the noblemen from their charm, welcomes Gonzalo, forgives
Alonso, and privately warns Antonio and Sebastian. With provisos he will forgive Caliban,
Stephano and Trinculo.

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 The Difficulty of Distinguishing “Men” From “Monsters”
Upon seeing Ferdinand for the first time, Miranda says that he is “the third man that e’er I saw” (I.ii.449).
The other two are, presumably, Prospero and Caliban. In their first conversation with Caliban, however,
Miranda and Prospero say very little that shows they consider him to be human. Miranda reminds Caliban
that before she taught him language, he gabbled “like / A thing most brutish” (I.ii.359–360) and Prospero
says that he gave Caliban “human care” (I.ii.349), implying that this was something Caliban ultimately
did not deserve. Caliban’s exact nature continues to be slightly ambiguous later. In Act IV, scene i,
reminded of Caliban’s plot, Prospero refers to him as a “devil, a born devil, on whose nature / Nurture
can never stick” (IV.i.188–189). Miranda and Prospero both have contradictory views of Caliban’s
humanity. On the one hand, they think that their education of him has lifted him from his formerly brutish
status. On the other hand, they seem to see him as inherently brutish. His devilish nature can never be
overcome by nurture, according to Prospero. Miranda expresses a similar sentiment in Act I, scene ii: “thy
vile race, / Though thou didst learn, had that in’t which good natures / Could not abide to be with”
(I.ii.361–363). The inhuman part of Caliban drives out the human part, the “good nature,” that is imposed
on him.
Caliban claims that he was kind to Prospero, and that Prospero repaid that kindness by imprisoning him
(see I.ii.347). In contrast, Prospero claims that he stopped being kind to Caliban once Caliban had tried
to rape Miranda (I.ii.347–351). Which character the audience decides to believe depends on whether it
views Caliban as inherently brutish, or as made brutish by oppression. The play leaves the matter
ambiguous. Caliban balances all of his eloquent speeches, such as his curses in Act I, scene ii and his speech
about the isle’s “noises” in Act III, scene ii, with the most degrading kind of drunken, servile behaviour. But
Trinculo’s speech upon first seeing Caliban (II.ii.18–38), the longest speech in the play, reproaches too
harsh a view of Caliban and blurs the distinction between men and monsters. In England, which he visited
once, Trinculo says, Caliban could be shown off for money: “There would this monster make a man. Any
strange beast there makes a man. When they will not give a doit to relieve a lame beggar, they will lay
out ten to see a dead Indian” (II.ii.28–31). What seems most monstrous in these sentences is not the “dead
Indian,” or “any strange beast,” but the cruel voyeurism of those who capture and gape at them.
Man or Monster? - It is difficult to tell, throughout The Tempest, which characters are presented as men, and
which are presented as monsters. Perhaps the most obvious physical monster is Caliban, and he is referred to
as 'monster' for much of the play. Miranda treats Caliban as if he is not human, but only because he attempted
to rape her and because he does not act as others within civilization do, and without this event we may have
more sympathy for Caliban - he was enslaved by Prospero and is forced, through pain, to carry out his
wishes. We may argue that Caliban is not truly a monster, because he only wishes to gain freedom from the
control of men. Although many of the other characters in the play are human, it can be argued that several
act like monsters. For example, Antonio usurped his brother wrongfully and he and Sebastian attempt to kill
the king for their own selfish gain and similarly, Stephano and Trinculo enslave Caliban and plot to kill
Prospero so that they can take control of the island. These actions present the men in extremely poor lights,
as without civilization and this suggests that they, perhaps sometimes more than Caliban, are monsters rather
than men.
 Illusion and Magic
The play begins with an illusion - the shipwreck is not a result of a tempest, but of Ariel's and Prospero's
magic and this creates the idea that the island is full of magic and illusions. For example, Ariel and the
other spirits may be seen as an illusion to the royals as they are unused to such supernatural beings and
the island itself is seen to be magical, even Caliban - a supernatural creature himself - says that the island
'is full of noises' (Act 3, Scene 2) which suggests that it is a place of magic and the supernatural.
Prospero is also representative of magic through his learning of spells and his possession of magic books.
He is able to make himself invisible, control others and the elements, bring torment and pain, and command
the spirits of the island which show that his magic is extremely powerful. It is this magic that allows Prospero
to perform all his tasks, regarding the royal entourage, which makes magic central to the success of the
play.

