GEMS Modern Academy

The Tempest – ACT IV Analysis

Within a few minutes of the opening of this scene, the betrothal is complete, and Miranda and
Ferdinand's future has been determined to Prospero's satisfaction. The virtue and honor of these young
people transcends the actions of their fathers and, in this betrothal, lies the redemption of their families.
(According to Elizabethan custom, marriages consisted of three separate elements. The first was the
betrothal, with it announcement of a promise to wed and the acknowledgement of the family's
permission for the union to take place. The second part consisted of the wedding, with a religious
ceremony that united the couple and bound them together under church law. The final part to the
marriage was the consummation, the physical union of the couple through sexual intercourse.)

For the first time, Prospero can fully reveal his true nature. Finally, there is no need to be punitive or
autocratic, and he can simply enjoy his daughter's happiness. For these few moments, the audience can
witness what Prospero is like without the weight of revenge or control motivating his actions. Even in his
gentleness and goodwill toward Ferdinand, Prospero does not forget that he is still Miranda's father,
and as such, he is responsible for her until she is safely wed. Consequently, a significant amount of time
is spent warning Ferdinand that he must control his lust until the wedding takes place. Prospero warns
the young man that "barren hate, / Sour-eyed disdain, and discord," will be his reward if he cannot
control his lust (IV.1, 19-20). All of this is in keeping with the expected parental role. Miranda is even
more innocent than most young women, having had none of the socialization that other young women
would experience. Because of her isolation, she is more vulnerable, and her father is aware of her purity
of heart. However, he is also a father, facing the imminent loss of his only child, and so his excessive
warnings to Ferdinand to control his lust are to be expected.

The betrothal ceremony is sealed with a masque, and, in keeping with the motif of reality and illusion,
this masque draws on mythical goddesses and on Greek and Roman mythology. The goddesses are
selected for their symbolism and connections to nature and represent the promise of fertility and
fecundity, heavenly harmony, and an eternal springtime of love. As the goddess of the rainbow, Iris is
the promise of spring rains leading to a bountiful harvest. As a messenger from Juno, she also represents
the gods' blessing on this betrothal. When Juno appears, her presence affirms the blessing of the
heavens, and since Juno is the goddess of marriage and childbirth, her presence is the promise of a
happy union for the couple and a blessing of many children. Finally, Ceres' appearance also promises
nature's blessing on this marriage. Together, the goddesses are the promise of celestial harmony, fruitful
harvests, and eternal seasons without winter. Venus, with her emphasis on abandon and sexual love is
deliberately excluded, since the focus of the masque is on honorable marriage.

The pastoral tradition focuses on a nostalgic image of the peace and simplicity of the life of shepherds
and other rural folk in an idealized natural setting. Pastoral poetry is characterized by a state of
contentment and a focus on the contemplative life. As is the case with most masques, Prospero's
masque focuses on these pastoral motifs, with reapers and nymphs celebrating the fecundity of the
land. The land is green, the harvesters sunburned, and the harvest worth celebrating. Love is innocent
and romantic and not sexual. The country life, with its abundance of harvests and peaceful existence is
an idealized world that ignores the realities of country life with its many hardships. But a wedding
masque is not the time to remind the young couple of the possible hardships that they will face. Instead,
Prospero focuses on the blessings of a happy marriage and the contentment that Ferdinand and
Miranda will bring one another.

At the conclusion of the masque, Prospero addresses Ferdinand and tells him that "We are such stuff /
As dreams are made on" (IV.1, 156-57). This is a reminder that the masque, with all its heavenly
creatures, is not real. Like the masque, life, too, will come to its inevitable end. Prospero reminds
Ferdinand that each man's life is framed by dreams. The evidence of that life, with its earthly
possessions, is only temporary. Again, this points to the role of the young couple as redeemers for their
father's sins. Alonso, and through him, Antonio and Sebastian, have placed too much emphasis on
worldly possessions and titles. Even Prospero, with his focus on books, has forgotten that they are also
only temporary vestiges in this life. This reminder that corporeal riches are only temporary also seems to
be directed toward Stefano and Trinculo.

