THE AMERICAN SHAKESPEARE CENTER
Resident Troupe 2006 Summer/Fall Season
Study Guides
The Tempest
The following materials were compiled by the Education and Research Department of the American Shakespeare Center. Special acknowledgement to: Colleen Kelly, Director
of Education and Research; Ralph Cohen, ASC Executive Director; Jim Warren, ASC Artistic Director; Jay McClure, Director of Theater Operations; Audrey GuengerichBaylor, Henrico County Schools; ASC Actors and Staff: Aaron Hochhalter, David Loar, Alvaro Mendoza, Anna Marie Sell, Matthew Sincell, Jeremy Fiebig; Education Artists:
Robert Gibbs, Sarah Henley, Camille Mustachio; and ASC Interns: Cassie Ash, Erin Davis, Heidi Grumelot, Becky Kemper, Donald Osborne and Katherine Robbins
YOUR ROLE AS AN AUDIENCE MEMBER
1. In Shakespeare’s day, attending a play was an exciting community event. While waiting for the play to begin and
during intermission, audiences would eat, drink, visit with friends, and enjoy specialty acts featuring jugglers,
clowns, dancers, and musicians.
• At the Blackfriars, we offer the same kind of experience during our pre-show and
intermission entertainments. If you want to join in the pre-show fun, arrive up to a half
hour early. During intermission there will be more entertainment, but this is also the time
when you can stretch your legs, use the restroom, and purchase souvenirs and
refreshments (no outside food or drink allowed). At most modern theatres you are asked
not to bring food or drink back in the theatre with you, but this is permitted at the
Blackfriars.
2. In Shakespeare’s day, plays were performed either outdoors in the middle of the afternoon or indoors under
candlelight. This means that the actors could see the audience, the audience could see the actors, and the members
of the audience could see each other.
• At the Blackfriars, we perform with the lights on. As an audience member, you feel like
you are in the same room with the actors—like you are actually part of the play. This is
very different from seeing something at the cinema or in a theatre where the actors are lit
and the audience sits in the dark. You get the feeling that at any moment the actors might
start talking with you, and sometimes they will.
3. In Shakespeare’s day, there wasn’t such a pronounced division between the actors and the audience. The theatres
were small, and audience members sat close to the stage. Sometimes, in theatres like the Globe, they stood in
front of the stage in the pit. At other theatres they could sit on the stage itself.
• At the Blackfriars, there are many different places to sit (for some performances this
means different prices). Wherever you sit, let the action of the play draw you in. We have
benches that can be occupied as is or, for comfort, can include cushions and seat backs.
There are Lord’s Chairs and on-stage Gallant Stools very close to the action, and upper
balcony seating which may require you to lean forward to look over the rail. Do be
considerate, however, of others who are also trying to see.
4. In Shakespeare’s day, there were no electronic devices.
• At the Blackfriars, no electronic devices should be used by the audience during the
performance. Please don’t take pictures during the show. If you have cell phones, video
games, CD players, walkmans, or MP3 players please turn them off so that they don’t
distract the other audience members or the actors. No text messaging during the
performance. Remember, this is a live event, so don’t be a distraction. Part of your role as
an audience member is to make sure that seeing a play is an enjoyable community event
for everyone in attendance.
5. In Shakespeare’s day, the audience often changed seats, mingled, and walked in and out of the theatre (much like
a modern sporting event), but they always knew what was going on in the play—they knew the score. Who’d
want to miss the best part? The swordfight, the kiss, the bawdy joke…a new word that Shakespeare invented.
• At the Blackfriars, you may leave the theatre during intermissions and interlude
entertainments. Return to your seat before the play resumes--you don’t want to miss the
best part (or perhaps the part that might be on your exam). Unless it is an emergency, do
not leave the theatre during the play itself.
2
6. In Shakespeare’s day, plays were meant to be seen and heard rather than read. In comparison to today,
Elizabethans spent more time speaking and listening to language rather than reading and writing language.
Figures of speech, for example, were more than a dramatic writing tool; they were meant to be spoken.
• At the Blackfriars, actors create stories through speaking words and embodying actions.
Attending a play is different than reading a play. We invite you to experience the play
through listening, seeing, feeling, thinking and imagining. Even if you know you are
going to have to write a paper or take a test about the play, don’t take notes and stay in
your brain. If you do, you really haven’t experienced what it’s like to attend a play.
7. In Shakespeare’s day, audiences were asked to use their imagination. There certainly were theatrical events that
used elaborate and expensive technical elements, but Shakespeare’s plays keep scenery, props, costumes, lighting
and special effects to a minimum. Instead of a cast of thousands, Shakespeare’s actors played multiple roles—
including young men playing all the female parts.
• At the Blackfriars, you will also need to use your imagination. Shakespeare’s words are
as powerful today as they were four hundred years ago. They tell stories that engage and
challenge all of the senses. We limit technical elements so Shakespeare’s words can
shine. Music and sound effects are always created live and in the moment of the action.
Actors play multiple roles and often those roles are cross-gender cast.
8. In Shakespeare’s day, people loved talking about where they’d been, what they’d seen, who they saw, and what
they thought about the plays—they voiced their likes and dislikes about the story and the actors.
• At the Blackfriars, you will have an opportunity to take a peek behind the scenes. After
the show you can talk with the actors about the story of the play, the characters, the
actor’s process, and anything else you might want to know about theatre, Shakespeare,
or the American Shakespeare Center.
“The Laughing Audience”
by William Hogarth, 1733.
Note the lighted sconces
that permit socializing and
a more communal response
to the show. The man at the
far right on the second row,
for example, appears to be
laughing at the laughter of
his fellow audience members,
while the gentleman in the
row above is clearly annoyed
with the shenanigans going
on behind him.