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It is also suggested that illusion within The Tempest appears through the illusion of justice. The act that
initiates the play, is the unjust usurpation of Prospero by his brother Antonio is the first violation of justice
the audience encounters. Prospero uses this to present himself as a victim, yet it can be argued that he
abuses this status as he takes power from other characters - Ariel and Caliban. Thus, Prospero also creates
an illusion of justice as he should not enslave the other characters of the play.
 The Illusion of Justice

The Tempest tells a fairly straightforward story involving an unjust act, the usurpation of Prospero’s throne
by his brother, and Prospero’s quest to re-establish justice by restoring himself to power. However, the idea
of justice that the play works toward seems highly subjective, since this idea represents the view of one
character who controls the fate of all the other characters. Though Prospero presents himself as a victim of
injustice working to right the wrongs that have been done to him, Prospero’s idea of justice and injustice is
somewhat hypocritical though he is furious with his brother for taking his power, he has no qualms about
enslaving Ariel and Caliban in order to achieve his ends. At many moments throughout the play, Prospero’s
sense of justice seems extremely one-sided and mainly involves what is good for Prospero. Moreover, because
the play offers no notion of higher order or justice to supersede Prospero’s interpretation of events, the play
is morally ambiguous.
As the play progresses, however, it becomes more and more involved with the idea of creativity and art, and
Prospero’s role begins to mirror more explicitly the role of an author creating a story around him. With this
metaphor in mind, and especially if we accept Prospero as a surrogate for Shakespeare himself, Prospero’s
sense of justice begins to seem, if not perfect, at least sympathetic. Moreover, the means he uses to achieve
his idea of justice mirror the machinations of the artist, who also seeks to enable others to see his view of the
world. Playwrights arrange their stories in such a way that their own idea of justice is imposed upon events.
In The Tempest, the author is in the play, and the fact that he establishes his idea of justice and creates a
happy ending for all the characters becomes a cause for celebration, not criticism.
By using magic and tricks that echo the special effects and spectacles of the theater, Prospero gradually
persuades the other characters and the audience of the rightness of his case. As he does so, the ambiguities
surrounding his methods slowly resolve themselves. Prospero forgives his enemies, releases his slaves, and
relinquishes his magic power, so that, at the end of the play, he is only an old man whose work has been
responsible for all the audience’s pleasure. The establishment of Prospero’s idea of justice becomes less a
commentary on justice in life than on the nature of morality in art. Happy endings are possible, Shakespeare
seems to say, because the creativity of artists can create them, even if the moral values that establish the
happy ending originate from nowhere but the imagination of the artist.
Usurpation
Usurpation is the overthrow of a rightful leader or rules and this is used in a variety of forms throughout The
Tempest. The play is full of rebellions - the Boatswain orders the king and courtiers from the deck during the
storm, political treachery - Antonio expels Prospero and steals his dukedom, mutinies - Caliban attempts to
rape Miranda, and conspiracies - Antonio and Sebastian plot to kill Alonso and Gonzalo and Caliban,
Stephano and Trinculo plot to kill Prospero.
 The Allure of Ruling a Colony

The nearly uninhabited island presents the sense of infinite possibility to almost everyone who lands there.
Prospero has found it, in its isolation, an ideal place to school his daughter. Sycorax, Caliban’s mother,
worked her magic there after she was exiled from Algeria. Caliban, once alone on the island, now
Prospero’s slave, laments that he had been his own king (I.ii.344–345). As he attempts to comfort Alonso,
Gonzalo imagines a utopian society on the island, over which he would rule (II.i.148–156). In Act III, scene
ii, Caliban suggests that Stephano kill Prospero, and Stephano immediately envisions his own reign:
“Monster, I will kill this man. His daughter and I will be King and Queen—save our graces! —and Trinculo
and thyself shall be my viceroys” (III.ii.101–103). Stephano particularly looks forward to taking
advantage of the spirits that make “noises” on the isle; they will provide music for his kingdom for free.
All these characters envision the island as a space of freedom and unrealized potential.