Many scholars and critics would like to see Shakespeare's autobiographical presence in Prospero's
words. Those who think that Shakespeare is allowing Prospero to speak his farewell to the stage find
"Our revels now are ended" to be a poignant reminder of the temporal plight of all men's lives.
Since The Tempest comes near the end of Shakespeare's career and life, it is very tempting to read
autobiography into Prospero's words. Still, his words may only be an impassioned reminder for each
man to value life and accept its temporal limitations.

At the scene's end, Prospero must shrug off the mantle of fatherhood and assume the cloak of ruler and
deal with the three conspirators who plot his death: Caliban, Stefano, and Trinculo. The punishment that
Ariel reports is more nuisance than painful, another reminder that Prospero's retribution includes no
serious injuries. Aside from a few scratches, the trip through the briar patch and the putrid pond only
injure the men's pride. Even the spirit hunters and dogs that give Caliban, Stefano, and Trinculo chase
are little more than air, not capable of causing their prey any harm. This mild punishment reflects
Prospero's inherent good nature and his willingness to forgive his enemies. He will make them suffer for
their plotting, but he will do them no real injury. Although it was not always clear earlier in the play, by
this act, Prospero's true nature, his goodness and his humanity, have become clear to the audience.

Prospero tries to dismiss his tyrannical demands for Ferdinand's service as "trials of thy love"‹but also
makes mention in this first scene that he has "punished" Ferdinand, which implies a need for retribution
for a wrongdoing (IV.i.6). The word "punished" that he uses recalls the fabricated charges Prospero
raises against Ferdinand in the first act, of Ferdinand being a spy or a potential usurper; and the irony is
that Prospero heaps his suspicion on Ferdinand, who has no such designs, while forgetting the very real
plots of Caliban and his brothers.

Prospero's actions, however, were unfair and ungrounded; he uses the couple's love to try to excuse
himself in this instance, but Prospero is not the just judge he would have himself appear to be. Ironically,
Prospero's decision to let Miranda and Ferdinand marry was made even before Ferdinand came to the
island, and was made because the marriage would secure Prospero's position back home, and would
make his daughter queen as well. The work Prospero made Ferdinand do, coupled with the
enchantment that he put his daughter and Ferdinand under so they would fall in love, merely assured
that Prospero's plan would succeed, as it finally does. But, be wary of the difference between the way
Prospero's character appears, and the machinations and plans lying beneath the appearance he would
like to project, especially in instances such as this one.

However, just as Prospero begins to promise a blessing upon their union, his tone again becomes
threatening. It is so important to Prospero that they not consummate their marriage before "full and
holy rite be ministered," that he would wish them "barren hate" if they do, and continues with enough
bitter, harsh-toned rhetoric to hopefully drive his point home (IV.i.17-20). Prospero conjures up a
frightful image of disdain, personified as being "sour-eyed"; and, in meaningful contrast with the
traditional flower-strewn marriage bed, an image of hateful weeds symbolizing the downfall and
pollution of the marriage. Prospero's language, heavy with unpleasant images and symbols, does yield
some result; Ferdinand, in earnest, forswears his "worser genius," or any possible influence of lust and
dishonor within him.

Prospero seems preoccupied with Miranda's virginity because it is inextricably bound up with Prospero's
own power. Her virginity is their prime bargaining chip in winning an advantageous marriage that will
secure both of their positions; and if she does marry Ferdinand, their power back in Italy is secured for
both of them. Virginity was often an important bargaining point‹most notably, for Queen Elizabeth, who
used her eligibility to gain a great deal of power throughout her reign. If Miranda's virginity is thrown
away, then Prospero's greatest hope for regaining his estate and position is gone too; so Prospero tries
his best to keep Miranda well-informed of her importance, and keep Ferdinand warned as to the
potential consequences of his actions. Prospero's great concern foreshadows the importance of this
theme in the betrothal masque; in the masque, Iris makes mention that the couple cannot be together
"till Hymen's torch be lighted," her language parallel to that in Prospero's earlier entreaty to the lovers.

