The Tempest, written by Shakespeare, is full of sounds and noises of all types.

Sounds are

significant to the play as they reflect the mood and feelings of the characters. It helps the

audience to gain an insight into the minds of the characters and to empathise with the emotions

that they are experiencing. The tempest uses sounds such as music and singing mainly to show

the mood throughout the play . Prospero, the play’s main protagonist, uses Ariel’s sweet

melodies to mesmerize Ferdinand in order to achieve his goal. Shakespeare’s usage of sound

helps to add layers to the play, evoking emotion from the audience.

Caliban’s speech “Be not afraid. The isle is full of noises...I cried to dream again” (III.ii.

Lines 130-138) is almost poet-like, describing each sound that Stephano and Trinculo would hear

on the island. It is unclear whether the sounds that Caliban describes are as a result of Ariel or

are actually from the island itself. This adds to the mysterious mood and wondrous beauty of the

island and the appreciation he has for these sounds “sounds and sweet airs that give delight and

hurt not”. Moreover, another incident where music is used in the play is when Ariel sings a

melody to Ferdinand. The melody talks about Ferdinand’s father dying in the shipwreck. One

purpose of this melody was to trick Ferdinand into believing that his family was dead, making

him vulnerable to Prospero’s mind games.

All the same, the play uses music as a 'power-tool' for Prospero and in a sense also for Ariel.

Prospero impels Ariel to make Alonso, Gonzalo, and the rest of the company fall asleep, except

for Sebastian and Antonio. Being invisible, Ariel listens to the conspiracy plans of those two and

intercedes on Prospero’s behalf, preventing the murder of Alonso waking up the sleeping

Gonzalo, in order to wake him up. This is not the first time Prospero uses music indirectly to

advance his purpose in the plot of the play. He prompts Ariel to sing to Ferdinand, telling him

that his father was a victim of a shipwreck and lies at the bottom of the ocean. This makes
Ferdinand mentally vulnerable and as a result, Prospero uses that to his advantage, indirectly

manipulating Ferdinand’s following decisions.

Furthermore, the sounds presented throughout the play reflect the mood and feelings of the

characters. Without such noises, the audience would perceive the play as flat and uninteresting.

In some instances, there are hauling winds, clanking chains, terrifying noises, and some cases

contain the sweet tune of a harp. Shakespeare uses such noises to effortlessly preserve the

intensity of his play and build various diverse moods. In the beginning, the book opens with a

loud noise and individuals on-board a sinking ship. In the entire book, categories of noises and

sounds can be heard. The different sounds and noises in the play all create suspense and build up

the mood of the drama. Some of such noises are designed to create fear. Others were developed

by the author to enhance the feeling of mystery.

In short, the Tempest is full of sounds and noises which are significant to the play as they

reflect the mood and feelings of the characters. Caliban’s speech describes the sounds that

Stephano and Trinculo would hear on the island, effectively adding to the mysterious mood and

wondrous beauty of the island. Shakespeare uses music as a 'power-tool' for Prospero, giving

him indirect control of Ferdinand’s actions in order to carry out his plan.