WEEK 11
TEMPEST
BBL 3208
The Tempest
Henry Fuseli, The Enchanted Island: Before the Cell of Prospero (1797)
The Tempest: Characters
Alonso (King of Naples)
Sebastian (Alonso’s brother)
Prospero (the right Duke of Milan)
Antonio (his brother, the usurping
Duke of Milan)
Ferdinand (son to the King of
Naples)
Gonzalo (an honest old Counsellor)
Adrian & Francisco (Lords)
Caliban (a savage and deformed
Slave)
Trinculo (a Jester)
Stephano (a drunken Butler)
Miranda (daughter to Prospero)
Ariel (an airy Spirit)
Master of a Ship (Master)
Boatswain. (Boatswain)
Mariners. (Mariners)
Iris, Ceres, Juno (Nymphs &
Reapers presented by Spirits)
Other Spirits attending on
Prospero.
The Tempest: Plot Diagram
Act I
Scene i:
The Storm
Sc. ii:
Exposition
Ariel appears,
Caliban appears
Ferdinand and
Miranda fall in
love at first sight
The Tempest: Plot Diagram
Act I
Act II
Scene i:
The Storm
Scene i:
Alonzo &
company
Sc. ii:
Exposition
Antonio &
Sebastian plot
Alonzo’s murder
Ariel appears,
Caliban appears
Ferdinand and
Miranda fall in
love at first sight
Sc. ii:
Stephano,
Trinculo meet
Caliban
The Tempest: Plot Diagram
Act I
Act II
Act III
Scene i:
The Storm
Scene i:
Alonzo &
company
Scene i:
Ferdinand
carrying wood
Sc. ii:
Exposition
Antonio &
Sebastian plot
Alonzo’s murder
Sc. ii:
Ariel plays tricks
on Trinculo,
Stephano &
Caliban
Sc. iii:
Ariel presents
false banquet for
Alonzo &
company
Alonzo’s utopian
vision
Ariel appears,
Caliban appears
Ferdinand and
Miranda fall in
love at first sight
Sc. ii:
Stephano,
Trinculo meet
Caliban
The Tempest: Plot Diagram
Act I
Act II
Act III
Act IV
Scene i:
The Storm
Scene i:
Alonzo &
company
Scene i:
Ferdinand
carrying wood
Sc. ii:
Exposition
Antonio &
Sebastian plot
Alonzo’s murder
Sc. ii:
Ariel plays tricks
on Trinculo,
Stephano &
Caliban
Sc. iii:
Ariel presents
false banquet for
Alonzo &
company
Alonzo’s utopian
vision
Scene i:
Prospero
consents to the
marriage of
Ferdinand and
Miranda
Ariel appears,
Caliban appears
Ferdinand and
Miranda fall in
love at first sight
Sc. ii:
Stephano,
Trinculo meet
Caliban
A masque
Stephano,
Trinculo &
Caliban plot
murder; they are
foiled by Ariel
The Tempest: Plot Diagram
Act I
Act II
Act III
Act IV
Act V
Scene i:
The Storm
Scene i:
Alonzo &
company
Scene i:
Ferdinand
carrying wood
Scene I:
Prospero forgives
his enemies
Sc. ii:
Exposition
Antonio &
Sebastian plot
Alonzo’s murder
Sc. ii:
Ariel plays tricks
on Trinculo,
Stephano &
Caliban
Sc. iii:
Ariel presents
false banquet for
Alonzo &
company
Alonzo’s utopian
vision
Scene i:
Prospero
consents to the
marriage of
Ferdinand and
Miranda
Ariel appears,
Caliban appears
Ferdinand and
Miranda fall in
love at first sight
Sc. ii:
Stephano,
Trinculo meet
Caliban
Prospero
renounces magic
powers
A masque
Stephano,
Trinculo &
Caliban plot
murder; they are
foiled by Ariel
Prospero
resumes his role
as Duke of Milan
The Tempest: Concepts in Acts I and II
In The Tempest, Shakespeare seems to have anticipated the race, class and
gender politics of Colonialism:
• Prospero is the Colonial Master, deposed from his European seat, and
now imposing his rule on Caliban’s island
The Tempest: Concepts in Acts I and II
In The Tempest, Shakespeare seems to have anticipated the race, class and
gender politics of Colonialism:
• Prospero is the Colonial Master, deposed from his European seat, and
now imposing his rule on Caliban’s island
• Ariel is the “good native,” who happily does the bidding of the master
The Tempest: Concepts in Acts I and II
In The Tempest, Shakespeare seems to have anticipated the race, class and
gender politics of Colonialism:
• Prospero is the Colonial Master, deposed from his European seat, and
now imposing his rule on Caliban’s island
• Ariel is the “good native,” who happily does the bidding of the master
• Caliban is the “bad native” who must be controlled and enslaved
The Tempest: Concepts in Acts I and II
