The Tempest Comprehension Questions Directions: As we read Shakespeare’s The Tempest, answer
these comprehension questions on your own paper. These will aid us in our discussion of this play.
ACT 1
1.1
1.
2.
3.
What is happening as the play begins?
How would you compare the Boatswain's attitude to that of the members of the King's party? How do the members of the
King's men treat the Boatswain?
What is happening to the ship at the end of the scene?
1.2
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
What do we learn at the beginning of 1.2 about the storm we saw in 1.1?
Who is Prospero? What is his true title? How did he lose it? How did he come to be on the island? What kind of books does he
have? How did he get them?
Who is Miranda? What does she remember about her past? How does she respond to her father's story? Why has he told it to
her now? Why does she fall asleep?
Who is Ariel? What is Ariel's status? What has Ariel done for Prospero? What does Ariel want from Prospero? What gender
(if any) is Ariel?
What more do we learn from Ariel about the storm we saw in 1.1? What has happened to everyone's clothes? What has
happened to the ship and the sailors? What has happened to the King and his followers?
Who is Sycorax? What is her relation to Ariel? To Caliban?
Who/what is Caliban? What is his relation to Prospero and Miranda? What happened in the past to get him into his present
situation? What is his response to that incident? How do Prospero and Miranda react to Caliban? (Miranda's speech in lines
351-362 is hers in the original text, but many critics think that this is a printing error and that the speech should be spoken by
Prospero. Which speaker seems more appropriate to you? What is the effect of having Miranda speak these words?)
Who is Ferdinand? What does he think has happened to everyone else on the ship? What is Miranda's response to Ferdinand?
What is Prospero's response to them? Why do Prospero and Miranda disagree?
ACT 2
2.1
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
What is Gonzalo's advice to Alonso at the beginning of the scene? How do you think Alonso will respond? What do we
already know about Gonzalo?
2.1.10-197.1 become clearer when we realize that Sebastian and Antonio are standing apart, commenting to each other on
what the other characters say. How does this device affect the scene? (I.e., how would the scene be different if Antonio's and
Sebastian's side comments were eliminated?)
Who is "widow Dido"?
Why isn't Alonso impressed with or entertained by what his followers are saying? What do we know that he doesn't know
(dramatic irony!)?
What sort of commonwealth would Gonzalo create on the island?
What causes most of the characters to fall asleep? Who remains awake? What do they decide to do? Are they successful? Why
or why not? How do they cover for themselves?
What have we learned about the characters of Sebastian and Antonio?
2.2
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What is Caliban doing at the beginning of the scene? What does he think Trinculo is?
Who is Trinculo? How does he respond to Caliban? Why does he crawl under Caliban's garment?
Who is Stephano? What condition is he in? How does he respond to Caliban and Trinculo? How does Caliban respond to
them?
How did Stephano escape from the ship?
What does Caliban offer to do? What does this say about Caliban?
ACT 3
3.1
1.
2.
What is Ferdinand doing at the beginning of the scene? How does it compare to the beginning of 2.2? Why is Ferdinand doing
this, and how is his attitude different from Caliban's?
What happens in the scene between Ferdinand and Miranda? What is the effect of having Prospero watching them? How does
he respond to them?
3.2
1.
What does Caliban want Stephano and Trinculo to do? How does Ariel confuse matters? What does Stephano agree to do?
3.3
1.
2.
3.
Have Sebastian and Antonio learned their lesson from what happened in 2.1?
How is food brought to Alonso and his followers? What happens when they try to eat? What message does Ariel give them?
Who is watching?
According to Gonzalo, what has happened to Alonso, Sebastian, and Antonio?
ACT 4
4.1
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
What has Prospero agreed to at the beginning of the scene? What warning does he give to Ferdinand and Miranda?
What instructions does Prospero have for Ariel?
What happens in the show (masque) that Prospero presents for Ferdinand and Miranda? What is the subject of the show? Why
is it appropriate?
Why does Prospero cut short the show? How do Ferdinand and Miranda respond to what happens? How does Prospero explain
the show and his actions?
According to Ariel, what has happened to Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo since we last saw them?
What does Prospero tell Ariel to prepare for Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo? What is Prospero's reaction to what Caliban has
done? Is his reaction justified?
What happens when Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo come to kill Prospero? How are they driven away?
How does Prospero respond to his successes?
ACT 5
5.1
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
What is the status of the prisoners? How would Ariel respond if he could? How will Prospero respond?
What does Prospero do before Ariel brings in Alonso and the others?
What does Prospero do (and tell Ariel to do) before Alonso and the others wake?
How does Prospero treat his prisoners as they awake? How do they respond? Specifically, how does he treat Sebastian and
Antonio? How do they respond?
What are Ferdinand and Miranda doing when they appear? How is the game going?
How does Gonzalo interpret all that has happened?
What happens to Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo when they are brought in?
How many ways can we understand Prospero's comment on Caliban? How does Caliban respond to what has happened to
him?
What will happen next? What happens to Ariel?
Epilogue
1.
How will Prospero gain his freedom from the island? Why does he need the help of the audience? On what grounds does he
ask for it?