The Tempest: Act 2.1
Lords and Savages
Lines 1-101 Summary:
-Gonzalo is trying to comfort Alonso who thinks Ferdinand is dead (trying to look on
bright side)
-Sebastian and Antonio are mocking Gonzalo behind his back using a variety of rude and
bawdy puns about how talkative Gonzalo is
-Gonzalo and Adrian is trying to see the beauty of the island and their survival and Seb
and Antonio can only point out the crass and the ugly
-we find out the royal fleet was returning from the marriage of Alonso’s daughter to an
African King.
***line 103 is spoken by Alonso***
Generate a list by which to judge a civilized person.
1. Freewriting: What do you think makes a person truly civilized? Is it dress,
proper behaviour, knowledge of culture, or other attributes. Spend some time
free-writing on this topic.
2. Read 2.1 lines 103-193: how do Sebastian and Antonio do in our criteria of the
civilized? (5 characters)
3. Read lines 197-289: list all the reasons/enticements that Antonio offers Sebastian
as reason to assassinate King Alonso and Gonzalo. (2 characters)
Arial wakes Gonzalo and Alonso just as Sebastian and Antonio are about to slay them
with their swords.
Optimism v/s Pessimism
Using a T-chart, find quotations to support a positive view of life and a more negative
view of life. Be sure to include the speaker
Noble Savage
Gonzalo imagines a utopian state in 2.1, outline all the elements he would remove/ban in
his paradise.
 What are the advantages/disadvantages of such a way of life?
 How is this connected to the theme of the noble savaged explored by
Shakespeare in this play?
 Can society be blamed for the ills suffered by many of the characters?
2.2: Green Eggs and Ham
Summary: Caliban encounters Trinculo, the jester. There is much low-brown and bawdy
humour as Caliban mistakens Trinculo for one of Prospero’s spirit. Trinculo and Caliban
end up under a dirty blanket on the ground with their legs sticking out when Stephano,
the drunken butler finds them. Another low-brow comical exchange ensues. Stephano
feeds Caliban lots of booze and Caliban pledges his allegiance to Stephano and promises
to serve him forever.
1. Green eggs and ham and Shakespeare.
Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises,
Sounds and sweet airs that give delight and hurt not. Compare the above
passage with a segment spoken by Trinculo or Stephano. How are they
different? What could account for the difference?
2. questions: list as many examples of low comedy in this scene between Caliban
and the two drunks. Why might Shakespeare have included such low brow
comedy?
3. In what ways is Trinculo’s encounter with Caliban (lines 24-25) a parody of the
encounter between Ferdinand and Miranda. You will have to refer back to the
first act.
4. Compare Stephano’s song to Ariel’s “Full fathom five,” a song of eerie, inhuman
beauty.
5. Stephano’s mistake in lines 60-65 reminds us of a serious theme: Who is more of
a monster, a supposedly civilized man like Antonio, or the uncivilized, “natural”
Caliban?
6. Who does Caliban believe Stephano to be? Why is this a reasonable
interpretation, given Caliban’s experience?
7. How does Caliban’s reaction to Stephano and Trinculo parody Miranda’s reaction
to Ferdinand? What does Caliban’s readiness to worship Stephano reveal about
him?
8. If Caliban knew the popular legend about the man in the moon, why might he
have felt an affinity with this figure?
9. What does Caliban’s enchantment with Stephano and Trinculo reveal about the
theme of civilized versus uncivilized behaviour?
10.What is ironic about Caliban’s new found “freedom?”