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The tone of the play, however, toward the hopes of the would-be colonizers is vexed at best. Gonzalo’s
utopian vision in Act II, scene i is undercut by a sharp retort from the usually foolish Sebastian and Antonio.
When Gonzalo says that there would be no commerce or work or “sovereignty” in his society, Sebastian
replies, “yet he would be king on’t,” and Antonio adds, “The latter end of his commonwealth forgets the
beginning” (II.i.156–157). Gonzalo’s fantasy thus involves him ruling the island while seeming not to rule
it, and in this he becomes a kind of parody of Prospero.
While there are many representatives of the colonial impulse in the play, the colonized have only one
representative: Caliban. We might develop sympathy for him at first, when Prospero seeks him out merely
to abuse him, and when we see him tormented by spirits. However, this sympathy is made more difficult
by his willingness to abase himself before Stephano in Act II, scene ii. Even as Caliban plots to kill one
colonial master (Prospero) in Act III, scene ii, he sets up another (Stephano). The urge to rule and the urge
to be ruled seem inextricably intertwined.
Colonialism - The Tempest is preoccupied with the theme of colonialism. Shakespeare presents colonialism as
a form of exploitation which Western society uses to control 'inferior' beings. The conflict between Prospero
and Caliban, it is argued, represents the conflict between the Old World (Europe) and the challenges to their
culture and beliefs from the New World (America), as Prospero can be seen as the colonist and Caliban as
the native inhabitant. There is much support within The Tempest for the idea that colonization was a form of
economic exploitation. Firstly, Prospero takes control of Caliban and uses him as a slave, and secondly and
perhaps most obviously, when Stephano and Trinculo discover Caliban their first thought is to wonder how
much money they could gain by exhibiting Caliban at an English fair.
Colonization links closely to the idea of social class as Europeans believed that social hierarchy was a fixed
element of society and was God-given. Natives tended to live without a rigid social hierarchy - although they
did often have a leader who was usually seen to have links with the supernatural - yet all were considered
equal and Western colonists perceived this as appalling and as something that would create anarchy - and
Prospero uses this idea and controls it through his control and punishments of Caliban. Europeans justified
their actions against natives through the suggestion that natives and their actions were full of debauchery and
depravity. For example, Caliban's attempted rape of Miranda is used as evidence of his evil nature, especially
as he does not realize how horrible his actions are. In comparison, Prospero's control of Miranda's sexuality
suggests that Western society is a higher state of civilization, characterized by restraint, abstinence and self-
discipline.
 Forgiveness and Reconciliation

It seems, at the beginning of the play, that Prospero's aims are not to reconcile, but to seek revenge. Yet the
audience is never quite sure, and by the end of the play Prospero, with help from Ariel, has learnt how to
forgive and had reconciled with the royal entourage and regained his position as the Duke of Milan - he says
'The rarer action is/n virtue, than in vengeance' (Act 5, Scene 1). This idea of forgiveness is introduced slightly
earlier in the play, during Act 4, Scene 1, through the appearance of the Goddess Iris. Iris is the Goddess of
the Rainbow which provides the audience with the image of the storm ending, and a new beginning. This also
symbolizes Prospero's change to harmony and peace, rather than revenge as he allows the blessing of his
daughter's marriage to Ferdinand, the king's son.
THE TEMPEST SYMBOLS

 Prospero's Cloak and Books
"From mine own library with volumes that I prize above my dukedom...." (Act I - Scene II)
Prospero's cloak and books are the source of his power. He deliberately takes off his cloak at two points
in the play: once when he tells Miranda of their history, and again at the end of the play when he gives
up his magic. Gonzalo knows how much Prospero loves his books, and he arranges for them to be placed
on the ship that removes Prospero and Miranda from Milan. Without the books, Prospero would not have
had the power to summon the tempest and restore order to Milan and
Naples. Caliban advises Stephano to seize Prospero's books when they make plans to murder Prospero
and take control of the island. When Prospero relinquishes his magic at the end of the play, he says, "I'll
drown my book" (5.1.57).

