THE TEMPEST
Shakespeare
William
First performed, 1611
It was probably the last
play that
Shakespeare wrote
on his own.
A “profoundly autumnal
work” reflecting late
stages of
Shakespeare’s career
Play Imitates Play Writer’s Life
Shakespeare
about
to retire
Elderly Magician about to
from the
retire from his magical
theatre
island/stage
Source of the Play
• Original story (unlike
most of his plays)
• Inspired by series of
pamphlets about
shipwreck off the
coast of Bermuda
Montaigne’s “Of Cannibals”
Shakespeare was clearly influenced by this essay, since
Gonzalo’s speech in Act II is obviously lifted from the
essay.
The story involves…
The plot starts when King Alonso of Naples and his
entourage sail home for Italy after attending his
daughter's wedding in Tunis, Africa. They encounter
a violent storm, or Tempest. Everyone jumps
overboard and is washed ashore.
The ship wreck is a set up
They land on a
strange island
inhabited by the
magician Prospero
who has deliberately
conjured up the
storm. He lives
there with his
daughter Miranda.
Oops…we are not alone!
The island is also
inhabited by Ariel, a
sprite who carries
out the bidding of
Prospero, and the
ugly, half human
Caliban.
Don’t Mess with a Magician
• Prospero has used his
magic to bring in the
people who earlier
plotted against him,
stripped him of his
crown, and threatened
his life. The island is
the stage to enforce a
reckoning for these
crimes.
The Cast
Prospero
Formerly the Duke of
Milan, he was
obsessed with magic
and ignored his duties
as a ruler for his
studies.
Being on the island
restores him to
balance.
Miranda, his daughter
Miranda, raised on the
island since she was
a young child, is pure,
good, and innocent.
When she sees the
shipwrecked men,
Miranda famously
opines:
“O brave new world,
That has such people in
it!”
Caliban, anagram for Cannibal
• The original inhabitant
of the island.
• His mother, Sycorex,
a witch exiled from
Algeria to this island
Caliban, painting by William
Hogarth
• His father, possiby the
devil
Prospero=Colonizer
Caliban=Colonized
But is that too simplistic a way to read
the play?
Shakespeare described him as “savage”
and “deformed slave” in his original Folio
notes.
Although Caliban is described as
monstrous, he often speaks in poetry
Ariel, an airy spirit
Sycorex punished Ariel
by imprisoning him in
a tree when he
refused to do
something unsavory.
Prospero rescues and
enslaves him.
The Bad Guys
Antonio, Prospero’s brother, ruthlessly stole power.
Alonso, King of Naples, helped Antonio seize power.
The Love Interest
Ferdinand, son of the
King of Naples, and
Miranda instantly
share a LOVE
CONNECTION.
Guiding Question
As you read the play, consider:
To what extent can we read The Tempest as
a tale of colonialism?