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Essay Type Questions of Act I 201-205

CONTENTS Act III Scene I 206-225
(It in includes Glossary, Summary,
Introduction to William Shakespeare 1-8 Analysis and Comprehension Passages)
How to Study a Play 9 Act III Scene II 226-244
Reading The Tempest 10-16 (It in includes Glossary, Summary,
(Nature of the Play, Dramatic Unities, The Nature of Tragicomedy, Analysis and Comprehension Passages)
A Note on Masques in the Text, The Title of the Play)
Act III Scene III 245-266
About The Tempest 17-23
(It in includes Glossary, Summary,
(Introduction, The Tempest as a Romance, Historical and Cultural
Analysis and Comprehension Passages)
Context, Structure of the Tempest, Literary Devices Used in The
Tempest, Shakespeare’s Language) Act IV Scene I 267-296
Character List 24-25 (It in includes Glossary, Summary,
Symbols 26-27 Analysis and Comprehension Passages)
Themes 28-32 Act V Scene I 297-345
Motifs 33 (It in includes Glossary, Summary,
A Brief Summary of The Story of The Tempest 34-37 Analysis and Comprehension Passages)
Summary, Analysis, Comprehension Passages Character Analysis
of The Tempest (Act by Act Scene by Scene) Prospero 347-350
Act I Scene I 39-46 Miranda 350-353
(It in includes Glossary, Summary, Caliban 353-356
Analysis and Comprehension Passages) Ariel 356-358
Act I Scene II 47-124 Alonso 359-360
(It in includes Glossary, Summary, Ferdinand 360-361
Analysis and Comprehension Passages) Gonzalo 361-362
Essay Type Questions of Act I 124-136 Antonio 362-364
Act II Scene I 137-182 Sebastian 364-365
(It in includes Glossary, Summary, Other Characters 365-370
Analysis and Comprehension Passages) Quotes From The Tempest 371-380
Act II Scene II 183-201 The Tempest Paraphrase 381-549
(It in includes Glossary, Summary, (Text with Modern Translation)
Analysis and Comprehension Passages) The Tempest (Hindi) 550-565

Introduction to William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare, often called the English national poet, is
widelyconsidered the greatest dramatist of all time.
Synopsis
William Shakespeare was baptized on April 26, 1564, in Stratford-
upon-Avon, England. From roughly 1594 onward he was an
important member of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men company of
theatrical players. Written records give little indication of the
way in which Shakespeare’s professional life molded his artistry.
All that can be deduced is that over the course of 20 years,
Shakespeare wrote plays that capture the complete range of human
emotion and conflict.
Mysterious Origins
Known throughout the world, the works of William Shakespeare
have been performed in countless hamlets, villages, cities and
metropolises for more than 400 years. And yet, the personal
history of William Shakespeare is somewhat a mystery. There
are two primary sources that provide historians with a basic
outline of his life. One source is his work—the plays, poems and
sonnets—and the other is official documentation such as church
and court records. However, these only provide brief sketches
of specific events in his life and provide little on the person who
experienced those events.
Early Life
Though no birth records exist, church records indicate that a
William Shakespeare was baptized at Holy Trinity Church in
Stratford-upon-Avon on April 26, 1564. From this, it is believed
he was born on or near April 23, 1564, and this is the date scholars
acknowledge as William Shakespeare's birthday.
Located 103 miles west of London, during Shakespeare's time
Stratford-upon-Avon was a market town bisected with a country
road and the River Avon. William was the third child of John
Shakespeare, a leather merchant, and Mary Arden, a local landed
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heiress. William had two older sisters, Joan and Judith, and three
younger brothers, Gilbert, Richard and Edmund. Before William's
birth, his father became a successful merchant and held official
positions as alderman and bailiff, an office resembling a mayor.
However, records indicate John's fortunes declined sometime in
the late 1570s.
Scant records exist of William's childhood, and virtually none
regarding his education. Scholars have surmised that he most
likely attended the King's New School, in Stratford, which taught
reading, writing and the classics. Being a public official's child,
William would have undoubtedly qualified for free tuition. But
this uncertainty regarding his education has led some to raise
questions about the authorship of his work and even about
whether or not William Shakespeare ever existed.
Married Life
William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway on November 28,
1582, in Worcester, in Canterbury Province. Hathaway was from
Shottery, a small village a mile west of Stratford. William was 18
and Anne was 26, and, as it turns out, pregnant. Their first child,
a daughter they named Susanna, was born on May 26, 1583.
Two years later, on February 2, 1585, twins Hamnet and Judith
were born. Hamnet later died of unknown causes at age 11.
After the birth of the twins, there are seven years of William
Shakespeare's life where no records exist. Scholars call this period
the "lost years," and there is wide speculation on what he was
doing during this period. One theory is that he might have gone
into hiding for poaching game from the local landlord, Sir Thomas
Lucy. Another possibility is that he might have been working as
an assistant schoolmaster in Lancashire. It is generally believed
he arrived in London in the mid- to late 1580s and may have
found work as a horse attendant at some of London's finer
theaters, a scenario updated centuries later by the countless
aspiring actors and playwrights in Hollywood and Broadway.
Theatrical Beginnings
By 1592, there is evidence William Shakespeare earned a living
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as an actor and a playwright in London and possibly had several
plays produced. The September 20, 1592 edition of the Stationers'
Register (a guild publication) includes an article by London
playwright Robert Greene that takes a few jabs at William
Shakespeare: "...There is an upstart Crow, beautified with our
feathers, that with his Tiger's heart wrapped in a Player's hide,
supposes he is as well able to bombast out a blank verse as the
best of you: and being an absolute Johannes factotum, is in his
own conceit the only Shake-scene in a country," Greene wrote
of Shakespeare.
Scholars differ on the interpretation of this criticism, but most
agree that it was Greene's way of saying Shakespeare was
reaching above his rank, trying to match better known and
educated playwrights like Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Nashe
or Greene himself.
By the early 1590s, documents show William Shakespeare was a
managing partner in the Lord Chamberlain's Men, an acting
company in London. After the crowning of King James I, in
1603, the company changed its name to the King's Men. From
all accounts, the King's Men company was very popular, and
records show that Shakespeare had works published and sold as
popular literature. The theater culture in 16th century England
was not highly admired by people of high rank. However, many
of the nobility were good patrons of the performing arts and
friends of the actors. Early in his career, Shakespeare was able
to attract the attention of Henry Wriothesley, the Earl of
Southampton, to whom he dedicated his first- and second-
published poems: "Venus and Adonis" (1593) and "The Rape of
Lucrece" (1594).
Establishing Himself
By 1597, 15 of the 37 plays written by William Shakespeare
were published. Civil records show that at this time he purchased
the second largest house in Stratford, called New House, for his
family. It was a four-day ride by horse from Stratford to London,
so it is believed that Shakespeare spent most of his time in the
city writing and acting and came home once a year during the
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40-day Lenten period, when the theaters were closed.
By 1599, William Shakespeare and his business partners built
their own theater on the south bank of the Thames River, which
they called the Globe. In 1605, Shakespeare purchased leases of
real estate near Stratford for 440 pounds, which doubled in value
and earned him 60 pounds a year. This made him an entrepreneur
as well as an artist, and scholars believe these investments gave
him the time to write his plays uninterrupted.
Writing Style
William Shakespeare's early plays were written in the conventional
style of the day, with elaborate metaphors and rhetorical phrases
that didn't always align naturally with the story's plot or characters.