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Like the tempest, Prospero’s books are a symbol of his power. “Remember / First to possess his books,”
Caliban says to Stephano and Trinculo, “for without them / He’s but a sot” (III.ii.86–88). The books are
also a symbol of his power, just like the storm was, and a symbol of his desire to escape from the rest of the
world. His dedication to books and to study was the thing that put him at the mercy of his brother. They,
obviously, also represent the source of Prospero’s magic and knowledge. The books are also, however, a
symbol of Prospero’s dangerous desire to withdraw entirely from the world. It was his devotion to study that
put him at the mercy of his ambitious brother, and it is this same devotion to study that has made him content
to raise Miranda in isolation. Yet, Miranda’s isolation has made her ignorant of where she came from (see
I.ii.33–36), and Prospero’s own isolation provides him with little company. In order to return to the world
where his knowledge means something more than power, Prospero must let go of his magic.
The last important symbol we find in the first act of the play is Prospero’s cloak. His cloak is also a
representation of his power, like the books are (he even only takes it off twice in the whole play).
"And pluck my magic garment from me...." (Act I - Scene II)
While we shortly do learn that Prospero studied much of his sorcery, his calling this garment “magic,” and
removing it to speak with Miranda, is important. In many of Shakespeare’s plays clothing plays an
important role in emphasizing status. Since Prospero wears a magic cloak, then this not only bestows him
with mysterious power, but it also reinforces his position of power on the island.
 The Tempest
Beginning of Scene, I; lines 177, 194, 251, 287 and 202.
A tempest sets off the play and symbolizes the suffering Prospero has faced, and which he wants to make
his enemies experience too. Prospero wants his enemies suffer like he already has, in order to make them
learn from it. The tempest could also be considered a symbol of Prospero’s magic.
All of those shipwrecked are put at the mercy of the sea, just as Prospero and his infant daughter were
twelve years ago, when some loyal friends helped them out to sea in a ragged little boat (see I.ii.144–
151). Prospero must make his enemies suffer as he has suffered so that they will learn from their suffering,
as he has from his. The tempest is also a symbol of Prospero’s magic, and of the frightening, potentially
malevolent side of his power.
The tempest represents the political upheaval in the play. When the courtiers and their ship are tossed
by the storm, nature and the sailors suddenly have more power than the courtiers. This state of disorder
continues throughout the play until the injustice done to Prospero is righted at the end. After Prospero has
regained his dukedom, he promises his guests "calm seas" and favorable winds for their journey home.
 Clasping of Hands
Line 377.
Ariel invites Ferdinand to take hands as Ariel leads Ferdinand away from crying over his father’s death.
This could be also considered as a symbol of faith.
 The Game of Chess
The object of chess is to capture the king. That, at the simplest level, is the symbolic significance of Prospero
revealing Ferdinand and Miranda playing chess in the final scene. Prospero has caught the king—
Alonso—and reprimanded him for his treachery. In doing so, Prospero has married Alonso’s son to his own
daughter without the king’s knowledge, a deft political maneuver that assures Alonso’s support because
Alonso will have no interest in upsetting a dukedom to which his own son is heir. This is the final move in
Prospero’s plot, which began with the tempest. He has maneuvered the different passengers of Alonso’s
ship around the island with the skill of a great chess player.
Caught up in their game, Miranda and Ferdinand also symbolize something ominous about Prospero’s
power. They do not even notice the others staring at them for a few lines. “Sweet lord, you play me false,”
Miranda says, and Ferdinand assures her that he “would not for the world” do so (V.i.174–176). The
theatrical tableau is almost too perfect: Ferdinand and Miranda, suddenly and unexpectedly revealed
behind a curtain, playing chess and talking gently of love and faith, seem entirely removed from the
world around them. Though he has promised to relinquish his magic, Prospero still seems to see his daughter
as a mere pawn in his game.

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The Game of Chess - The game of chess which interrupts Act 5, Scene 1, between Miranda and Ferdinand is
used by Shakespeare to show how Prospero has successful completed his aims - as he has managed to win
the king, Alonso, and taught him the lesson of his treachery.
The game may also suggest that Prospero's power is ominous as he uses the people around him, even
Miranda, as 'pawns' in his game to achieve his aims, disregarding the wishes of the other characters.
MOTIFS
(A Motif is a decorative image or design, especially a repeated one forming a pattern or a dominant or
recurring idea in an artistic work
Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, and literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text’s
major themes.)
 Masters and Servants
Lines 10, 11, 12, 108, 190, 270, 294, 299, 305, 318.
From the very beginning of the play we can find three motifs that will be not only in the first act, but also in
the rest of the play. The first one can be identified as “masters and servants”: in every scene of the play we
find different relationships between a figure that has power and another figure that is the subject of the other
one’s power. For example, in the first scene, the servant, the Boatswain, feels angry with his masters, the
noblemen. Then, this kind of relationship dominates the play.
Nearly every scene in the play either explicitly or implicitly portrays a relationship between a figure that
possesses power and a figure that is subject to that power. The play explores the master-servant dynamic
most harshly in cases in which the harmony of the relationship is threatened or disrupted, as by the
rebellion of a servant or the ineptitude of a master. For instance, in the opening scene, the “servant” (the
Boatswain) is dismissive and angry toward his “masters” (the noblemen), whose ineptitude threatens to
lead to a shipwreck in the storm. From then on, master-servant relationships like these dominate the play:
Prospero and Caliban; Prospero and Ariel; Alonso and his nobles; the nobles and Gonzalo; Stephano,
Trinculo, and Caliban; and so forth. The play explores the psychological and social dynamics of power
relationships from a number of contrasting angles, such as the generally positive relationship between
Prospero and Ariel, the generally negative relationship between Prospero and Caliban, and the treachery
in Alonso’s relationship to his nobles.
Servant and master as varied examples of the exercise of power.
For example:
 'Come away, servant, come. I am ready now. / Approach, my Ariel, come Act 1 Scene 2
 'Is there more toil? Since thou dost give me pains, / Let me remember thee what thou hast promised,
/ Which is not yet performed me' Act 1 Scene 2
 'Thou, my slave, / As thou report'st thyself, was then her servant' Act 1 Scene 2
 'When thou cam'st first, / Thou strok'st me, and made much of me...And then I loved thee' Act 1
Scene 2
 'For I am all the subjects that you have, / Which first was mine own king' Act 1 Scene 2
 'Thou most lying slave / Whom stripes may move, not kindness...' Act 1 Scene 2
 'my brother's servants / Were then my fellows; now they are my men' Act 2 Scene 1
 'Drink, servant-monster, when I bid thee' Act 3 Scene 2 'Monster, I will kill this man: his daughter and
I will be king and queen - save our graces! - and Trinculo and thyself shall be viceroys' Act 3 Scene
2
 'Do you love me, master? no?' Act 4 Scene 1 'My Ariel, chick, / That is thy charge. Then to the
elements / Be free, and fare thou well' Act 5 Scene 1
 Nature
The play uses a variety of forms of the natural world throughout, such as: the sea, air and wind, earth,
wildlife and thunder and lightning. These images of nature are presented both as benign and as
threatening, depending on the situation of each scene and this suggests that Shakespeare believes that

