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EAL Nexus resource

The Tempest Act I

Scene summaries
Subject: English
Age range: 12–14, 15–16
Topic: The Tempest

Licence information | This resource is free to use for educational purposes. ©British Council 2015
Source | This resource was originally developed by Val Asprey for Wolverhampton local authority and
has been adapted by EAL Nexus. Images are from Self-Made Hero’s Manga Shakespeare series.
 The Tempest Act 1:
Scene summaries

Scene 1 On a ship at sea

The play starts with a violent storm: the tempest. It threatens to kill all
those on board the ship.

The ship is carrying a party of noblemen and courtiers. They are

returning to Italy after a wedding in Africa.

The wedding is that of the daughter of Alonso, King of Naples, to the

Prince of Tunisia. Other members of the party on board the ship
include Ferdinand (Prince of Naples), Sebastian (the King’s brother),
Antonio (Prospero’s brother), Gonzalo (a trusted servant), Stephano
(the King’s butler)and Trinculo (the King’s jester).

The boatswain tries hard to save the ship. As everyone thinks the ship
is going to sink, it starts to drift towards an island.

Key words or phrases with pictures

Africa Alonso, King of Naples Antonio

the boatswain Ferdinand Gonzalo an island
Italy Sebastian a ship Stephano a storm
Trinculo Tunisia a wedding

Key words to translate

Word or phrase Translation Meaning

a tempest a violent storm

threatens

©British Council 2015

 Word or phrase Translation Meaning

a party of noblemen
and courtiers
to return

the King’s daughter

the King’s brother

a trusted servant

the King’s butler

the King’s jester

to return

Scene 2 The island – outside Prospero’s cell

As Prospero and Miranda watch the ship being destroyed by the

storm, Prospero tells her that everyone will be safe. He then tells her
that he was once the Duke of Milan but neglected his duties
because of his love of the study of magic. This gave his brother,
Antonio, the opportunity to conspire with the King of Naples to usurp
him. They escaped death with the help of a trusted servant called
Gonzalo, who provided them with a small boat, some food, clothing
and his magic books.

When Prospero and Miranda arrived on the island 12 years ago, he

learned that a wicked witch called Sycorax was the ruler of the
island. She was from Algeria and worshipped Setabos. She was
already dead when Prospero and Miranda arrived but her

©British Council 2015

deformed son, Caliban, was still on the island with an imprisoned
spirit called Ariel. Prospero freed Ariel and became the master of the
island.

Ariel and Caliban are Prospero’s servants but he treats them

differently. Prospero and Miranda were once kind to Caliban and
taught him to speak and things about nature. Prospero thinks
Caliban is ungrateful and, because Caliban tried to rape Miranda,
he now treats him like a slave.

Caliban hates Prospero because it was his mother’s island, so it

should belong to him. It is because he has learned how to speak
that he can now use language to curse Prospero.

Prospero promises Ariel his freedom if he helps him with his plan to
seek revenge on Antonio and Alonso. The storm is the work of Ariel.
He also magically leads different people onto various parts of the
island, as instructed by Prospero.

Ferdinand, Prince of Naples, thinks his father has drowned and so he

is now the King of Naples. He is magically led by Ariel and meets
Miranda. As Prospero has hoped, Ferdinand and Miranda fall in love
but he decides to treat Ferdinand badly so he can test his love for
Miranda.

Key words or phrases with pictures

Algeria Ariel Caliban Milan

Miranda Prospero a wicked witch called Sycorax

©British Council 2015

Key words to translate

Word or phrase Translation Meaning

to destroy

to neglect

to study

his magic

the opportunity

to conspire

to usurp

to escape

a trusted servant

to provide

the ruler of

to worship

her deformed son

to imprison

to teach

©British Council 2015

 Word or phrase Translation Meaning

to think

a slave

to rape

to hate

to belong

to learn

to curse

to seek revenge

various

to instruct

to drown

©British Council 2015