3
STAUNTON’S BLACKFRIARS PLAYHOUSE
In 2001 the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton, Virginia, the world’s only re-creation of Shakespeare’s original indoor
theatre, opened its doors to the public. To commemorate this historic occasion, Shenandoah Shakespeare (now the
American Shakespeare Center) published Blackfriars Playhouse, a series of short essays by internationally renowned
scholars about the history, construction, and function of the London and Staunton Blackfriars, as well as the
companies that called them home. The following excerpt by Andrew Gurr, Professor of English at the University of
Reading in England and former Director of Research at Shakespeare’s Globe in London, is from that collection:
LONDON’S BLACKFRIARS PLAYHOUSE
The story of the original Blackfriars is a chapter—or rather a book—of accidents, a large volume that tells us about
the evolution of London’s first theatres. It is a story that runs alongside and ahead of Shakespeare’s Globe. The
Blackfriars was built in 1596, three years earlier than the Globe, and if Shakespeare’s company had been allowed to
use the Playhouse immediately, they would never have bothered to build the open-air theatre. Despite the depiction in
Shakespeare In Love of Queen Elizabeth attending the Rose Theatre, it was the Blackfriars that received the first-ever
visit by a reigning queen; Henrietta Maria, Charles I’s French spouse, went four times to see a play at the
Blackfriars.
By the 1620s and 1630s the Blackfriars had become the place for England’s high and mighty to see the best plays, in
the best society, complete with sea-coal braziers in the boxes alongside the stage to keep them warm. The Lord
Chamberlain himself, the Privy Councillor responsible for plays and court entertainment, had a personal key to one
of the boxes beside the Blackfriars stage.
After the long closure of theatres between 1642 and the restoration of a king in 1660, it was the idea of the indoor
Blackfriars that lived on rather than Shakespeare’s Globe. The Blackfriars’s chief imitator, the Cockpit, even
reopened briefly during the Restoration for use as a playhouse, but by then the need for the French type of theatre—
with a proscenium arch and a picture-frame stage—made the new players close off the boxes and tiers above the
stage, leaving the theatre’s capacity so small that it could not thrive. Only now, 405 years after it was first created,
and 392 years since Shakespeare’s company first started to use it, can the original Blackfriars once again come into
its own, as the best playhouse of Shakespeare’s time.
--Andrew Gurr
ACTOR TALKBACK SESSIONS AT THE BLACKFRIARS
At the end of each school matinee performance at the Blackfriars Theatre, the audience will have the opportunity to
meet a few of the actors and ask questions. During this twenty minute session, actors will be glad to discuss a range of
topics. They enjoy sharing their ideas about plot points and character relationships. You can also ask them about
costumes, props, or other elements that might not be in the written script, yet are important to the performance.
Perhaps you would like to know about the rehearsal process or how an individual actor made a specific choice about a
character. You may ask behind-the-scenes questions and discover how a quick change of clothes was handled or a
sound effect was made. Curious about the life of an actor? Go ahead and ask about how they got their start, where
they studied, or what other roles they’ve played. This is your time to find out anything you want to know about the
play, the actors, theatre, and the Blackfriars.
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WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE:
BACKGROUND AND HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
•
Based on baptismal records, most biographers agree that William Shakespeare was born on April 23,
1564, in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England.
•
William, the son of wealthy shop owner John Shakespeare, received a traditional education: up to ten
hours a day studying grammar, logic, rhetoric, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music. He also
studied Greek and Latin on a daily basis. Although we have little proof of Shakespeare’s academic
career, the plays are evidence enough that Shakespeare was well versed in the language passed down
from the ancient classicists.
•
In 1582, when he was eighteen, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway. He had three children: Susanna
and twins Judith and Hamnet. Although no conclusive documentation remains about his whereabouts
between 1582 and 1594, we do know that by 1594 Shakespeare had left his family in Stratford and was
living in London.
•
Throughout history, theatre companies have seldom enjoyed a good reputation. In early 16th Century
England, actors and their companies were thought of as lazy and dishonest:
o lazy because plays were performed during the day, which meant that a percentage of those
attending were “absent without leave” from work;
o dishonest because an actor on stage was pretending to be someone he was not, which meant that
he was lying.
•
During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, however, there was a growing interest in play-going, so actors
were given the right to organize themselves into troupes under the protection of a royal patron or
sponsor. Shakespeare’s troupe secured the patronage of the Lord Chamberlain, therefore they became
known as The Lord Chamberlain’s Men.
•
Patronage changed after the death of Elizabeth I in 1603, when King James VI of Scotland became King
James I of England. During the reign of James I, and continuing to 1642 when the Puritans closed the
theatres, The Lord Chamberlain’s Men were recognized favorites of the crown and known as The King’s
Men.
•
Shakespeare often visited Stratford and bought a house there for his family. Unfortunately, his son
Hamnet died in 1596 at the age of eleven, possibly of the plague. At the age of 47 in 1611, Shakespeare
retired to Stratford, ending his tenure as a resident writer and actor with the company he helped form.
William Shakespeare died on his birthday on April 23, 1616. His wife, Anne, lived until the age of
sixty-seven. His two surviving children, Susanna and Judith, both married but left no family.
•
Although Shakespeare’s family tree ended, his plays continue to carry his memory, and will do so well
into the future. Shakespeare wrote 35-37 plays, 154 sonnets, and contributed over 2,000 words to the
English language. Today his plays are performed in many languages including German, Russian,
French, and Japanese. As Ben Jonson, a contemporary of Shakespeare once wrote, “…he was not for an
age, but for all time!”