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nature is extremely powerful. The nature of the island is also ambivalent. Gonzalo sees it to be 'lush and
lusty' whilst others view is to be 'uninhabitable' (Act 2, Scene 1). Prospero seems to revere nature, arguing
that 'bountiful Fortune' brought him to the island (Act 1, Scene 2) and he, as he uses the natural elements
within his magic, is dependent upon it.
 Water
Water is used throughout the play to emphasize the significance of the tempest itself. The royal
entourage first enter the island with their garments 'drenched in the sea' (Act 2, Scene 1), Alonso
threatens to drown himself in mudded' (Act 3, Scene 3) water after Ferdinand's death, Ariel leads
Caliban, Stephano and Trinculo into a 'foul lake' (Act 4, Scene 1) for plotting against Prospero, and at
the end of the play, Prospero promises to 'drown my book' (Act 5, Scene 1) which shows that water is
extremely significant within the play.
Also, the play begins with a storm, and ends with a promise of calm seas for the future and the sea is
explicitly mentioned several times. For example, Shakespeare gives several images of the sea, from
pleasant ones to dangerous ones, such us 'sea-swallowed' and 'still-closing waters' and Antonio uses the
image of water to tempt Sebastian into killing the king - 'I'll teach you how to flow' (Act 2, Scene 1).
Water and Drowning
Lines 44, 46, annotation between lines 50 and 51 (entrance of the Mariners).
Another important motif is water and drowning. The play itself is full of references to water, in the first scene
of act I, the Mariners enter wet after being led to a lake. The effect of this water in the play is giving more
symbolic importance to the tempest.
The play is awash with references to water. The Mariners enter “wet” in Act I, scene i, and Caliban,
Stephano, and Trinculo enter “all wet,” after being led by Ariel into a swampy lake (IV.i.193). Miranda’s
fear for the lives of the sailors in the “wild waters” (I.ii.2) causes her to weep. Alonso, believing his son
dead because of his own actions against Prospero, decides in Act III, scene iii to drown himself. His
language is echoed by Prospero in Act V, scene i when the magician promises that, once he has reconciled
with his enemies, “deeper than did ever plummet sound / I’ll drown my book” (V.i.56–57).
These are only a few of the references to water in the play. Occasionally, the references to water are
used to compare characters. For example, the echo of Alonso’s desire to drown himself in Prospero’s
promise to drown his book calls attention to the similarity of the sacrifices each man must make. Alonso
must be willing to give up his life in order to become truly penitent and to be forgiven for his treachery
against Prospero. Similarly, in order to rejoin the world, he has been driven from, Prospero must be willing
to give up his magic and his power.
Perhaps the most important overall effect of this water motif is to heighten the symbolic importance of the
tempest itself. It is as though the water from that storm runs through the language and action of the entire
play—just as the tempest itself literally and crucially affects the lives and actions of all the characters.
Water and the sea as powerful and unpredictable, as constant reminders of the tempests which have
shipwrecked two boats and created such turbulence in the lives of the main characters; also as
reinforcing the exotic isolation of the island and the sense of journey as metaphor.
For example:
 'Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea for an acre of barren ground' Act 1 Scene 1
 'But that the sea, mounting to the welkin's cheek / Dashes the fire out' Act 1 Scene 2
 'Sit still, and hear the last of our sea-sorrow' Act 1 Scene 2
 'Re-enter Ariel like a water-nymph' Act 1 Scene 2
 'This music crept by me upon the waters, / Allaying both their fury and my passion' Act 1 Scene 2
 'Nothing of him that doth fade / but Doth suffer a sea-change / Into something rich and strange'
Act 1 Scene 2
 'Exposed unto the sea, which hath requit it, / Him and his innocent child: for which foul deed / The
powers, delaying, not forgetting have / Incensed the seas and shores' Act 3 Scene 3
 'I'll deliver all; / And promise you calm seas, auspicious gales' Act 5 Scene 1