Prospero reduces his daughter, who is intelligent and worthy, to a mere object, wrapping her with the
language of exchange when speaking of her to Ferdinand. Prospero refers to his daughter, not by her
name, but as a "rich gift," "compensation" for Ferdinand's pains; he says his daughter has been "worthily
purchased" as an "acquisition," further building up his metaphor of his daughter as a thing of exchange.
Prospero's metaphors, and overstatement of his daughter's perfection ("she will outstrip all praise")
could be meant to distract Ferdinand from what Prospero and Miranda are getting in the bargain.
Indeed, Prospero never makes mention of the power and position that he and his daughter are regaining
because of this "rich gift," or the true purchase price of his daughter's hand.

It is strange to think of the "liver," as Ferdinand mentions it, as having anything to do with love; but, in
Shakespeare's time, the organ was a symbol of lust and passion, just as these emotions are associated
with the heart today. The heart was also related to love, but was thought to be more pure and
honorable in the feelings originating there. We know now, of course, that feelings originate in the brain,
and that these relations of organs and emotions are quaint in their backwardness; but, the heart
remains a symbol related to love, and despite our modern medical knowledge, this ancient literary
device continues to be used.

Though the marriage rites to be performed are Christian, allusions to ancient pagan mythology abound.
Prospero invokes Hymen, god of marriage‹and a figure uniquely opposed to his wish for "holy rites" for
his daughter. Ferdinand mentions "Phoebus' steeds," as symbols of day-time and the sun, and the
characters in Prospero's masque originate in classical myths as well. Allusions to Greek and Roman myth
were common in Elizabethan literature, but especially common in the first few court masques that were
performed, which often featured the same goddesses as characters that appear in this masque.
Prospero calls upon Iris, the messenger of the gods and also the goddess of the rainbow, to perform a
betrothal masque for Ferdinand and Miranda. A betrothal masque also appears in As You Like It that is
presided over by Hymen; but otherwise, the spectacle was mostly reserved for weddings of state and
almost exclusively for court functions. In this respect, the masque does confirm that the wedding is an
important one‹eleven were actually performed at the court of King James, and some of these for
occasions of the marriage of rich and important people. Masques were special ritual-type plays in which
the monarch was always the protagonist, and the subject was how royalty made things harmonious and
resolved tensions between people. Although Shakespeare's masque took some inspiration from earlier
ones, thematically it is entirely innovative. Royal power is displayed as power over nature, and the idea
of the masque as the projection of a royal vision first appeared in this masque in The Tempest, and were
to appear again in Jonson's court masques of later years.
Within the masque are a few parallels to events within the play. Ceres presides over the play, because
she symbolizes order and plenty; Ceres is credited with teaching men agriculture, thus civilizing them
and stopping their wild hunter-gatherer ways. Prospero's mission parallels this, as Prospero also sought
to civilize and bring order to the island, and to the wild Caliban, though he did not manage to succeed.
Also, Ceres mentions "dusky Dis," meaning Pluto, the god who abducted Ceres' daughter Proserpine,
inspired by Cupid and Venus. Caliban is reminiscent of the dark figure of Pluto, in his attempts to abduct
and rape Miranda; and the story also recalls the plot Caliban later fosters, to get Miranda for Stephano.
The parallels might be faint, but it is, after all, Prospero who has "called [them] to enact [his] present
fancies"; the inclusion of the Pluto/ Proserpine story is so tangential to the concerns of the masque, that
it must have been included by Prospero on purpose, as some sort of reminder to himself (IV.i.121-122).