In The Tempest, Shakespeare seems to have anticipated the race, class and
gender politics of Colonialism:
• Prospero is the Colonial Master, deposed from his European seat, and
now imposing his rule on Caliban’s island
• Ariel is the “good native,” who happily does the bidding of the master
• Caliban is the “bad native” who must be controlled and enslaved
• Miranda is the “prize” the ideal of feminine purity that must be
protected from the savages
The Tempest: Concepts in Acts I and II
In The Tempest, Shakespeare seems to have anticipated the race, class and
gender politics of Colonialism:
• Prospero is the Colonial Master, deposed from his European seat, and
now imposing his rule on Caliban’s island
• Ariel is the “good native,” who happily does the bidding of the master
• Caliban is the “bad native” who must be controlled and enslaved
• Miranda is the “prize” the ideal of feminine purity that must be
protected from the savages
• Ferdinand is the “heir” to Europe’s wealth and power, though he hasn’t
done anything to deserve his good fortune
The Tempest: Concepts in Acts I and II
In The Tempest, Shakespeare seems to have anticipated the race, class and
gender politics of Colonialism:
• Prospero is the Colonial Master, deposed from his European seat, and
now imposing his rule on Caliban’s island
• Ariel is the “good native,” who happily does the bidding of the master
• Caliban is the “bad native” who must be controlled and enslaved
• Miranda is the “prize” the ideal of feminine purity that must be
protected from the savages
• Ferdinand is the “heir” to Europe’s wealth and power, though he hasn’t
done anything to deserve his good fortune
• Stephano and Trinculo represent the lower-class Europeans who
emulate the upper class in seeking to take advantage of the natives
The Tempest: Concepts in Acts I and II
In The Tempest, Shakespeare seems to have anticipated the race, class and
gender politics of Colonialism:
• Prospero is the Colonial Master, deposed from his European seat, and
now imposing his rule on Caliban’s island
• Ariel is the “good native,” who happily does the bidding of the master
• Caliban is the “bad native” who must be controlled and enslaved
• Miranda is the “prize” the ideal of feminine purity that must be
protected from the savages
• Ferdinand is the “heir” to Europe’s wealth and power, though he hasn’t
done anything to deserve his good fortune
• Stephano and Trinculo represent the lower-class Europeans who
emulate the upper class in seeking to take advantage of the natives
• Antonio, Adrian and Sebastian are European courtiers who will take
advantage of any opportunity to advance their positions; Antonio
(brother of Prospero and usurping Duke of Milan) plots
with Sebastian to overthrow his brother, Alonso (King of Naples)
The Tempest: Concepts in Acts I and II
But, in The Tempest, there are occasional reminders of the pre-modern, precolonial attitudes, in which class is all-important, and race has not yet been
identified as a category of inferiority:
• The court of Naples is shipwrecked on this island because they are
returning to Europe after a marriage in Tunis: the King of Naples has
married his daughter, Clarabelle, to the King of Tunis, an African
The Tempest: Concepts in Acts I and II
But, in The Tempest, there are occasional reminders of the pre-modern, precolonial attitudes, in which class is all-important, and race has not yet been
identified as a category of inferiority:
• The court of Naples is shipwrecked on this island because they are
returning to Europe after a marriage in Tunis: the King of Naples has
married his daughter, Clarabelle, to the King of Tunis, an African
• The most seriously “criminal” characters in the play are European
aristocrats like Sebastian and Antonio, not Caliban
Characters
• Prospero: The protagonist, the overthrown Duke of Milan who is
now a sorcerer on a deserted island.