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 Earth and air as underscoring the elemental, ageless nature of the island and as representing the
contrasting qualities of key characters.
For example:
 'To run upon the sharp wind of the north, / To do me business in the veins o'the earth / When it is
baked with frost' Act 1 Scene 2
 'What, ho! slave! Caliban! / Thou earth, thou! speak' Act 1 Scene 2
 'This is no mortal business, nor no sound / That the earth owes. I hear it now above me' Act 1 Scene
2
 'These our actors, / As I foretold you, were all spirits and / Are melted into air, into thin air...' Act
4 Scene 1
 'Some heavenly music... / To work mine end upon their senses that / This airy charm is for, I'll break
my staff, / Bury it certain fathoms in the earth Act 5 Scene 1
 'Hast thou, which art but air, a touch, a feeling / Of their afflictions, and shall not myself, / One of
their kind...' Act 5 Scene 1
 Mysterious Noises
Beginning of the Scene I; line 195.
The last motif we have considered is the mysterious noises. These noises give the play a hypnotic and magical
atmosphere. In the first act we obviously find the typical noises that a storm implies: thunders and lightning
(although this last has not noise, but a lightning implies a storm with it).
The isle is indeed, as Caliban says, “full of noises” (III.ii.130). The play begins with a “tempestuous noise
of thunder and lightning” (I.i.1, stage direction), and the splitting of the ship is signaled in part by “a
confused noise within” (I.i.54, stage direction). Much of the noise of the play is musical, and much of the
music is Ariel’s. Ferdinand is led to Miranda by Ariel’s music. Ariel’s music also wakes Gonzalo just as
Antonio and Sebastian are about to kill Alonso in Act II, scene i. Moreover, the magical banquet of Act III,
scene iii is laid out to the tune of “Solemn and strange music” (III.iii.18, stage direction), and Juno and
Ceres sing in the wedding masque (IV.i.106–117).
The noises, sounds, and music of the play are made most significant by Caliban’s speech about the noises
of the island at III.ii.130–138. Shakespeare shows Caliban in the thrall of magic, which the theater
audience also experiences as the illusion of thunder, rain, invisibility. The action of The Tempest is very
simple. What gives the play most of its hypnotic, magical atmosphere is the series of dreamlike events it
stages, such as the tempest, the magical banquet, and the wedding masque. Accompanied by music, these
present a feast for the eye and the ear and convince us of the magical glory of Prospero’s enchanted
isle.
Sounds and magic as helping to create the spirit of the magic island and giving atmosphere to key
moments of action.
For example:
 'A tempestuous noise of thunder and lightning heard' Act 1 Scene1
 'Where should this music be? i'the air or the earth?' Act 1 Scene 2
 'Hark! Now I hear them - Ding-dong bell' Act 1 Scene 2
 'Enter Ariel, invisible, playing solemn music' Act 2 Scene 1
 'the isle is full of noises, / Sounds and sweet airs' Act 3 Scene 2 'Solemn and strange music' Act 3
Scene 3
 'Marvellous sweet music!' Act 3 Scene 3
 'they prick'd their ears, / Advanced their eyelids, lifted up their noses / As they smelt music...' Act
4 Scene 1
 'A noise of hunters heard' Act 4 Scene 1 'and, when I have required / Some heavenly music, which
even now I do...' Act 5 Scene 1