However, Shakespeare was very innovative, adapting the
traditional style to his own purposes and creating a freer flow of
words. With only small degrees of variation, Shakespeare
primarily used a metrical pattern consisting of lines of unrhymed
iambic pentameter, or blank verse, to compose his plays. At the
same time, there are passages in all the plays that deviate from
this and use forms of poetry or simple prose.
Early Works: Histories and Comedies
With the exception of Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare's
first plays were mostly histories written in the early 1590s. Richard
II, Henry VI (parts 1, 2 and 3) and Henry V dramatize the
destructive results of weak or corrupt rulers, and have been
interpreted by drama historians as Shakespeare's way of justifying
the origins of the Tudor Dynasty.
Shakespeare also wrote several comedies during his early period:
the witty romance A Midsummer Night's Dream, the romantic
Merchant of Venice, the wit and wordplay of Much Ado About
Nothing, the charming As You Like It and Twelfth Night. Other
plays, possibly written before 1600, include Titus Andronicus,
The Comedy of Errors, The Taming of the Shrew and The Two
Gentlemen of Verona.
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Later Works: Tragedies and Tragicomedies
It was in William Shakespeare's later period, after 1600, that he
wrote the tragedies Hamlet, King Lear, Othello and Macbeth. In
these, Shakespeare's characters present vivid impressions of
human temperament that are timeless and universal. Possibly the
best known of these plays is Hamlet, which explores betrayal,
retribution, incest and moral failure. These moral failures often
drive the twists and turns of Shakespeare's plots, destroying the
hero and those he loves.
In William Shakespeare's final period, he wrote several
tragicomedies. Among these are Cymbeline, The Winter's Tale
and The Tempest. Though graver in tone than the comedies,
they are not the dark tragedies of King Lear or Macbeth because
they end with reconciliation and forgiveness.
Death
Tradition has it that William Shakespeare died on his birthday,
April 23, 1616, though many scholars believe this is a myth.
Church records show he was interred at Trinity Church on April
25, 1616.
In his will, he left the bulk of his possessions to his eldest
daughter, Susanna. Though entitled to a third of his estate, little
seems to have gone to his wife, Anne, whom he bequeathed his
"second-best bed." This has drawn speculation that she had fallen
out of favor, or that the couple was not close. However, there is
very little evidence the two had a difficult marriage. Other scholars
note that the term "second-best bed" often refers to the bed
belonging to the household's master and mistres—the marital
bed—and the "first-best bed" was reserved for guests.
The Shakespeare Canon
Shakespeare was noted both for poetry and plays, with both
mediums serving different needs; the plays were related to the
theatrical fashion that was on trend while his poetry served to
provide storytelling in erotic or romantic ways, culminating in a
canon of work that is as diverse in language as the issues of
human nature that the works portray.
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Plays
William Shakespeare wrote at least 37 plays that scholars know
of, with most of them labeled is comedies, histories, or tragedies.
The earliest play that is directly attributed to Shakespeare is the
trilogy of "King Henry VI," with "Richard III" also being written
around the same time, between 1589 and 1591. The last play
was a collaboration, assumed to be with John Fletcher, known
as "The Two Noble Kinsmen."
Shakespeare often wrote play in a genre that was in vogue at the
time, with his plays beginning with the histories, including the
above-mentioned works as well as "Pericles," "King John," the
dual volumes of both "Henry IV" and "Henry V," which were
written at later dates.
From histories written in the late 1580s to the early 1590s,
Shakespeare moved into comedies, which were described as
such for their comic sequences and pairs of plots that intertwined
with each other. Among the most well known are "A Midsummer's
Night Dream," "Merchant of Venice," "Much Ado About Nothing,"
"As You Like It," and "Twelfth Night." Interestingly, two tragedies
bookend Shakespeare's comedic era - "Romeo and Juliet" were
written at the beginning of the 1590s, and "Julius Caesar" was
written at the end of the era.
For the last portion of his writing career, Shakespeare focused
his work on tragedies and "problem" plays. In this era, which is
acknowledged as the playwright's best era, he wrote the works
called "Hamlet," "Othello," "King Lear," "Coriolanus,"and
"Macbeth," among others. These are the works that are most in
production today, both on stage and in film.
When looking at a chronology of Shakespeare's plays, it is clear
that Shakespeare changed the subjects of his plays as he grew in
prominence and then returned to a more serene life. Moving
from historical subjects to a more playful side and then, finally,
into plays where plots would result in a sense of forgiveness and
serenity, Shakespeare's evolution as both a man and a writer is
evident. In fact, the playwright's devotion to the English language
and his rebellion against it has led to fascinating studies done by
leading literature scholars.
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Poems and Sonnets
There are two volumes of poetry and over 150 sonnets that are
attributed to Shakespeare. It is thought that although Shakespeare
was a poet throughout his lifetime, he turned to poetry most
notably during 1593 and 1594 when a plague forced theatres in
London to shut down.
The volumes of narrative poems that Shakespeare released during
those years were called "Venus and Adonis" and "The Rape of
Lucrece." Both volumes focused on the problems surrounding
uncontrollable lust and the guilt associated with it afterwards
and were very well received during his lifetime, partially for their
erotic tone. In this vein, Shakespeare also wrote "A Lover's
Complaint," which was included in the first edition of
Shakespeare's sonnets, which were released in 1609.
Shakespeare's sonnets were a collection of over 150 works that
were published late in his life and without any indication of when
each of the pieces was composed. It is widely thought that the
sonnets were a part of a private diary that was never meant to be
read publicly but nevertheless were published.
The sonnets have a contrasting set of subjects - one set chronicles
the poet's lust for a married woman with a dark complexion,
known as "The Dark Lady," while the other describes a conflicted
or confused love for a young man, known as the "fair youth."
While it is not known or confirmed, many in literature circles
believe that the sonnets accurately portray the heart of the poet,
leading the public to speculate on Shakespeare's views on religion,
sex, marriage, and life.
Critics have praised the sonnets as being profoundly intimate
and meditating on the values of love, lust, procreation, and death.
Now a day, Shakespeare is ranked as all-time most popular
English poets on history, along with Emily Dickinson, Robert
Frost, and Walt Whitman.
The Shakespeare Influence
Shakespeare's influence on art, literature, language and the vast
array of the creative arts has long been known and documented.
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He is the most-read playwright in the Western Hemisphere, and
the English language is littered with quotes and phrases the
originated from his works. He is also the inventor of the iambic
pentameter, a form of poetry that is still widely used today.
He is also one of the most influential figures in English literature,
having had a profound impact on everyone from Herman Melville
and Charles Dickens to Agatha Christie and Anthony Burgess.
But his influence did not stop at just the arts - the psychoanalyst
Sigmund Freud used Hamlet as the foundation for many of his
theories on human nature, and his influence can be felt in painting
and opera as well, particularly from the operas of Giuseppe Verdi
and the whole community of Romantic and Pre-Raphaelite
painters.
But Shakespeare was, and still is, the most prominent influential
figure in language. Phrases such as "breaking the ice" or "heart
of gold" are colloquial now, but are also known to have originated
in Shakespeare's plays and sonnets. There are over seven dozen
examples that can be taken from common life and be directly
attributed to Shakespeare, meaning that much of how people
speak to each other now has a history that dates back to the 17th
century.
Aside from phrases, it is also common knowledge that the
dramatist introduced upwards of 1,700 original words to the
English language, which, during the 16th and 17th centuries,
was not standardized. In fact, words such as lonely, frugal,
dwindle, and more originate from Shakespeare, who transformed
English into the populist language that it is today.