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STUDY GUIDE INDEX
This study guide packet has been created to accompany the productions in the current season at The American
Shakespeare Center. Each play has its own separate guide with a number of resources, activities, and assignments created
specifically for that play, offering a broad range of materials for you to choose from as you plan your classes. Please feel
free to reproduce these pages as needed. Some activities and assignments can be completed after reading the text of the
play while others are based on specific choices in the ASC productions. Most activities can be adapted to serve either
individual or group assignments. Answer keys appear at the end of each guide. The following is a list of the materials you
will find in the study guide for each play.
Stuff That Happens In the Play
This is a description of the major events in the play to help guide students through general plot points.
Who’s Who
This is a list of the characters in the play, along with a short description of who they are and what they do.
Director’s Notes
This is a short essay written by the director of each ASC production for the season program, in which they give their
thoughts on the play.
Discovery Space Scavenger Hunt
These simple questions are to be used in conjunction with the ASC performance. Before attending the play, teachers
should assign each student one of the twenty questions to help them become more active viewers at the performance.
Rhetoric and Figures of Speech
This section focuses on the use language in the play. Examples of a particular rhetorical device or linguistic feature in the
text are followed by an activity that relates to the particular rhetorical device or figure of speech.
Viewpoints
This section of the guide contains activities and information built around a particular aspect of each play. A short
examination of a theme or topic is followed with a related assignment.
ShakesFEAR Activity
These classroom teaching ploys are excerpts from ASC Co-founder and Executive Director Ralph Alan Cohen’s book
ShakesFEAR and How to Cure It. Cohen developed these activities to help overcome students’ feelings of intimidation
toward Shakespeare’s plays.
ABC’s
This is a fill-in-the-blank assignment that tests students’ knowledge of the text. Answers can be drawn from a word bank
containing twenty-six words related to the play, each starting with a different letter of the alphabet.
Crossword Puzzles
The study guide contains a crossword puzzle for each play with answers taken from the text.
Actors’ Choice
These thoughts and observations made by ASC actors about their performance choices can either be used as prompts for
written responses or classroom discussion.
Getting Technical
This section of the guide is for use after the students have attended the ASC performance. It helps students to examine
how technical aspects of the production help to tell the story of the play, and prompts them to consider what technical
choices they might make if they were putting together their own performance.
Quizzes and Essay Questions
Each study guide contains one or more quizzes that teachers can use to test their students knowledge of the play, as well
as prompts for essays in response to the production and the text.
Answer Keys For Various Activities and Quizzes
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OTHELLO
7
THE TEMPEST
8
THE TEMPEST
CAST & CREW
*Member
of Actors'
the union of professional
actors
and stage
Prospero the
usurped Equity
Duke ofAssociation,
Milan
David
Loar*
managers
in
the
United
States
Miranda his daughter
Susan Heyward
Ariel his supernatural servant
John Harrell
Caliban his slave and native of the island
Jake Hart*
Alonso King of Naples
Ferdinand his son
Sebastian his brother
Álvaro Mendoza*
Matthew Sincell*
Rene' Thornton Jr.*
Antonio Prospero's brother and the usurping Duke of Milan
Gonzalo an honest councilor
Adrian a lord from Milan
Francisco a lord from Milan
Trinculo a jester
Stephano a drunken butler
Master of a ship
Boatswain
Sarah Fallon*
Celia Madeoy*
Paul Fidalgo
James Keegan
Paul Fidalgo
James Keegan
James Keegan
Paul Fidalgo
Iris a spirit
Ceres a spirit
Juno a spirit
Álvaro Mendoza*
John Harrell
Rene' Thornton Jr.*
CREW
DIRECTOR
Costume Designer
Costumer
Music Director
Original Music
Original Music
Original Music
Assistant Director
Dramatrug
Fight Choreographer
Dance Choreographer
Scenic Elements
Stage Manager/Understudy
Production Stage Manager
Giles Block
Jenny McNee
Erin M. West
Paul Fidalgo
John Harrell
James Keegan
Paul Fidalgo
Jeremy Fiebig
Claire Leigh Baker
John Paul Scheidler
Colleen Kelly
Sam Koogler
Bill Gordon
Jay McClure*
9
THE TEMPEST
STUFF THAT HAPPENS…
Stuff that happens BEFORE the play...
• Twelve years ago, Prospero, the Duke of Milan, was pushed from this throne by his brother,
Antonio, with the help of Alonso, King of Naples, and the King's brother, Sebastian.
• Cast adrift with his daughter, Miranda, Prospero landed on an island, where, by use of his magic,
he has ruled over the native Caliban and the spirit Ariel.
• Hearing that his enemies are at sea, Prospero has told Ariel to raise a storm that will shipwreck
them upon the isle and allow him to work his revenge.
Stuff that happens IN the play...
• On the island, the shipwrecked travelers are separated: Alonso, the King, searches for his son
Ferdinand, feared drowned; Sebastian plots to kill his brother and usurp the crown of Naples.
• The drunken butler, Stephano, and the jester, Trinculo, are persuaded by Caliban to kill Prospero.
• Ferdinand meets Miranda and they fall in love.
• Prospero sets heavy tasks to test Ferdinand and then presents the young couple with a betrothal
masque celebrating chastity and the blessings of marriage.
• Forgiveness, freedom, and a brave new world ensue.
John Williams Waterhouse (1849-1917) captured many scenes from Shakespeare’s plays.
Above is his painting entitled, “Miranda and the Tempest.”
10
THE TEMPEST
WHO’S WHO IN THE TEMPEST
Prospero- Deposed Duke of Milan and sorcerer. Prospero has been living on a deserted island for
twelve years with his daughter Miranda ever since his position as the Duke of Milan was usurped by
his brother Antonio. Prospero maintains control over all of the island’s native inhabitants through his
use of magic.