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 Magic as a manifestation of power and control.
For example:
 'And pluck my magic garment from me' Act 1 Scene 2
 'I flamed amazement; sometime I'ld divide, / And burn in many places' Act 1 Scene 2
 'My master through his art foresees the danger / That you, his friend, are in, and sends me forth'
Act 2 Scene 1
 'Thunder and lightning. Enter Ariel, like a harpy, claps his wings upon the table, and, with a quaint
device, the banquet vanishes' Act 3 Scene 3
 'My charms crack not, my spirits obey, and time / Goes upright with his carriage' Act 4 Scene 1
 'I have bedimmed / The noontide sun, called forth the mutinous winds, / And 'twixt the green sea
and the azured vault / Set roaring war' Act 5 Scene 1
 'But this rough magic / I here abjure' Act 5 Scene 1
 'They all enter the circle which Prospero had made, and there stand charmed' Act 5 Scene 1
 Costume and theatre as magical, illusory; also as transformational and symbolic of a change in
character.
For example:
 'And pluck my magic garment from me' Act 1 Scene 2
 'Enter Ariel like a water-nymph' Act 1 Scene 2
 'Solemn and strange music; and Prospero on the top, invisible. Enter several strange shapes...' Act
3 Scene 3
 'Enter Ariel, like a harpy' Act 3 Scene 3 'Spirits, which by mine art / I have from their confines called
to enact / My present fancies' Act 4 Scene 1
 'And, like the baseless fabric of this vision, / The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces, / The
solemn temples, the great globe itself...' Act 4 Scene 1
 'Enter Ariel, loaden with glistering apparel' Act 4 Scene 1
 'O King Stephano! O peer! O worthy Stephano, look what a wardrobe here is for thee! Act 4 Scene
1
 'Put off that gown, Trinculo. By this hand, I'll have that gown! Act 4 Scene 1
 'Fetch me the hat and rapier in my cell / I will discase me, and myself present / As I was sometime
Milan' Act 5 Scene 1
LITERARY DEVICES IN THE TEMPEST

DRAMATIC DEVICES
LANGUAGE
 Soliloquy
A soliloquy is where a character, onstage and alone, reveals their thoughts to the audience. Shakespeare,
as The Tempest is not a tragedy, does not use many soliloquy's, as the dramatic scenes in the play are
enough to give accurate information to the audience. However, Shakespeare does use a few soliloquys,
most notably through Prospero, for example, in Scene 5, Act 1, to end the play by telling the audience
that he is giving up his magic.
 Aside

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An [Aside] is a stage direction which playwrights use to allow characters to address the audience, without
the other characters noticing. Asides usually suggest that there is some form of conspiracy, deceit, or
mocking in the scene. For example, in Act 3, Scene 1, Prospero frequently uses the aside: '[Aside] Poor
worm, thou art infected' to show the audience that he has planned this event.
 Imagery
Imagery in The Tempest is used to conjure vivid images which stretch the audiences imagination and
emotionally involve them in the play. When the play was first written it was not performed with elaborate
sets or costumes which meant that the audience were dependent upon their imagination when watching
the play, so Shakespeare has used much imagery to provide the audience with: most basically -
entertainment, insights into the nature of each character, and dramatic impact. One example of imagery
in the play is when Prospero is telling Miranda about how they came to inhabit the island and he says 'To
cry, to th'sea, that roared to us; to sigh/To th'winds, whose pity sighing back again/Did us loving wrong.'
(Act 1, Scene 2) Shakespeare uses images of the sea and the wind, along with personification and the
onomatopoeia of 'roared' to dramatise the event for the audience. Another is the 'thunder and lightening'
used to make Ariel's entrance during the harpy scene much more dramatic and powerful as the sound
creates fear and shocks the audience.
 Personification
Personification involves giving inanimate items human feeling or attributes. Prospero often uses
personification, for example: 'Fortune' (Act 2, Scene 1), Destiny, Time, Mercy, and Patience and the
capitalisation of these words suggests their importance and makes them appear human.
 Hyphen
Shakespeare uses hyphen's - putting together words to challenge the imagination which creates vivid
images and supports the idea that the play is full of improbable and fantastical events. Some of these
phrases are easily imagined and accessible for the audience to understand, such as 'sea-nymphs' and
'fresh-brook' (Act 1) whilst others, for example 'sight-outrunning' (Act 1) are difficult to image, yet still
vividly powerful. This instability to cement the images suggests that the island is full of wonder and ever-
changing reality which is a constant theme throughout the play.
 Antithesis
Antithesis is when words or phrases are put together which oppose each other, for example, when
Ferdinand discovers that his father is not dead he says 'Though the seas threaten, they are merciful' (Act
5, Scene 1) and this kind of antithesis is used frequently by Shakespeare throughout The Tempest as this
opposition of threats and mercy powerfully expresses conflict, which runs through the entire play.
Conflict appears in almost every scene as many of the characters are set against each other - Prospero
and the royal entourage, Caliban against Prospero, and Antonio and Sebastian against Alonso being
the most obvious. There are also more subtle mentions of conflict, for example Caliban and Ariel represent
the idea of earth vs. air, whilst the men of civilization (Prospero and the royal entourage) oppose the
natives of the island.
 Repetition
Although many of the lines in the play use repetition, for example 'We split, we split!' (Act 1, Scene 1) the
most obvious representation of repetition is found in Ariel's songs: 'Hark, hark!' and 'Bow wow, bow
wow' (Act 1, Scene 2). This repetition functions to entertain the audience and through their hypnotic sound
and also suggest that the island is extremely magical and mesmerizing.
MAGIC AND THE SUPERNATURAL IN THE TEMPEST