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HOW TO STUDY A PLAY
Studying on your own requires self-discipline and a carefully
thought-out work plan in order to be effective.
 Drama is a special kind of writing (the technical term is genre)
because it needs a performance in the theatre to arrive at a full
interpretation of its meaning. Try to imagine that you are a member
of the audience when reading the play. Think about how it could
be presented on the stage, not just about the words on the page.
 Drama is always about conflict of some sort (which may be
below the surface). Identify the conflicts in the play and you will
be close to identifying the large ideas or themes which bind all the
parts together.
 Make careful notes on themes, character, plot and any sub-plots of
the play.
 Why do you like or dislike the characters in the play? How do
your feelings towards them develop and change?
 Playwrights find non-realistic ways of allowing an audience to
see into the minds and motives of their characters, for example
soliloquy, aside or music. Consider how such dramatic devices
are used in the play you are studying.
 Think of the playwright writing the play. Why were these particular
arrangements of events, characters and speeches chosen?
 Cite exact sources for all quotations, whether from the text itself
or from critical commentaries. Wherever possible find your own
examples from the play to back up your opinions.
 Where appropriate, comment in detail on the language of the
passage you have quoted.
 Always express your ideas in your own words.
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READING THE TEMPEST
THE NATURE OF THE PLAY
The Tempest is, at one level, a fairy tale complete with magical
occurrences, suspension of the laws of nature and a happy ending,
but it is much more than this. It attempts to examine the
connection between suffering and purification, the supposed
contrast between civilised and uncivilised people, and to illustrate,
albeit briefly, the results of colonialism. The play deals with a
number of serious themes but the seriousness is not allowed to
cause disquiet in the audience. In spite of threats of death and
disorder, the play ends on a note of triumph. The older generations
have found reconciliation, and the younger ones love; Ariel has
been released from his bondage and Caliban is once again master
of his island.
DRAMATIC UNITIES
In The Tempest, Shakespeare adheres fairly closely to what
scholars have called the ‘classical unities of time, place and action’.
These unities are based on conventions established by writers
of classical Greek drama.
The unity of time implied that the length of time taken by
the action in a play should correspond approximately to the length
of time taken to perform the play. Such a correspondence was
hard to maintain and so it was permissible for the imaginary
action to last for a maximum of twenty-four hours. The
Tempest can be performed in about two hours whereas its action
can be calculated to span just under four. In the play, Shakespeare
draws the audience’s attention to the time at which certain actions
occur (see Act I Scene II Lines 238–41, Act V Scene I lines 3–
5 and Act V Scene I lines 185–186).
The second unity, the unity of place, required that the scene
should remain unchanged throughout the play. In The Tempest the
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entire action, with the exception of the first scene, is confined to
the island.
The third unity, the unity of action, prescribed that a play
which adhered to the classical unities should have only
one plot and that all other incidents in the play should be
subordinated to it. In The Tempest the main plot revolves around
Prospero’s efforts to regain his dukedom and to undo the evil
which had been perpetrated against him and his daughter, Miranda.
It is impossible to say why Shakespeare chose to observe
the unities in The Tempest when he was largely indifferent to
them in his other plays. Some critics have suggested that
Shakespeare knew this was his last play and wanted to show
that he could adhere to the classical unities when he chose. There
may be some truth in this view, but it is also possible that
Shakespeare simply wished to concentrate the audience’s attention
on the theme of reconciliation which features prominently in the
play and that he found the classical unities contributed to the
clarity of his presentation. Whatever his reason for observing
the unities in The Tempest, Shakespeare was, in this play,
preoccupied by the interrelated themes of sin, repentance and
reconciliation, themes that Prospero directly addresses in the
final scene (see Act V Scene I Lines 25–30).
The love and harmony between Ferdinand and Miranda
compensate for the quarrel and discord that separated their fathers.
Because the play concentrates on evil redeemed rather than on
the unhappy results of human weaknesses that are explored in
such plays as Macbeth and King Lear, the setting and the
behaviour are chosen more for their ability to emphasise the
themes rather than for strict, naturalistic accuracy. The location
of the island, for example, is never exactly specified. We are told
that it is in the Mediterranean, some miles from the coast, but its
exact location is less important than its ability to suggest mystery,
romance and the opportunity to be alone with one’s innermost
thoughts. The strangeness of the island, which is at one and the
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same time a tropical paradise and a place where we hear of wild
bulls and lions, bogs and fens, is a suitable setting for the exercise
of magical charms, charms that can invoke a tempest, purge a
king’s guilt and allow goodness to defeat evil.
In The Tempest, as in his other plays, Shakespeare’s use of
ejaculations, oaths and references to God is conventionalised.
On 27 May 1606 a statute was passed to prevent swearing in
plays.
According to the statute, one could be fined up to £10 (a
great deal of money in the seventeenth century) for profane use
of the name of God, of Jesus Christ, of the Holy Ghost or of the
Trinity. The Tempest was written after this statute was passed
and so we find that Christian references are minimised, although
there are many allusions to the gods of classical mythology (see,
for example, Act I Scene II lines 201–206).
THE NATURE OF TRAGICOMEDY
Shakespearean comedies usually treat the happier aspects of
life such as love and marriage, often, as in The Tempest, making
lavish use of music and singing. Frequently there are two levels
in the comedy, one involving the love interests of courtly
characters, in this case Ferdinand and Miranda, and another
dealing with the humorous behaviour of less elevated personalities,
such as Trinculo and Stephano. Tragedies, however, deal with
the harsher side of life, with the trials and eventual death of an
important person. Often the hero’s fall from happiness is due to
a weakness in his character, a weakness such as the overweening
ambition of Macbeth or the uncontrolled jealousy of Othello.
In The Tempest we have a combination of the two types of
play. Love is a central theme, as it is in such comedies as Twelfth
Night and As You Like It; music is extremely important and the
words of some of Ariel’s songs are an integral part of the dialogue
(see, for example, Act I Scene II Lines 397–405); and yet the
audience is also made aware of the less joyful possibilities of life.
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They are shown that evil exists. There are the seeds of
possible disaster in Prospero’s overthrow, in Caliban’s attempt
to rape Miranda, in the treatment of Caliban and Ariel, and in
the plots to murder Prospero and Alonso. These seeds of doom
are not allowed to develop, however, and the play ends with the
reconciliation of the major characters and with the suggestion
that the love between Miranda and Ferdinand has helped to
compensate for the strife between their fathers.
Prose is sometimes used for comic episodes (see, for
example, Act IV Scene I lines 194–254) whereas blank verse is
the usual medium for more serious interaction. By alternating
between prose and verse Shakespeare can emphasise differences
in language and behaviour while implying the essential similarity
between the needs and urges of all his characters, and stressing,
at the same time, the common humanity they share with their
audience.
A NOTE ON MASQUES IN THE TEXT
Masques were stylised dramas incorporating poetic dialogue,
music and dancing, and often making lavish use of costumes,
scenery and mechanical devices. They began as costume balls
designed around a theme, frequently a classical one. Invited
performers, often wearing exotic costumes and masks, would
dance before their royal host and guests. After their act, the
players would invite the spectators to join in. Masques were
performed at court in the reign of Henry VIII (1509–47), but
they reached the height of their popularity as court entertainments
in the reigns of Elizabeth (1558–1603) and James I (1603–25).
Typically, masques were occasions for revelling. They were
performed as part of a programme of festive events at Christmas
and Easter or to celebrate a wedding. The masque usually began
in the evening, and often continued late into the night or the early
morning. After the presentation, the entertainment often ended
with a banquet. Shakespeare provides some evidence of this type
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of entertainment in Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and his friends
gatecrash the Capulets’ party in a group of masquers, and Romeo
meets Juliet at the dance that takes place afterwards.