Once again, Prospero almost loses control because he is absorbed by his art; but here, he is able to
shake himself from his reverie, and becomes conscious of time again. The moment is important because
Prospero is in real danger of losing control, and almost gives up his chance to act because of the pull of
his magic. The moment is a humanizing one for Prospero, as he realizes his mortality and his
forgetfulness, as well as the limits of his magic. The masque, which he created from his own power,
disappears in an instant; and finally, Prospero realizes that his works of magic are all in vain, as they are
made of "baseless fabric" and will not last. He sees that "we are such stuff as dreams are made on," and
at last realizes that his mind has aged and his powers are fragile and faltering (IV.i.166-167). It is a
sobering moment for Prospero, to admit his "weakness" and "infirmity"; and this marks the beginning of
his surrender of his magic.

It is not Caliban and his drunken friends, whom Ariel describes in a simile as being "like unbacked colts,"
that Prospero has to worry about (l. 176). Indeed, the thought of Caliban upsets Prospero more than the
plot, as Prospero again curses the one "on whose nature nurture can never stick" (188-89). Prospero
thinks that Caliban is bad because he has not adopted the "civilized" ways of thinking that Prospero has,
and must be bad natured because of this; but Prospero fails to realize that Caliban's relative goodness
has been more spoiled by the way Prospero treats him than by any refusal to adopt foreign ways of
thinking. Prospero, for all his learning, still espouses a haughty, colonial point of view when it comes to
Caliban, and lets this prejudiced treatment corrupt a potentially good man's nature.

The Tempest as Masque

            The Masque in The Tempest has been useful to Shakespeare in many ways. It may have initially
been meant only to represent the betrothal of Ferdinand and Miranda, but it has ended up adding many
different aspects to the play. It is a section of The Tempest which well rounds out the play as a whole.
 
            In Shakespeare’s time masques were written for performance before a king’s or nobles’s court;
thus, they were given the name Court Masques. They provide an allegorical setting to celebrate feast
days, harvests, betrothals and marriages. Although there is no evidence, it is believed that the masque in
The Tempest was written especially for a performance of the play at the marriage celebration of King
James’ daughter. Within the play itself, the masque is written in celebration of the betrothal and future
marriage of Ferdinand and Miranda, and it provides an allegorical setting for the wedding.
 
            Specifically, the masque in The Tempest occurs in Act IV, scene i. The goddesses and reapers are
conjured up by Prospero to shower eternal spring on the engaged couple. In the masque we travel from
season to season, with the exception of winter. We hear of “spongy April”, and “lasslorn” spring. Next
we hear Ceres sing of summer,
 
            Vines with clustering bunches growing,
            Plants with goodly burden bowing… (IV, i, 112-13).
 
Iris then conjures up three “sunburned sickle-men of August weary” (IV, I, 134). The goddesses
have carried us through three stages of life: growth, maturation, and harvest. Winter has no role in this
merry celebration because it was in winter that Ceres’ daughter was abducted and the rape of
Persephone was indeed the cause of winter, according to mythology (specifically Ovid).
 
            For Prospero, however, winter is very real as we see when he breaks in with,
           
            I had forgot that foul conspiracy
            Of the beast Caliban and his confederates
 
            The masque gives a momentary vision of a world without problems, immediacy, and drama. We
know, however, that such a state cannot be. Prospero has nearly become entrapped in such a belief.
The masque is totally dependent on Prospero; thus, when he begins to lose his awareness, he forgets
the immediate action needed to return to the “real” world, Milan. It is because of this slight loss of
awareness that Prospero is “touch’d with anger” when he makes the transition from fantasy to reality.
The masque provides a bridge for the action of the play to move from the magical island back to the
civilized Milan. The poetry of the play also changes with the masque. Both an operatic and a fairytale
quality are produced in the masque.
 
            Finally, Shakespeare has several different uses for the masque in The Tempest. He has made it a
bridge from magic to reality; a celebration of Ferdinand’s and Miranda’s engagement, and of King
James’ daughter. It has provided an operatic, musical quality to the play, and a fairytale quality as well.
The masque produces a necessary section of the play, and although The Tempest has been performed
without the masque it is an addition which almost perfectly rounds out Shakespeare’s play.

Sources – Gradesaver and E Notes