Miranda- Prospero’s daughter. Miranda lives with her banished father on the island. Miranda has
never seen another human man besides her father.
Caliban- Native inhabitant of the island and son of a witch named Sycorax. Caliban was originally
favored by Prospero until he tried to sexually assault Miranda; since then he has been Prospero’s slave.
Ariel- Prospero’s supernatural servant- Ariel is an island spirit in the service of Prospero.
Antonio- Prospero’s brother- Twelve years earlier Antonio usurped Prospero’s dukedom. While on
the Island, Antonio convinces Sebastian he should kill the king his brother and take the crown.
Alonso- The King of Naples. Alonso was instrumental in usurping Prospero’s dukedom. When he is
shipwrecked on the island, Alonso believes his son Ferdinand is dead.
Sebastian- Alonso’s brother. Sebastian also helped usurp Prospero. He plots with Antonio to kill
Alonso in order to gain the crown.
Ferdinand- Alonso’s son. Ferdinand is separated from the rest of the survivors of the shipwreck.
Prospero puts him to work, and he and Miranda begin to fall in love.
Gonzalo- An honest old counselor. Gonzalo is an old friend of Prospero’s who helped him when
Prospero was banished by giving him clothes and books.
Trinculo- Alonso’s jester. Trinculo is shipwrecked on another part of the island where he finds
Caliban. Along with Stephano and Caliban, Trinculo drinks and acts foolishly.
Stephano- Alonso’s Butler.
with Caliban and Trinculo.
Stephano rescues the wine from the shipwreck, which he then shares
Adrian and Francisco- Lords and attendants to Alonso.
Boatswain- The officer on duty on Alonso’s ship.
Iris, Ceres, and Juno- Spirits in the Masque devised to entertain Miranda and Frederick.
11
THE TEMPEST
DIRECTOR’S NOTES
Before Directing The Tempest for the First Time
Last season at the Globe I wrote in the program about that “scene in which Troilus and Cressida fall in love.”
By the time our rehearsals were over I had decided that they never were in love, simply infatuated. So program
notes are hard – you never know what you are going to discover once rehearsals begin.
I’m fairly sure of this though: the longer I work on Shakespeare’s plays the more I feel that clarity for the
audience is achieved when the thoughts of each of the characters are fully realized. Shakespeare’s words are
incomparable, but there, before the words, are these thoughts that give rise to them.
If we can bring these “thoughts” to life, you will follow everything. I hope that when the play is over, you might
even say “Well that was so clear; but you’ve modernized the text haven’t you?” when we will have done no
such thing!
“Clarity” doesn’t mean explaining everything away and erasing the play’s ambiguities. Shakespeare is drawn to
paradoxes and problems: jealousy, ambition, desire, unfaithfulness; weakness rather than strength; selfishness
rather than putting others first. His characters are all multi-faceted and ambiguous in many ways.
So can you say that Prospero’s a “good” man? He like so many is caught between opposing forces: a desire for
revenge and the promptings of mercy. The magic powers he has cultivated and for which he is celebrated, have
also been the cause of his downfall and expulsion from Milan. Is he really different from Sycorax, who has been
marooned on what later becomes Prospero’s island, pregnant with Caliban; marooned, because she also was a
magician, and for which the people of Algiers expelled her?
The Tempest is the last play that Shakespeare wrote, apart from a couple of collaborations with John Fletcher. In
common with the other late plays certain themes emerge; fathers and daughters; looking towards the next
generation; and maybe, above all, a sense of forgiveness and reconciliation. For me, The Tempest is filled by a
sense of the new, which touches almost every scene.
‘Oh brave new world, that has such people in it’
says Miranda, when she first sees Alonso and all his court; she, who until that moment had only ever seen three
other people and one of these, Ferdinand, she only met three hours before.
Caliban’s line,
‘These be fine things…that’s a brave god and bears celestial liquor’
is the comic version of Miranda’s, as he mistakenly takes the drunken Stephano for a god who has dropped
down from heaven.
The Tempest is also filled with music: Ariel’s music. Ariel is Prospero’s spirit-helper but unlike Shakespeare’s
rather earth-bound fairies in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Ariel is all spirit. Yet, it is this spirit who, it seems
to me, teaches the mortals how to behave with real humanity, each to other.
Now, will I still believe this in six weeks’ time?
Giles Block, Director
12
THE TEMPEST
DISCOVERY SPACE SCAVENGER HUNT
Discovery Space [di-skuhv-uh-ree speys], n. 1.
The curtained area at the upstage center portion
of an Elizabethan stage where something is
revealed to or discovered by characters or
audiences.
Instructions to Teacher: Shortly before attending the performance of The Tempest at
the Blackfriars Playhouse, assign each student one question from the following list for
which to find the answer as they watch the production.
1. What hangs from the trap door in the ceiling (the “Heavens”) to indicate a ship?
2. How does movement portray a ship wreck?
3. Name two sound effects that make the storm.
4. How many people are cast cross-gender?
5. Miranda does not wear shoes for most of the play. When does she wear shoes?
6. Name two other characters who do not wear shoes.
7. How does Ariel’s costume change when he plays music for the stranded Italians?
8. What makes the food “disappear” from the table?
9. Where does Ariel place the distracting costumes for Stephano and Trinculo?
10. What do Stephano and Trinculo call Caliban?
11. What does Prospero call Caliban?
12. What characters wear masks in the play?
13. Prospero charges Ferdinand to carry logs. Who else carries logs?
14. What is the largest number of characters asleep on stage at the same time?
15. Who is with Caliban under his blanket and why?
16. What instruments provide the music when Ferdinand and Miranda dance?
17. How does Prospero’s costume change to reveal his identity to his friends and enemies from
Italy?