Over the period of their popularity, certain conventions
developed in the writing and production of masques and these
can be observed in the short masque that occurs in Act IV Scene
I Lines 60–138, of The Tempest. Masques almost always dealt
with classical or mythological subject matter; the characters were
often gods and goddesses or personifications of abstract qualities
such as grace or peace; they were often composed to celebrate
a marriage, and so married bliss was a widely used theme; they
were normally shorter than the more usual drama of the time;
they frequently used rhyming couplets; and they made lavish use
of music and costumes. We have no exact modern equivalent
but we might think of them as a combination of the style and
opulence of an opera and a ballet.
Occasionally, a dramatist did not use speech in the masque
but employed mime, music, costumes and moving scenery to
entertain the audience. The banquet episode in Act III Scene III
Lines 18–52 can be regarded as a miming masque of this type. A
third type of masque, often referred to as an ‘antimasque’, also
developed in the seventeenth century. This was usually a
contrasting interlude or prelude to the main masque and involved
grotesque costumes and vigorous dancing. In The Tempest,
Stephano, Trinculo and Caliban perform a function similar to the
antimasque in Act IV, Scene 1 .
Shakespeare’s use of masques is not confined to The Tempest,
but the appearance of three different kinds of masque in the one
play may indicate the type of audience for which the play was to
be performed. It may also signal the growing interest in the
masque genre in the early part of the seventeenth century.
When studying the play, it is useful to remember the impact
that an individual production can achieve. Directors of The
Tempest have a number of issues to decide relating to their
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interpretation of the masque in Act IV, Scene 1 . It can perhaps
only be performed as a magnificent display of Prospero’s power
but it can be seen as either a father’s generous celebration of
Miranda’s betrothal or an arrogant demonstration of supernatural
power from a magician who has managed to win back his power
as well as arranging an extremely advantageous marriage for his
child. By the use of music, dancing, costume, lighting and position
on the stage, a director can influence the audience’s perceptions
and trigger off a response that will be unique to an individual
production.
THE TITLE OF THE PLAY
Storms and tempests have occurred in folk tales throughout
recorded history. They were often used to separate natural from
supernatural events, and you might like to consider whether, at
its most basic level, The Tempest is a fairy tale. It certainly involves
human beings, spirits and the casting of spells, a handsome prince
and a beautiful princess, and the triumph of good over evil.
In more sombre plays such as Othello and King Lear,
Shakespeare uses a storm as a means of cutting the characters
off from places and people with whom they were familiar, thus
making them re-examine their behaviour and their
relationships. The Tempest uses a similar technique. It cuts the
characters off from the natural world and places them on a
mysterious island where love and reconciliation are magically
allowed to conquer hatred and envy. The title, therefore, may
refer not only to the physical storm that occurs in the first scene
of the play, but to the turbulent passions of the characters,
passions which, like the storm, are magically transformed into
the promise of peace with which the play ends.
The Tempest was almost certainly Shakespeare’s last play
and it seems probable that it was written in 1611. It was performed
in November 1611 at the court of King James and was apparently
well received since it was again presented at the court during the
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winter of 1612–13 when it formed part of the entertainment
provided by King James to celebrate the betrothal of his daughter
Elizabeth to Frederick, the Elector of the Palatine States, in
Germany. The Tempest may not have been written specifically
for the court, though it does incorporate certain courtly elements,
the most obvious of which is the masque in Act IV (see the
previous section: ‘A note on masques in the text’).
In writing his plays Shakespeare frequently made use of
existing material, and analogues of The Tempest are not hard to
find. It would appear, for example, that he knew Montaigne’s
essay ‘Of Cannibals’, which was published in English in 1603
and which discussed the value and the way of life of societies
which had not been affected by civilisation of a European type.
It seems likely, too, that Shakespeare was affected by the
many strange tales being brought back to England by travellers.
In particular, he seems to have been influenced by a 1610
pamphlet called A Discovery of the Bermudas, other wise called
the Ile of Divels. This pamphlet described the adventures of a
group of colonists travelling in a convoy of ships from London
to Virginia. During the voyage, the flagship was separated from
the other ships in a storm and was blown towards Bermuda. The
storm tossed the ship onto the rocks but no one on board was
drowned. The colonists lived on the island until they had built
boats in which they could sail to Virginia. The story of their
almost miraculous survival aroused considerable interest in
England, and echoes of their adventure can be found in The
Tempest.
You might like to question, however, the claim that
Shakespeare based his play on the pamphlet or on Montaigne’s
essay, or on a contemporary German play Die Schöne Sidea (The
Lovely Sidea), which contains similar themes and events. It may
seem more likely to you that Shakespeare absorbed traditional
and contemporary material and created a play which is not
identical in character or treatment with any of his sources.
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ABOUT THE TEMPEST
INTRODUCTION
Records indicate that The Tempest was performed before
James I on November 1, 1611, but there may also have been
earlier performances. The Tempest was again performed during
the winter of 1612-13 to celebrate the marriage of Princess
Elizabeth, the daughter of King James I. But this play was not
printed until it appeared for the first time in the 1623 Folio.
It is relatively easy to date The Tempest’s composition, since
Shakespeare used material that was not available until late 1610:
letters from the new Virginia colony in Jamestown and an account
of a 1609 shipwreck off Bermuda. Unlike many of Shakespeare’s
other plays, The Tempest, is not drawn from another, earlier literary
work. There is no formal source, except for the ideas that the
author might have found in reading accounts of the Bermuda
shipwreck or the stories emerging from the new colonies, which
had been recently established in the New World.
THE TEMPEST AS A ROMANCE
The Tempest is a difficult play to categorize. Although it ends
in a wedding and thus might be defined as a comedy, there are
many serious undertones that diminish the comedic tone. Instead,
most modern anthologies of Shakespeare’s works list this play
as a romance. This separate division of romances includes what
are generally labeled as “the problem plays.” Along with The
Tempest, the romances include Pericles, Cymbeline, The Winter’s
Tale, and The Two Noble Kinsmen, plays of Shakespeare’s later
years. These plays were written between 1604 and 1614, just
prior to his retirement, when Shakespeare was composing plays
that combined romance with some of the darker aspects of life.
The romances are plays with the potential for tragedy but in
which these tragic elements are resolved.
With The Tempest, Shakespeare turns to fantasy and magic
as a way to explore romantic love, sibling hatred, and the love of
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a father for his child. In addition, The Tempest examines many
of the topics that Shakespeare had focused on in his earlier plays,
topics such as the attempts to overthrow a king
(Macbeth, Richard II, and Julius Caesar), nature versus nurture
(The Winter’s Tale and King Lear), and innocence (Twelfth
Night).
Although The Tempest provides the first masque within a
play, the idea of a play within a play had occurred in earlier
works, such as Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing. In many
ways The Tempest serves as a culmination of Shakespeare’s
earlier work, since in this play, he brings many of these earlier
ideas together in one work.
HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT
By the beginning of the seventeenth century, the threat of
the Black Death (the plague) was diminishing, but it still continued
to be a seasonal problem in London, which was overcrowded
and suffered from poor sanitation and too much poverty.
A hundred years earlier, Henry VII had formed alliances with
neighboring countries and trade was flourishing in London. But
the coming of trade changed the face of England. Instead of a
country composed largely of an agrarian culture, England, and
especially London, became an important center of trade. There
was more wealth, and the newly rich could now afford to escape
the congestion of the city. There was a need for large country
estates, and so more and more farm land was enclosed.