• Miranda: Daughter of Prospero.
• Ariel: A mischievous spirit who does Prospero’s bidding and is
visible only to him.
• Alonso: King of Naples.
• Sebastian: Alonso’s brother, who is attempting to kill his brother and
nephew to steal the throne.
• Antonio: Prospero’s brother, new Duke of Milan, who sent Prospero
to the island.
• Ferdinand: Alonso’s son, next in line for the thrown.
Exposition
• Prospero, the rightful
Duke of Milan has just
been overthrown and
banished to an
abandoned island by
his own brother,
Antonio, who has
allied himself with
Milan’s enemy,
Naples.
Rising Action
• Prospero uses his
sorcery and his spirit,
Ariel, to create a
storm which wrecks
the ship which carries
Antonio (his brother),
Alonso (King of
Naples), Sebastian
(Alonso’s brother),
and Ferdinand
(Alonso’s son),
causing them to all be
cast on to the island.
Climax
• Miranda (Prospero’s
daughter) and
Ferdinand (Alonso’s
son) fall in love,
Prospero creates a
series of magical
interventions which
cause Alonso to
regret his past
actions.
Falling Action
• Antonio and
Sebastian’s plan
to overthrow
Alonso is
revealed.
Denouement
• Prospero’s dukedom
is restored, Antonio
and Sebastian are
forgiven, and the
betrothal between
Miranda and
Ferdinand ensures
peace between Milan
and Naples.
Themes
• Revenge: Throughout the entire play,
Prospero puts all of his energy into getting
revenge on his brother.
• Jealousy: Jealousy plays a huge role in
the story. There is jealousy between
Prospero and Antonio and Alonso and
Sebastian.
• Forgiveness: Forgiveness is the theme
most commonly associated with
Shakespeare’s The Tempest. In the end of
the play, everyone is forgiven, and all is
well.
POWER/ POLITICS
The play features a number of power bases:
Prospero's rule over Miranda, Ariel and Caliban.
Alonso’s rule over Antonio, Sebastian and the other on the
ship.
Antonio’s influence of Sebastian.
Trinculo and Stephano’s power over Caliban.
There seems to be a necessity to have power and control
from many of the characters.
The play opens on a ship in the middle of a storm which is
concocted by Prospero, showing his power.
PROSPERO
The rightful Duke of Milan who is sent away by his brother Antonio.
Gonzalo helps him survive. He gains control of the island.
Rules over the spirits of the island and Caliban is his servant.
Is powerful and uses magic to keep his power.
Makes others scared of him, some say he is cruel to Caliban and Ariel.
Shows great love for his daughter Miranda.
Loves books,reading and magic. (Gonzalo ensures he has books with
him).
He raises the storm and Ariel ensures all the key characters are
separated on the island.
He is in control of most of the events on the island.
Threatens Ariel with imprisonment and punishment if he fails to obey
him, showing a darker side to Prospero’s character.
Promises pains for Caliban which is also unpleasant.
Complements Ariel for all his help and promises freedom throughout;
he eventually keeps his promise at the end of Act 5.
• He watches over almost all that happens.
• He controls Ferdinand and Miranda’s love as much as he can,
testing Ferdinand’s love for her. He complements them both and
calls Ferdinand his son once he has passed the test.
• “We are such stuff as dreams are made of” his life is coming to an
end, showing a sense of weariness.
• Draws all to a satisfactory close, everyone is forgiven and hopefully
learns their lessons.
• EPILOGUE
• Signs off with “my ending is despair” a sad lonely figure who has
spent all energy. Many say this is a parallel with Shakespeare
signing off at the end of his writing career.