18. What prop does Prospero place at the front of the stage?
19. What costume item does Prospero place at the front of the stage?
20. What other character places pieces of his costume at the front of the stage?
13
THE TEMPEST
RHETORIC AND FIGURES OF SPEECH
Rhetoric [ret-er-ik], n. 1. The art or science of all
specialized literary uses of language in prose or
verse, including the figures of speech. 2. The study
of the effective use of language. 3. The ability to
use language effectively.
Through the use of rhetorical devices (or figures of speech), Shakespeare provides a map to help an
actor figure out how to play a character and communicate the story of the play to the audience.
People classify certain types of rhetorical devices as figures of substitution. In Act 1, scene 2 of The
Tempest the audience sees Prospero and Caliban interact for the first time in the play, and in their
scene together, Prospero uses a figure of substitution known as euphemism in order to describe an
attack by Caliban on Miranda. The Tempest also includes several euphemisms for inebriation.
Euphemism (eu-phe-mis'-uhm): Substituting a mild, indirect, or vague expression for a derogatory
or socially delicate term or phrase.
Example 1:
Prospero:
… I have used thee,
Filth as thou art, with human care, and lodged thee
In mine own cell, till thou didst seek to violate
The honor of my child.
Caliban:
O ho, O ho! would't had been done!
Thou didst prevent me; I had peopled else
This isle with Calibans.
Instead of explicitly stating that Caliban tried to rape Miranda, Prospero uses a euphemism and says
that Caliban, “didst seek to violate the honor of [his] child.” Later in the play, Prospero also refers to
Miranda’s honor when he warns Ferdinand that he must not “break her virgin knot” before the two are
married.
Question
Euphemisms can influence one’s point of view. In what way was Prospero’s use of euphemism
influenced by whom he speaking to and the fact that his daughter was present in both instances?
What does Prospero’s use of euphemism tell you about his personality? What does it tell you
about his relationship with Miranda? with Caliban? with Ferdinand?
14
THE TEMPEST
Example 2:
Trinculo:
Stephano:
Stephano:
Ariel:
Alonso:
… a drunken monster!
thy eyes are almost set in thy head.
My man-monster hath drown'd his tongue in sack:
I told you, sir, they were red-hot with drinking;
And Trinculo is reeling ripe: where should they
Find this grand liquor that hath gilded 'em?
How camest thou in this pickle?
Characters use various terminologies throughout The Tempest to signify inebriation.
Question
Example 2 repeats only a few of the terms used in The Tempest to signify inebriation. Can you
discover other euphemisms for inebriation within the text of the play? Why did Shakespeare
include so many variations on the term? In each instance, one character accuses another of
inebriation. What does the speaker’s terminology say about his feelings towards the inebriated
character?
Activity
In our society we use euphemisms all the time. We might use euphemisms to describe things that we
find unpleasant or uncomfortable to talk about, or sometimes people use euphemisms for comical
effect or emphasis. Politicians, lawyers and the media often use euphemisms to influence a point of
view.
Below is a list of topics which people often describe using euphemisms.
o
o
o
o
o
Death
Marriage
Pregnancy
Defecation/Urination
Inebriation
•
Write down several euphemisms that describe the topics on the list above.
•
Examine your list of euphemisms and identify the different situations in which you would use
the different euphemisms. Consider the following questions:
o Are all of the euphemisms on your list appropriate for all situations?
o Why would you use certain euphemisms in certain settings, situations, and with certain
people, and other euphemisms in different settings, situations, and with different
people?
o Examine your list of euphemisms and decide if you might consider any terms
“politically correct”.
•
In addition to the topics on your original list, think of what other words or phrases also have
euphemisms that describe them. Write down those words and their euphemisms.
15
THE TEMPEST
VIEWPOINTS:
NEGOTIATIONS OF POWER IN THE TEMPEST
Power over others is a significant theme in The Tempest that reveals patterns in relationships
between characters. Most of the relationships between characters in the play involve
negotiations of power in which one character wields power through a symbol that weakens
another. This relationship might be illustrated with the following sentence:
______________ uses _________ as a way to weaken ______________.
(CHARACTER)
(SYMBOL)
(CHARACTER)
The table below contains the names of characters and symbols in The Tempest. Using the names
and symbols from the table to fill in the blanks, write down as many variations on the above
sentence as you can find in the play such as:
Prospero uses magic as a way to weaken Caliban.
After you complete the sentences, answer the questions at the bottom of this page through class
discussion or through writing.
CHARACTER
Prospero
Miranda
Ariel
Caliban
Alonso
Trinculo
Ferdinand
Sebastian
Antonio
Stephano
SYMBOL
Wood/Log
Wine
Threats of violence
Staff
Magic
Ariel
Status
CHARACTER
Prospero
Miranda
Ariel
Caliban
Alonso
Trinculo
Ferdinand
Sebastian
Antonio
Stephano
1. In what ways do characters that typically have power in the world of the play (such as Alonso)
become weak?
2. In what ways do characters that typically have no power (such as Stephano) become powerful?
3. How does a log symbolize the negotiation of power between Ferdinand and Miranda, and how
is their relationship different from all others?
4. Is every character successful in their attempts to weaken other characters, why or why not?
16
THE TEMPEST
DR. RALPH’S “SHAKESFEAR” ACTIVITY
(adapted from Ralph Allen Cohen’s book, ShakesFEAR and How to Cure It)
The Tempest Soundtrack
Caliban says, “the isle is full of noises, / sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt
not.” Challenge your students to create a soundtrack for The Tempest. This is a graded
assignment.
Here are their instructions:
(1) The entire soundtrack cannot exceed 60 seconds.