Displaced rural families fled to the larger cities, where
crowding, unemployment, and disease increased with the increase
in population. As city life flourished, there was a resulting
nostalgia for the loss of country life. In response to this
sentimentality, England’s poets began to compose poetry recalling
the tranquility of rustic life.
Early in the seventeenth century, the masque that comprises
much of the fourth act of The Tempest was becoming a regular
form of court entertainment. Masques were elaborate spectacles,
designed to appeal to the audience’s senses and glorify the
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monarch. Furthermore, their sheer richness suggested the
magnificence of the king’s court; thus they served a political
purpose as well as entertained.
It is important to remember that the masque fulfilled another
important function, the desire to recapture the past. As is the
case with most masques, Prospero’s masque is focused on
pastoral motifs, with reapers and nymphs celebrating the fecundity
of the land.
The masques, with their pastoral themes, also responded to
this yearning for a time now ended. The country life, with its
abundance of harvests and peaceful existence, is an idealized
world that ignores the realities of an agrarian life, with its many
hardships. The harshness of winter and the loss of crops and
animals are forgotten in the longing for the past.
Elaborate scenery, music, and costumes were essential
elements of earlier masques, but during the Jacobean period, the
masque became more ornate and much more expensive to stage.
Eventually the cost became so great — and the tax burden on the
poor so significant — that the masques became an important
contributing cause for the English Revolution, and ultimately,
the execution of Charles I.
STRUCTURE OF THE TEMPEST
There is really very little plot in The Tempest. There is the love
story, and then there is the story of two younger brothers who
covet their older brothers’ titles and possessions. And finally,
there is the story of Caliban’s plot to murder Prospero. But none
of these plots are given much attention or substance; instead,
the play is about the complexities of human nature and about
reminding the audience that the division between happiness and
tragedy is always fragile and must be carefully maintained.
Although The Tempest ends with the promise of a wedding,
it could just as easily have ended with tragedy. In this play, there
are two murder plots and a betrayal to resolve. In a tragedy,
these might have ended with the stage awash in blood, as
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in Hamlet, but in The Tempest, Prospero’s careful manipulation
of all the characters and their plans also controls the direction of
the action. Prospero’s avoidance of tragedy reveals his character’s
decency and contradicts some critics’ arguments that he is an
amoral demigod exploiting the natural inhabitants of this island.
The Tempest is unique in its adherence to the three unities.
In his Poetics, Aristotle argued that unity of action was essential
for dramatic structure. This meant that a dramatic work should
have a clear beginning, middle, and end. The unity of time is
derived from Aristotle’s argument that all the action should occur
within one revolution of the sun — one day. The unity of
place developed later and is a Renaissance idea, which held that
the location of the play should be limited to one place. These
unities added verisimilitude to the work and made it easier for
the audience to believe the events unfolding on stage.
Shakespeare rarely used the three unities, but he uses them
in this play, something he has only done in one other
play, The Comedy of Errors. All the events occur on the island
and within one brief three-hour period. Shakespeare needed the
three unities, especially that of time, to counter the incredulity of
the magic and to add coherence to the plot.
The Tempest, although it is one of Shakespeare’s shortest
plays, still maintains the integrity of the five-act structure. In
fact, most Elizabethan theatre adheres to the five-act structure,
which corresponds to divisions in the action. The first act is the
Exposition, in which the playwright sets forth the problem and
introduces the main characters. In The Tempest, the first act
establishes the nature of Antonio’s betrayal of Prospero, and it
explains how Prospero and Miranda came to live on the island.
This first act also opens with a violent storm, which establishes
the extent of Prospero’s power. Most of the play’s remaining
characters also make an appearance in this act.
The second act is the Complication, in which the entanglement
or conflict is developed. In The Tempest, the conspiracy to murder
Alonso is developed, which establishes that Antonio is still an
unsavory character. In addition, the audience learns more about
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Caliban, and Stefano and Trinculo appear, allowing the
groundwork for a second conspiracy to be formed.
The third act is the Climax; and as the name suggests, this is
when the action takes a turning point and the crisis occurs. In a
romance, this is the point at which the young lovers assert their
love, although there may be complications. It is important that
the way to love not be too easy, and so in The Tempest, Prospero
has forbidden contact between Miranda and Ferdinand, although
the audience knows this is only a pretense. In this act, the
conspiracy to murder Prospero is developed, although the
audience knows that Ariel is listening, and so there is no real
danger. And finally, the essential climactic moment occurs in
this act when Prospero confronts his enemies at the ghostly
banquet.
The fourth act is called the Falling Action, which signals the
beginning of the play’s resolution. In this act, the romance between
Ferdinand and Miranda is acknowledged and celebrated with a
masque, and Prospero deals with the conspiracy to murder him
by punishing Caliban, Stefano, and Trinculo.
The fifth act is called the Catastrophe, wherein the conclusion
occurs. As the name suggests, this act brings closure to the
play, a resolution to the conflict, and the plans for a wedding. As
the play draws to a close, Prospero is victorious over his enemies,
Ferdinand is reunited with his father, Antonio and Sebastian are
vanquished, and Caliban regrets his plotting.
LITERARY DEVICES IN THE TEMPEST
Students of Shakespeare’s plays quickly come to appreciate
the literary devices that the playwright employs in constructing
his plays. For example, most Shakespearean plays
contain soliloquies, which offer a way for the playwright to
divulge a character’s inner thoughts. The soliloquy requires that
the character must think that he is alone on stage, as he reveals
to the audience what he is really thinking. In The Tempest, the
soliloquy is not used as often as it would be in a tragedy, because
the dramatic moments are not as intense. However, Prospero
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still uses this device, most notably in Act V, when he tells the
audience what he has accomplished with the help of magic and
that soon he will no longer have need for such devices.
A soliloquy is different from a monologue, in which a
character speaks aloud his thoughts, but with other characters
present. Shakespeare also frequently employs the aside, in which
the character addresses the audience, but other characters do
not hear these words. There is a suggestion of conspiracy in the
aside, which allows the audience to learn details that most of the
characters on stage do not know. For example, Miranda uses an
aside in Act I, Scene 2, when she confides to the audience her
concern for her father. The aside is usually assumed to be truthful.
SHAKESPEARE’S LANGUAGE
Shakespeare’s Elizabethan language can sometimes intimidate
his audience. Shakespeare wrote most of The Tempest in verse,
using iambic pentameter. Iambic pentameter is a literary term
that defines the play’s meter and the stresses placed on each
syllable. In iambic pentameter, each complete line contains ten
syllables, with each pair of syllables containing both an accented
syllable and an unaccented syllable. Many Renaissance poets used
iambic pentameter because the alternating stresses create a
rhythm that contributes to the beauty of the play’s language.
Shakespeare also included prose passages in his plays, with
prose lines being spoken by characters of lower social rank.
Shakespeare uses this device to reveal the complexity of Caliban.
In The Tempest, Caliban speaks prose when he is conspiring with
Stefano and Trinculo, but when Caliban speaks of the beauty of
the island, he speaks in verse.
Shakespeare’s Elizabethan language can be difficult to
understand at first. Use of a Shakespearean glossary and
the Oxford English Dictionary are two sources that can help in
understanding the language, but the biggest assist comes with
practice. Reading and listening to Shakespeare’s words becomes
easier with practice. Reading aloud also helps in becoming familiar
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with early modern English. With time, the unfamiliar language
and the rhetorical devices that Shakespeare employed in writing
his texts cease to be strange, and the language assumes the beauty
that is hidden within it.