• MIRANDA
• Prospero’s daughter. Beautiful, innocent.
• She has not seen anyone else other than Prospero and Caliban and
finds the others fascinating. A gentle and caring character, she
seems genuinely concerned for the welfare of those on the ship.
• She trusts her father and doesn’t ask questions.
She falls in love with Ferdinand at first sight, but all she has seen are
Prospero and Caliban.
“O brave new world that has such people in’t” expresses best her
innocence and naivety.
She agrees to marry Ferdinand and is sorry he has to go through such
pain to show his love for her.
EARTH AND AIR
•
CALIBAN
•
A very earthy character. Physically strong; although unintelligent, he is not
stupid.
•
Acts on instinct, both for food and has sexual desires as he tried to rape
Miranda.
•
He is ugly and described as such throughout “freckled whelp” “strange fish”
“savage” “abnormal” “slave”.
•
Educated by Prospero.
•
He has to obey Prospero because of Prospero’s power.
•
Needs to follow others and falls in with Trinculo and Stephano to overthrow
Prospero.
He speaks aggressively throughout, but some sensitivity is shown “be not
afeared, the isle is full of strange noises” when calming Stephano and
Trinculo.
Learns from his stupidity in the end.
ARIEL
The spirit of the island. Rescued from slavery by Prospero (ironic as he treats
Ariel like a slave).
Obedient servant, he does as Prospero asks.
Refers to the elements air, earth, water and fire.
Can take on many shapes such as a Harpy, hounds and uses many voices.
Light and of the air.
Seems unhappy to be working for Prospero “is there more toil”.
Helps in the punishment and education of the other characters.
Often uses poetry to speak, showing his light nature.
THE COURT CHARACTERS
ALONSO
A gentle character, he spends most of the play sad and depressed as he fears
he has lost his son in the storm.
Tired of Antonio and Sebastian’s continual sarcasm he is a serious character.
Threatens suicide after he sees the harpy who shows them what they truly are.
ANTONIO
Aggressive and unpleasant to almost everyone except Sebastian who is his
close friend.
Plots the death of Alonso, desperate for power and control.
Ambition is his downfall according to Prospero, who calls him a traitor.
SEBASTIAN
Aggressive, insulting and sarcastic.
Jokes at others expense.
He is racist.
Follows Antonio and will do all he can to support him.
GONZALO
Knowledgeable, loyal and old.
Sensible, wise and holy.
A positive thinker in times of despair.
Has a vision of the perfect world.
Rescues Prospero and also Alonso from the evil clutches of Antonio
and Sebastian.
Prospero calls him: ‘Holy Gonzalo, honourable man’ showing his truly
good nature.
FERDINAND
Alonso’s son, Miranda falls in love with him.
The romantic interest.
He is a gentle character, a positive figure.
Sad when he fears his father has died in the storm.
• THE COMIC CHARACTERS
Trinculo
Drunken and foolish.
Uses prose to speak to show his low status.
Abuses Caliban, but a coward when pushed.
Stephano
Lacks intelligence.
Plays on physical comedy of drunkenness, bawdy humour.
Caliban ends up being frustrated by their inept attempts to overthrow Prospero.
Rude jokes and comments made would have provided the audience with
humour and light relief.
A coward and easily scared when it matters most.
Other themes
• Disguise/clothing
Prospero and Ariel in the play and a number of other characters also
disguise their true selves.
• Animals
Common in Shakespeare’s plays, animals are used to describe many
characters, particularly Caliban to reflect his earthy nature.
• Politics dominates all the groups.
• Leadership/power. There are many potential leaders in the play,
but few good ones.
• Magic/ books are the key to Prospero’s downfall and his revenge.
• Earth, air links to Caliban and Ariel, who links to the theme of
magic.
• Slavery/ imprisonment Prospero uses Caliban and Ariel as
slaves/servants.
• Justice/forgiveness which Prospero is mainly responsible for.