(2) The soundtrack must create sounds or music for each of the following and in exactly this
order:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
Storm
Miranda
Prospero
Ariel
Caliban
Failing in love
Planning murder
Getting drunk
Dancing
Caliban-Ariel-Prospero (some mix of c, d, and e above)
Harmonious farewell
(3) Make it clear that students can use any kind of sound or music or snatch of song, as long as
they keep to the order above.
(4) On the day, have at least two boom boxes with CD and cassette tape capabilities at the front
of the class—one to the left and one to the right.
(5) Bring up the first two students with their soundtracks to each of the two boom boxes. Have
them cue their soundtracks at their respective boom boxes.
(6) Appoint yourself timekeeper and tell your students that any soundtrack exceeding 60 seconds
is disqualified.
(7) Assign a strict order to the presentations, so each student knows when he/she is to come up.
After the first student has played the first soundtrack and the applause is over, that student
should sit down and a third student should come up and be cuing his or her soundtrack while
the second soundtrack is being played. As soon as the second one is finished, the third one
commences, while a fourth student is cuing the fourth soundtrack and so on.
If things run smoothly, you will be able to play all of the soundtracks, and after about five of
them, your students will begin to relate the sounds they hear in each soundtrack to the strict order
of themes. If you want to make absolutely certain that they get what their fellow students are
trying to do, you can have the student who is playing his or her soundtrack simply announce each
section as it begins: “Storm ... Miranda ... Prospero ... Ariel,” etc.
17
THE TEMPEST
ABC’s of The Tempest
1. Although Trinculo and Stephano are alarmed at first, Caliban is soothed by the sound of
mysterious ________.
2. Antonio and Sebastian attempt to kill Alonso, the ________ of Naples.
3. Antonio becomes the Duke of ________ after forcing Prospero from power.
4. Antonio _________ his brother Prospero’s dukedom.
5. Ariel assumes the shape of a ________ to torment Alonso, Sebastian and Antonio.
6. ________, the King’s jester, is very suspicious of Stephano’s acceptance of the monster,
Caliban.
7. Ferdinand is Alonso’s son and, thus, the Prince of _________.
8. _________ is the Roman numeral for the number of beats in a normal iambic pentameter line of
verse.
9. In Act 1, Scene 2 Prospero states that his good fortune – or _________ – depends on the stars.
10. _________ is one of the goddesses that performs in the masque for Miranda and Ferdinand.
11. Island spirits torment Trinculo, Stephano and Caliban by taking the shape of hunting _________.
12. __________ is described as the “high'st queen of state” by the other goddesses.
13. Miranda accuses her father of causing the ship to sink into the _________.
14. Miranda taught _________, a native to the island, to speak.
15. Prior to the shipwreck, the royals had attended the wedding of Claribel, the king’s daughter, to
the King of Tunis. They said she was the most beautiful _________ since Dido.
16. Prospero confines Caliban in a _________.
17. Prospero _________ Caliban after he assaulted Miranda.
18. Young _________ fell in love with Miranda at first sight.
19. Prospero punishes Caliban and Ferdinand by making them carry _________.
20. The ________ tries to get the passengers of the ship to return to their cabins during the storm at
the beginning of the play.
21. The drunk butler, Stephano, is even able to find ________ on a deserted island.
22. _________ is an airy spirit whom Prospero has enslaved.
23. Twelve _________ have passed since Prospero was Duke of Milan.
24. Upon arriving at the island, Prospero defeated the witch _________, Caliban’s mother.
25. _________ provided Prospero with his books when he was banished.
26. _________ is a banished duke who has been studying magical arts.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
l.
m.
n.
o.
p.
q.
18
Ariel
boatswain
Caliban
dogs
enslaved
Ferdinand
Gonzalo
harpy
Iris
Juno
King
logs
Milan
Naples
ocean
Prospero
Queen
r.
s.
t.
u.
v.
w.
x.
y.
z.
rock
Sycorax
Trinculo
usurped
voices
wine
X
years
zenith
In case you were wondering
Caliban’s mother Sycorax does not appear in Shakespeare’s text of The
Tempest, but for a period of about three-hundred years an altered version of
the play featuring the character Sycorax as a companion to Caliban was very
popular. Productions of The Tempest with the character Sycorax persisted
through the 1800’s, when Shakespeare’s original text regained popularity.
THE TEMPEST
Tempest
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
11
10
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Across
1. Where does Ariel put
the king's ship?
3. What do Trinculo
and Stefano call
Caliban when they
aren't calling him
monster?
4. How many logs must
Ferdinand move?
6. How many goddess
6. How many goddesses
blessed Ferdinand
blessed
Ferdinand
and Miranda
at theand
Miranda
at
the
masque?
masque?
9. What do Caliban and
Trinculo hide under
to escape the storm?
11. What does Caliban
smell like?
14. "O _____ new world
that has such people
in't!"
15. Who was Caliban's
mother?
16. What game are
Ferdinand and
Miranda playing
when the King
discovers them?
18. Who is King Alonso's
trusted counsellor?
19. Who is Alonso's
butler?
20. "We are such stuff
as ________ are
made on, and our
little life is rounded
with a sleep."
Down
2. Who did Gonzalo,
Antonio, and
Sebastian appeal to
for help as the ship
sank?
5. What country is
Alonso returning
from?
7. What do Prospero
and Ariel use to
scare away Stefano,
Trinculo, and
Caliban?
8. "Now my _____ are
overthrown, and
what strength I
have's mine own,
which is most faint."
10. Who banished
Prospero and
Miranda?
12. What is Ariel's
dearest wish?
13. What does Ariel
bring to the King and
his men to torment
them?
17. What things do
Stefano, Trinculo,
and Caliban steal?