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CHARACTER LIST
Prospero The rightful duke of Milan. After his brother, Antonio,
seized his title and property, Prospero was exiled with his daughter
and eventually found refuge on an island.
Miranda Prospero’s daughter. She has been on the island with
her father for 12 years — since she was 3 years old.
Antonio Prospero’s younger brother, who is now the duke of
Milan. He had plotted against Prospero years earlier and now
convinces Sebastian to murder his brother, the king of Naples.
Ariel A spirit of the air, he assists Prospero in seeking retribution
over his enemies.
Caliban The offspring of the witch Sycorax and the devil.
Prospero has made Caliban his servant or slave, and in response,
Caliban plots to murder Prospero.
Ferdinand The son of the king of Naples. During the storm, he
was separated from the rest of the king’s party, met Miranda,
and fell in love with her.
Alonso The king of Naples. He believes his son has died and is
overjoyed to later find him. Alonso is repentant for the pain he
caused Prospero in the past.
Sebastian Alonso’s brother. He is easily led into planning his
own brother’s (the king’s) murder.
Gonzalo An elderly counsellor who saves Prospero’s and
Miranda’s lives when they are exiled. He provides a sense of
hope and optimism when Ferdinand is lost.
Stefano The king’s butler. He arrives on the island drunk and
quickly becomes involved in a plot to murder Prospero.
Trinculo The king’s jester. When Stefano arrives with wine,
Trinculo joins him in drinking and then agrees to a plot to murder
Prospero.
Francisco and Adrian Two of the king’s lords. They try to offer
hope and protection to Alonso.
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Boatswain The ship’s petty officer. He is in charge of the deck
crew, the rigging, and the anchor. He must try to keep the boat
afloat during the storm, even when the king’s party makes
demands upon his time.
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Symbols
Tempest
It's not unusual to hear someone refer to the "storms of life,"
meaning the various life circumstances that toss weak mortals in
the winds. Storms suggest a swirling chaos of events beyond
human control. Shakespeare extends this idea of the storm in
The Tempest. The magical storm appears out of nowhere, the
result of Prospero's long-held plan of revenge against the enemies
who drove him from his rightful place as duke of Milan. The
storm represents the eventual consequences of the treachery and
self-interest of Antonio. Shakespeare suggests that when the
natural order of things is disrupted, the repercussions create a
conflict that goes beyond the realm of humans and into the realm
of the supernatural. In the end however, the chaos of the storm
produces a peaceful outcome and the restoration of order.
Magic Books
During Shakespeare's time it was common to compare the
life of contemplation, which focused on intellectual pursuits, to
that of action. Early in the play the audience learns that it was
Prospero's books that kept him from ruling well in Milan: he was
too focused on contemplative pursuits to be an active ruler. As a
result he surrendered too much control to his more active brother.
After Prospero is deposed and is escaping, Gonzalo sneaks some
of his books onboard so that he will have them in his exile. Through
his magic books Prospero learns to use the power that will help
him execute revenge against his brother. The books symbolize
Prospero's unique use of power to control the world toward his
own ends. It is interesting, then, that at the end of the play Prospero
surrenders his magical powers and books so that he can rejoin
human society and rule well. Many scholars also believe the magic
books represent Shakespeare's own writing, which he, too,
surrenders at the end of the play.
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Sleep and Dreams
Sleeping and dreaming are frequent pastimes in The Tempest.
Ariel controls characters' levels of alertness and awareness by
putting them to sleep so the spirit and Prospero can execute other
plans. The sleep and dreams represent just how illusory human
control is over life. As Prospero says in Act 4, Scene 1: "We are
such stuff/As dreams are made on, and our little life./Is rounded
with a sleep."
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Themes
Language and Reality
In The Tempest language is power, and characters wield it to
bless, curse, confuse, manipulate, or heal. Prospero is the most
powerful character because of his studies of the liberal arts and
advanced skill in manipulating Ariel, who is a figurative
representation of Prospero's thoughts. Ariel plays out Prospero's
commands "to th' syllable." Caliban deeply understands how
spoken language and intentions are at the root of Prospero's
powers to create illusion, control nature, and obscure reality.
Prospero sends cramps, side stitches, and pinches that Caliban
counteracts with elaborately structured curses. Miranda has taught
Caliban to speak her and Prospero's language, and he points out
that, having done so, he is now able to curse his oppressors and
have them understand him. Both characters' speech patterns
become more poetic and rhythmic when they battle for power
through language. It is Caliban who reveals to the audience that
without his books, Prospero's "but a sot, as I am, nor hath not/
One spirit to command. They all do hate him/as rootedly as I."
The noble characters, even though they do not possess magical
powers like Prospero's, still bless and curse in their ordinary
language. For example, upon seeing Ferdinand for the first time,
Alonso immediately gives him a father's blessing. Later he blesses
the marriage of the lovers, and Gonzalo adds to the blessing with
a simple "Amen." In the masque the lesser spirits and the goddess
Ceres speak poetry to celebrate and bless Miranda and Ferdinand's
love, and there is some concern that left unfinished—unspoken—
the blessing will be incomplete. When Stephano stumbles upon
Caliban and Trinculo appearing as one four-legged monster, he
observes that humans possess two voices: the forward voice
that speaks well and the backward voice that utters foul speeches
and detracts, suggesting again that pairing language with intentions
for ill or good carries weight.
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Alliances, another kind of power, are created between those
who share the same language in The Tempest. Ferdinand and
Miranda's love bond begins with the recognition that Miranda
speaks the same language as he does, and their speech patterns
match throughout the play. As much as Caliban argues in Act 1
that learning language has done him no good but to curse his
masters, Caliban's shared language with Stephano and Trinculo
gives him the power to entice them to overthrow Prospero and
empathize with him. Gonzalo, who "prates" shallowly, fails to
mock effectively, and uses faulty logic in his discourse when
speaking of his utopian commonwealth—saying he would be king
of a region without need of a king—fails to command respect
from the language-savvy and politically ambitious Antonio and
Sebastian, providing a noticeable contrast. Gonzalo, too
kindhearted to carry out the original plan to murder Prospero,
still lacks the intention necessary to harness language to be used
as a power.
Magic of Theater
The basic nature of any magic is its ability to change reality
in unexpected and inexplicable ways. The obvious magic in the
play comes from Prospero and his ability to manipulate the island's
spirit and nature. A terrible storm hits a ship, but all its members
survive and land in perfect sequencing upon the island. A banquet
appears and disappears in thin air. A specific man comes onshore
and meets the right woman at just the right time. Many scholars
believe that the theme of magic represents the power of the
playwright to create something out of nothing. As a magician
Prospero controls and manipulates circumstances and people
around him, just as Shakespeare as a playwright is able to do the
same—eventually bringing restoration and order. Prospero creates
a tempest with an ultimate sequence of events in mind—his
daughter's marriage to Ferdinand, the restoration of his throne,
and the repentance of his enemies—and for the most part things
play out exactly as he has plotted, making him seem like a clever
author who can create a narrative using real-life characters.
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Power and Exploitation
The play explores the role of power and its use in exploiting
other people in families and in the social order. In nearly every
scene Shakespeare reveals a situation in which power and its
exploitation creates a lack of harmony. Even in the opening scene
the community structure is disrupted when the nobles come on
board during the storm and interfere with the work of the sailors;
the boatswain points out that while men may respect royalty and
nobility, the storm does not, so the nobles have no authority at
this moment. The events driving the play began when, back in
Milan, Antonio exploited the power he was given to help his brother
rule, becoming power hungry and driving Prospero into exile.