In The Tempest two different types of magic are explored, one being the art of evil through the use
of Black Magic, and the other being the study of meta-physics and the unknown through the use of White
Magic. The ‘black aspect of magic is revealed through the merely alluded to character of the evil witch
Sycorax. The ‘white’ aspect of magic is revealed through the well-developed character of Prospero, the
rightful Duke of Milan. The good aspect of magic is developed to a much greater extent than the evil aspect
of magic.
Prospero uses his great intelligence to win himself greater power. The attributes of magic used by
Prospero are his robe, his wand, and his books which kind Gonzalo cleverly hides on Prospero’s tiny ship.
Prospero uses his robe to signify that his appearance is, at threat moment, that of a magician. Prospero’s

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wand is actually mentioned very little, a reference being in Act 1, Sc. iii, -472, when Prospero disarms the
defiant Ferdinand. The books are, without question, Prospero’s chief source of power. Prospero’s robe
represents his influence over common materials, his wand is his ‘instrument of power’, and his books are
apparently the basic source of his knowledge.
The supernatural elements, and Ariel, the former servant of Sycorax, in particular, are an extension
of Prospero’s plot to regain order to his life and the lives of his old and now ‘new’ associates. The supernatural
spirits summoned by Ariel can be classified as those of fire, air, water, and earth. Fire is evoked in lightning
and the forms taken by Ariel as flames on the masts of the ship. The spirits of the air, which include Ariel, are
of the highest type. The music, noises, thunder, sounds, and sweet airs which flood the island pertain also to
the air. A reference to these is given by Caliban:
Be not afeared; the isle is full of noises, sounds and sweet airs that give delight and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousands twangling instruments will hum about mine ears; and sometime voices, that, if
I then had waked after a long sleep, will make me sleep again; and then, in dreaming the clouds me
thought would open and show riches ready to drop upon me, that, when I waked, I cried to dream
again.
(Act III, Sc. Ii, 140-43)
Water spirits and elves of the brooks and streams are called upon in Act IV, Sc. i, to “bestow upon
the eyes of the young couple some vanity of Prospero’s art.1” The spirits of the earth are the goblins, the
dogs and hounds used to plague and punish Caliban, Trinculo, and Stephano.
Another type of magic used by Prospero with the aid of Ariel is the production and disappearance
of the banquet, the fine garments used to tempt the fools, the arrival and dance of the spirits, and the circle
about Prospero’s cave where the courtiers are held charmed.
Prospero uses his magic and his control over the supernatural element to regain his Dukedom, punish
those who are evil, and reconcile those capable of repentance. Prospero at the end of the play rejects his
magic so he can return to society:
I’ll break my staff, bury it certain fathoms in the earth, and deeper than did ever plummet sound I’ll
drown my book
(Act V, Sc. I, 54-57)
Before Prospero leaves the island he dismisses Ariel from his service. Ariel promises a safe journey
for all to Naples and Milan, where Prospero will take possession of his lost Dukedom and witness the marriage
of Miranda and Prince Ferdinand.
However, Prospero cannot officially resume his place in society until he had adjured his magic powers
and drowned his book, for his is a knowledge more than mortal, an art that alienates him from the common
herd of men. There is, in his renunciation of his role of magus, something of the incarnation of Christ and
the felix culpa (fortunate fall).

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WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE THE TEMPEST

THE TEMPEST SUMMARY

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FORM & STRUCTURE

Structure: Verse and Prose Changes

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THE TEMPEST’S SETTING

THE TEMPEST CHARACTERS

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THE TEMPEST CHARACTER MAP

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THEMES IN THE TEMPEST

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 The Illusion of Justice

 The Allure of Ruling a Colony

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 Forgiveness and Reconciliation

THE TEMPEST SYMBOLS

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LITERARY DEVICES IN THE TEMPEST

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MAGIC AND THE SUPERNATURAL IN THE TEMPEST

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