19
THE TEMPEST
ACTORS’ CHOICE
David Loar – Prospero in ASC’s The Tempest
Describing Prospero’s journey through the play.
“Prospero’s journey, which I find quite tremendously moving, is from an embittered, exiled
magician bent on revenge to a “mere” human being, stripped of his magic but capable of
forgiveness… He learns—he must learn—what it means to be a human being without the
trappings of royalty or magic or “greatness.” He becomes a human being much richer than he
was before he found the ability to forgive.”
David Loar – Prospero in ASC’s The Tempest
On Prospero’s telling Miranda how they came to live on the island.
“[Prospero] has never told Miranda the details of how he lost his dukedom and how they came
to be stranded on the desert island where they’ve been living for virtually all of her life. It can’t
be easy; it must, in fact, be incredibly difficult to tell this tale—and to reveal, for instance, how
much he himself was at fault for losing his dukedom and causing her to grow up with no
human contact other than him.”
Celia Madeoy – Gonzalo in ASC’s The Tempest
On playing the part of Gonzalo.
“Giles Block, our director, was wonderful to show me a whole new way of seeing this
extraordinary play. To play Gonzalo, who sees life as the ‘glass half full’ in the direst of
accidents and hardships that are going on as they’re shipwrecked on the island. He’s keeping it
together and still giving his love to the king and being a responsible, take charge kind of
person. I love playing him.”
David Loar – Prospero in ASC’s The Tempest
On his use of language while playing Prospero.
“I chose to deal with Prospero’s language onstage by using as wide a vocal range as I possibly
could without “singing” the role. I want to make the audience feel that they must listen because
they don’t know what tone of voice and what volume will come out of me next. Sometimes I
bellow, sometimes I roar, sometimes I growl, sometimes I croon and cajole, sometimes I do
practically sing whether it’s a lullaby or an incantation.”
David Loar – Prospero in ASC’s The Tempest
On Miranda’s innocence and inexperience, and her relationship with Prospero.
“As [director Giles Block] said in one of the first rehearsals, the time has come when a man
must be found for Miranda. She’s of marriageable age (in Elizabethan times!).... What, if
anything, does she know about sex, about love, about marriage, about relationships with
anyone other than her father? There’s one specific moment in Act 1, Scene 2 where you’ll see
Prospero and Miranda dealing with the toughest of these questions.”
20
THE TEMPEST
Questions
1. What happens over the course of the play to change Prospero in the way that Loar
describes?
2. Loar points out that Prospero has never told Miranda how they came to live on the
island before he tells the story in the play. What does this tell you about Prospero’s
relationship with his daughter?
3. Look at the list of different ways of speaking that Loar lists to describe his use of
Language as Prospero. Find at least one place in the text where he might use each of
them.
4. How is Miranda’s lack of knowledge and her inexperience displayed throughout the
play? What moment do you think that Loar is talking about in Act 1, Scene 2?
In case you were wondering
To hear more about our shows from our
actors, visit the American Shakespeare
Center Podcast Central at
http://americanshakespearecenter.blogspot.com
In case you were
wondering
The Tempest is thought to have
been inspired by events
surrounding the colonization of
Virginia, as told by William
Strachey in his account of a
shipwreck off the coast of
Bermuda, as reported in The
Shipwreck of the Sea Venture.
Cover from a booklet published in 1613 about
shipwrecks occurring off the coast of England,
Scotland, France and Ireland.
21
THE TEMPEST
GETTING TECHNICAL
CONSIDER THIS ABOUT COSTUMES IN THE TEMPEST:
•
The banished and shipwrecked characters of The Tempest wore clothing similar to what
Shakespeare’s actors might have worn. How were the banished and shipwrecked characters’
costumes different from the island spirits’? from Caliban’s? How did the actors move differently
because of their costumes?
•
Using the following list of questions as a guide, consider (through discussion or writing) other
aspects of costume design in ASC’s The Tempest:
o what is reflected by the period and style of clothing?
o what is concealed and/or revealed about the character and the plot?
o what does the weight, feel, flow of the materials communicate (heavy, see-through, silky)?
o what color palette and intensity of color is used?
o how do you distinguish the characters from one another?
o how do you create relationships between the characters?
o how many costume changes are needed for each character?
o are there any special needs (such as blood, quick changes, etc.)?
•
If you were asked to design your own production of The Tempest what kind of choices would you
make about costumes?
CONSIDER THIS ABOUT LIGHTING AND SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS IN THE TEMPEST:
•
How did the performer create the tempest in The Tempest? What clues did the actors give to signify
to the audience that something magical or mystical has occurred? What props and physical actions
were used to engage the audience’s imagination?
•
Using the following list of questions as a guide, consider (through discussion or writing) other
aspects of lighting and special effects in ASC’s The Tempest:
o what time of day needs to be shown in the many scenes?
o what kind of environment/weather conditions?
o what mood needs to be set for the scene or moment (danger, comfort, etc.)?
o what actions are dependent on the light or effect (recognize another, keep warm, escape,
etc.)?
o what special effects are needed (such as: fire, explosions, magic, shadows, ghosts, etc.)?
o in what ways might you take advantage of actors and audience sharing the same light?
•
If you were asked to design your own production of The Tempest what kind of choices would you
make about lighting and special effects?
22
THE TEMPEST
CONSIDER THIS ABOUT MUSIC AND SOUND EFFECTS IN THE TEMPEST:
•
Music permeates The Tempest. What do Ariel’s songs reveal about his character? What does the
song Caliban, Trinculo and Stefano sing say about their characters?