But that is just the beginning. Prospero lands on an island and
becomes master of Caliban and Ariel, despite Caliban's claim to
the island. Antonio and Sebastian plot to take King Alonso's power
for their own. Trinculo and Stephano, aware that they are superior
to no one but Caliban, exploit the creature for their own gain.
Gonzalo's vision of an ideal commonwealth, in which no one
rules over anyone else, is treated as a naïve and unrealistic fantasy.
It is not until Prospero willingly gives up his "magical" power and
his need for revenge that the spell is broken and there is any hope
of peace in the social order, although that peace can only come
about by returning Prospero to power and marrying his daughter
to an even more powerful ruler than he is: Ferdinand, the future
king of Naples.
Revenge, Forgiveness, and Restoration
The controlling energy of much of the play comes from
individuals' desire for revenge in pursuit of some form of justice.
Prospero is driven by his need to expose what was done to him
and regain his rightful place as the duke of Milan. His book learning
and magic are focused on correcting the wrongs of the past.
Caliban, too, is set on revenging his displacement and the wrongs
inflicted on him by Prospero. When offered a way to do this
through Stephano, Caliban vows his allegiance to a new master—
a far worse master than Prospero ever was. The only way to
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destroy the power of revenge is to absorb it rather than unleash
it, which is what Prospero does at the end of the play, willingly
surrendering both his power and his need for revenge.
Almost all of the major characters except Antonio and
Sebastian show remorse over some aspect of the past, ultimately
asking for forgiveness. Prospero admits he was a bad duke.
Caliban regrets serving a new master, and Stephano admits he
would be a bad ruler even if he only had one subject. Alonso
apologizes and asks for Prospero's pardon. However, it is
noticeable that Caliban does not repent having attempted to murder
Prospero or rape Miranda, and Stephano and Trinculo do not
repent for their part in the murder plot against Prospero. Antonio
and Sebastian never show remorse, and King Alonso never
discovers that they plotted against him because Prospero speaks
of all the "sins" they committed while the nobles are under a spell.
The thematic significance derives from that fact that Prospero's
forgiveness at the very end of the play has no relation to the
crimes committed or the quality of or lack of repentance made
by each character at the climax of the play. Prospero offers pardon
to all, even to his brother who has not asked for it. In the end
Prospero frees himself from his own need for revenge through
his gift of mercy, and forgiveness is shown to be the most
significant power explored in the play. Through forgiveness
freedom is restored to those washed up on the island, even as
Prospero's position in Milan is restored.
nature, virtue, and the pursuit of knowledge. These beliefs seem
quite idealistic as compared to the forces driving Antonio. He
feels no remorse and lacks virtue. He acts opportunistically,
seeking to slay King Alonso within hours of being shipwrecked
on a seemingly deserted island far from society and uncertain
whether he will ever make it back to civilization. Prospero's
idealism is consistent throughout the play—notwithstanding his
treatment of Caliban, whom he must keep distant from Miranda—
as he never takes real action for revenge and focuses his energies
on orchestrating the ideal circumstances for love to flourish
between Miranda and Ferdinand. And in turn the lovers display
idealistic qualities. They each perceive the other as divine at first
sight, equally enjoin to serve, and keep their vows of chastity.
Those who seek disharmony and discord (Sebastian, Antonio,
Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo) lose to the idealistic characters
seeking harmony and balance.

Utopia and Idealism

In each act of the play notions of utopian idealism are pitted
against ideas of disharmony and discord, beginning with the
chaotic tempest itself, which is only an illusion that causes no
real harm. Gonzalo's ideal commonwealth speech in Act 2, Scene
1, presents the political ideas of a utopian society to counterbalance
Prospero's description of his brother Antonio's dystopian deeds
enacted before the play begins: using Propero's money and power
and believing "his own lie" to feed his growing ambition. Prospero
believes in divine providence and heavenly music, the power of
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Motifs
Drowning
The prevalence of water imagery throughout the play serves
to reinforce the ever-present force of the tempest and its effects
on the lives of the characters. Prospero claims that his grief over
his lost dukedom could have drowned the sea; Ferdinand is certain
that his father is drowned; and Alonso believes that Ferdinand is
drowned. Departure by drowning suggests a profound and
complete loss: nothing returns from the sea. However, loss is
transformed into rebirth. Ferdinand and Alonso are not drowned,
and they reunite. Prospero, too, regains his dukedom through the
marriage of his daughter Miranda and Ferdinand.
Music
Music among other mysterious noises in the play creates a
sensory and enchanting experience for the characters and the
audience alike. The music reinforces the premise that the setting
is magical. Ariel's music leads Ferdinand to Miranda, and it wakes
Gonzalo prior to Alonso's attempted murder. The banquet and the
wedding are awash in music. It is as if music enchants the island.
Servants
Servant-master relationships dominate the play in an
exploration of power: Prospero and Caliban or Ariel, for example.
Shakespeare asks, in what ways is power used and abused in
these unequal relationships? Then he examines the effects of power
in both positive and negative lights as relationships under pressure
are jeopardized or destabilized.
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A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE STORY
OF THE TEMPEST
Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, has been living on a
primitive island with his fifteen-year-old daughter, Miranda, for
the past 12 years. His dukedom had been usurped by his own
brother, Antonio, whom Prospero had entrusted to manage the
affairs of government while he was concentrating on his study
of the liberal arts. With the support of Alonso, the King of Naples,
Antonio conspired against his brother to become the new Duke
of Milan. Prospero and his three-year-old daughter were put on
“a rotten carcass of a butt” without a sail. Gonzalo, a member of
the king’s council, took pity on them, and stocked the leaky vessel
with food, fresh water, clothing, and Prospero’s magical books.
Providence has now brought his enemies to the shore of the
island, and Prospero must act quickly.
The action begins with a tempestuous storm at sea. Afraid
for their lives, Alonso and Gonzalo urge the Boatswain to do all
he can to save the ship, but he rudely orders the royal party to
stay in their cabins and “trouble us not.” They are finally convinced
to go below and pray for mercy.
Ariel, an airy spirit, raised the tempest just as he was instructed
by Prospero, his master, informing Prospero that all except the
mariners plunged into the sea. Ariel reports that he has left the
ship safely docked in the harbor with the mariners aboard. The
rest of the passengers, with garments unblemished, have been
dispersed around the island. Ariel then lures Ferdinand, Prince of
Naples, onto the island with his songs, informing him of his
father’s supposed death by drowning. The young prince is led
past Prospero’s cave where he meets Miranda, and they fall in
love. To keep Ferdinand from winning his prize (Miranda) too
quickly and easily, Prospero uses his magic to force Ferdinand to
yield to the indignity of stacking logs.
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Elsewhere on the island, Ariel, with the help of Prospero’s
magic, puts Alonso and Gonzalo to sleep. While they sleep Antonio
and Sebastian conspire to kill Alonso and Gonzalo and take over
the throne. Just as they draw their swords, Ariel awakens Gonzalo
and he, in turn, rouses the king. The conspirators claim that they
heard wild animals and drew their swords. The king readily accepts
their excuse.