•
Using the following list of questions as a guide, consider (through discussion or writing) other
aspects of music and sound effects in ASC’s The Tempest:
o what mood is set by the pre-show and interlude music?
o what music/songs did Shakespeare include in the text of the play?
o what music has been added to set a mood, or clarify or underscore the text?
o what actions are dependent on sounds (knock at door, alarum to battle, etc.)
o what special sound effects are needed (such as: clocks, birds, explosions, etc.)?
o what type, quality, and volume of musical instruments, human voice, or sounds?
o should any music or sounds be left to the imagination?
•
If you were asked to design your own production of The Tempest what kind of choices would you
make about music and sound effects?
CONSIDER THIS ABOUT SCENERY, SET PIECES, AND PROPS IN THE TEMPEST:
•
Prospero’s staff remains on stage for the length of the play. Why do you think this choice was
made? How did the actors make the Blackfriars Playhouse look like a ship at the beginning of the
show?
•
Using the following list of questions as a guide, consider (through discussion or writing) other
aspects of scenery, set pieces, and props in ASC’s The Tempest:
o what particular period, style, or culture is represented?
o what color and texture of set pieces/props (rustic wood or polished plastic) are used?
o how many different locations are needed?
o how do you coordinate the changing of the set?
o what props are identified with a character (pipe, crown, cane, etc.)?
o what props are especially important to the plot (Macbeth’s head, Desdemona’s hankie,
etc.)?
o what other props are needed (letters read, food eaten, swords, flags, etc.)?
o should any settings or props be left to the imagination?
•
If you were asked to design your own production of The Tempest what kind of choices would you
make about scenery, set pieces, and props?
23
THE TEMPEST
QUIZ
Please select the BEST multiple choice response.
1. Prospero was once
a. Duke of Milan
b.King of Naples c. Thane of Cawdor
2. The storm was caused by
a. the Boatswain’s incompetence
b.Prospero’s magic
c. the combined forces of Caliban and Sycorax
d.Duke of Verona
e. Magistrate of Rome
d.laws of nature and will of God
e. a tsunami
3. Miranda is told the story of her formative years by Prospero because
a. it is her favorite tale
b.Prospero realizes she is about to learn the truth from Antonio
c. Prospero believes the time is ripe, and their lives are about to change
d.Miranda begins to suspect her father’s questionable past
e. Ferdinand hints that she does not know all that she should
4. As Prospero tells Miranda of their past, his recounting of past events serves as the play’s
a. rising action
b.exposition
c. climax
d.denouement
e. resolution
5. For helping Prospero, Ariel asks for
a. Miranda’s hand in marriage
b.his freedom
c. a position of power once Prospero regains
control of Milan
6. Caliban is the child of
a. Ariel
b.Antonio
d.a place at court in Naples
e. the murder of Caliban
c. Sycorax
d.Robin
Goodfellow
e. Oberon
7. Ariel was punished by Sycorax for
a. refusing to follow her terrible orders
b.lying about Caliban’s location
c. killing the sailors from Argier
d.casting spells against island spirits
e. singing to the mermaids
8. Caliban is
a. a sweet, obedient servant
b.Miranda’s devoted fairy
c. Prospero’s ill-mannered slave
d.a water-nymph, rescued from the sea
e. creator of Sycorax
9. Caliban indicates that initially he
a. cursed Prospero, which is the reason for
Prospero’s bad luck
b.was in love with Ariel
10. Caliban learned language from
a. Prospero
b.Miranda
24
c. revealed the secrets of the island to Prospero
d.ruled Prospero
e. killed his mother
c. Ferdinand
d.Ariel
e. Sycorax
THE TEMPEST
11. After the shipwreck, Prospero arranged for all the persons aboard to be
a. hanged
b.separated
c. tied up
d.sent home
e. made fun of
12. Ferdinand is the son of
a. Prospero
e. Alonso
b.Sebastian
c. Antonio
d.Sycorax
13. When Miranda and Ferdinand first see each other, they
a. start in fear and then run away from each other
b.fall instantly in love, even as they wonder if the other is divine
c. call for their parents’ protection lest they forget their past
d.begin to plea for immunity for each other’s wronged relatives
e. hope never to be so befallen again
14. Gonzalo argues that if he were king of the isle, he would
a. set up commerce with Spain
b.establish schools and universities
c. raise crops and establish vineyards
d.set up courts with magistrates
e. leave it idyllic and uncivilized, just as it is
15. Sebastian and Antonio are stopped from killing Alonso by
a. Miranda
b.Caliban
c. Gonzalo
16. Trinculo compares Caliban to a
a. fish
b.god
17. Under Caliban, Stephano finds
a. gold
b.Trinculo
c. girl
c. an island map
d.the King of
Tunis
e. Ariel
d.slave
e. orphan
d.a newborn beast
e. a book of poems
18. Prospero requires Ferdinand to work for him, stacking firewood, because
a. Caliban has run away
b.Ferdinand has stolen goods from Prospero and must pay off his debt
c. a storm is on the horizon and all hands are needed to prepare
d.he wishes to test Ferdinand’s devotion to Miranda
e. Prospero doubts Ferdinand’s physical stamina
19. As Prospero secretly witnesses the exchange of vows between Miranda and Ferdinand (3.1), he is
a. incensed
b.perplexed
c. pleased
d.saddened
e. desolate
20. Shakespeare appeals to the humor of the groundlings particularly in his characterization of
a. Trinculo and Stephano
d.Claribel and the King of Tunis
b.Prospero and Antonio
e. Alonso and Sebastian
c. Ariel and Sycorax
Essay
In Act 1, scene 2 Prospero describes how he was deposed by his brother as the Duke of Milan. At the
beginning of the play does Prospero acknowledge any responsibility for his replacement and
banishment? What does Prospero’s decision to break his staff tell you about how his views on his
personal responsibilities have changed over the course of the play? Where else in the play can you
find the theme of taking or neglecting responsibility?
25