Caliban enters, cursing his master, Prospero, for enslaving
him. Trinculo, the king’s jester, appears, hiding under Caliban’s
cloak to escape a rainstorm. Stephano approaches them, thinking
it is a monster with four legs. He finally recognizes Trinculo and
is surprised to see him alive. Stephano, having drifted ashore on
a barrel of wine, offers Caliban a drink. Unaccustomed to the
effects of the alcohol, Caliban kneels to Stephano, taking him for
a god who “bears celestial liquor.” Determined that Stephano
should be lord of the island, Caliban leads the pair to Prospero’s
cave where they plan to murder him.
Prospero magically sets a banquet for the royal party, but
Ariel, disguised as a harpy, claps his wings over the table, and it
vanishes. Ariel warns the royal party that the storm was a
punishment for their foul deeds, and there is no way out except
repentance. In another part of the island, Prospero relieves
Ferdinand of his duties, telling him he has endured the difficult
trial of love and has won Miranda’s hand in marriage. Ariel arranges
a masque in honor of the happy couple, but while the masque is
in progress, Prospero suddenly remembers Caliban’s plot to kill
him, and the masque vanishes. Ariel has lead the conspirators
from the filthy-mantled pool to Prospero’s “glistering apparel”
hanging on a lime tree in front of his cave. Though Caliban is
annoyed, his companions are gleefully sidetracked, stealing the
royal robes and forgetting their purpose at hand which is to murder
Prospero. Finally, spirits in the shape of dogs are released, and
the thieving trio are driven out.
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The king and his party are brought to Prospero where he
charms them in his magic circle, praising Gonzalo for his kindness,
but censuring Alonso for his cruelty and Antonio for his ambition.
Removing his magician’s robe, Prospero gives up his magic
powers, presenting himself to Alonso as the “wronged Duke of
Milan,” and the repentant king immediately restores his dukedom.
In a sudden spirit of forgiveness, he pardons all of them for their
crimes against him. He then leads Alonso to his cell where
Ferdinand and Miranda are making a pretense of playing chess.
Alonso is overjoyed to see his son alive.
Ariel enters with the master and boatswain of the ship. To
the king’s amazement the ship is undamaged and docked in the
harbor. The three conspirators, driven by Ariel, appear in their
stolen royal apparel. Caliban calls himself a “thrice-double ass” to
have taken Stephano for a god. Prospero invites the king’s entire
party to spend the night in his cell where he will give them an
account of his last 12 years on the island. In the morning they
will return to Naples where they will prepare for the marriage of
the betrothed pair, Ferdinand and Miranda.
Prospero rewards Ariel for his services by giving him his
freedom and releasing him to the elements. In the epilogue
Prospero tells the audience his magic powers are gone, his
dukedom has been restored, and he has forgiven his enemies. He
now asks them to praise his performance with their applause
and, thereby, release him from the illusory world of the island.
ESTIMATED READING TIME
Most Shakespeare plays, written to be viewed by an audience,
usually take approximately three hours to perform on the
stage. The Tempest is an unusually short play with a performance
time of about two hours. It would be possible to read it almost as
fast the first time around to get the plot of the story. The Tempest is
impressive theater with its magical manipulations, its masque,
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including spirit-like goddesses, its spirits in the form of dogs,

and, perhaps above all, its songs. For this reason an auditory tape
of The Tempest, available at most university or county libraries,
is an excellent device that can be used to follow along with the
text, making the drama more interesting by bringing the characters
alive with the use of sound effects. After the initial reading, it
should be read more carefully, taking special note of the difficult
words and phrases that are glossed at the bottom of most
Shakespeare texts. This reading would probably take about 4-5
hours for the entire play, allowing a little less than an hour for
each of the five acts. Since the acts of The Tempest vary from
one to three scenes each, the length of reading time for each act
will, of course, vary. It should be noted that the length of the
scenes also varies from 63 to 504 lines.

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A SUMMARY OF THE STORY

ACT BY ACT, SCENE BY SCENE
Act I, Scene I
On a ship at sea: a tempestuous noise
of thunder and lightning heard.
[Enter a Master and a Boatswain]
Master. Boatswain1!
Boatswain. Here, master2: what cheer?
Master. Good, speak to the mariners: fall to’t, yarely3, or we run
A SUMMARY OF THE STORY ourselves aground: bestir, bestir. [Exit]
[Enter Mariners]
ACT BY ACT, SCENE BY SCENE Boatswain. Heigh, my hearts4! cheerly5, cheerly, my hearts!yare,
yare! Take in the topsail. Tend6 to the master’s whistle. [Exuent
AND Mariners] Blow, till thou burst thy wind7, if room8 enough!
[Enter ALONSO, SEBASTIAN, ANTONIO, FERDINAND,]
COMPREHENSION PASSAGES GONZALO, and others]
Alonso. Good boatswain, have care. Where’s the master?
Play the men.
Boatswain. I pray now, keep below.
Antonio. Where is the master, boatswain?
Boatswain. Do you not hear him? You mar our labour: keep your
cabins: you do assist the storm.
Gonzalo. Nay, good, be patient.
Boatswain. When the sea is. Hence! What cares these roarers9
for the name of king? To cabin: silence! trouble us not.
Gonzalo. Good, yet remember whom thou hast aboard.
Boatswain. None that I more love than myself. You are a

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counsellor10; if you can command these elements to silence, and
work the peace of the present11, we will not hand12 a rope more;
use your authority: if you cannot, give thanks you have lived so
long, and make yourself ready in your cabin for the mischance13
of the hour, if it so hap14. Cheerly, good hearts! Out of our way,
I say.
[Exit]
Gonzalo. I have great comfort from this fellow: me thinks he
hath no drowning mark upon him; his complexion15 is perfect
gallows16. Stand fast, good Fate, to his hanging: make the rope
of his destiny our cable, for our own doth little advantage17. If
he be not born to be hanged, our case is miserable. [Exeunt]
[Re-enter Boatswain]
Boatswain. Down with the topmast! yare! lower, lower! Bring
her to try with main-course18.
[A cry within]
A plague upon this howling! they are louder than the weather or
our office19.
[Re-enter SEBASTIAN, ANTONIO, and GONZALO]
Yet again! what do you here? Shall we give o’er and drown?
Have you a mind to sink?
Sebastian. A pox o’ your throat, you bawling,
blasphemous20, incharitable21 dog!
Boatswain. Work you then.
Antonio. Hang, cur! hang, you whoreson, insolent noisemaker!
We are less afraid to be drowned than thou art.
Gonzalo. I’ll warrant him for22 drowning; though the ship were
no stronger than a nutshell and as leaky as an unstanched wench.
Boatswain. Lay her a-hold 23, a-hold! set her two courses24 off
to sea again; lay her off.
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[Enter Mariners wet]
Mariners. All lost! to prayers, to prayers! all lost!
Boatswain. What, must our mouths be cold?
Gonzalo. The king and prince at prayers! let’s assist them,
For our case is as theirs.
Sebastian. I’m out of patience.
Antonio. We are merely25 cheated of our lives by drunkards:
This wide-chapp’d 26 rascal—would thou mightst lie drowning
The washing of ten tides27!
Gonzalo. He’ll be hang’d yet,
Though every drop of water swear against it
And gape at widest to glut28 him.
[A confused noise within: ‘Mercy on us!’—]
‘We split, we split!’—’Farewell, my wife and children!’
‘Farewell, brother!’—’We split, we split, we split!’]
Antonio. Let’s all sink with the king.
Sebastian. Let’s take leave of him.
[Exeunt ANTONIO and SEBASTIAN]
Gonzalo. Now would I give a thousand furlongs29 of sea for an
acre of barren ground, long heath, brown furze, any thing. The
wills above be done! but I would fain die a dry death.
[Exeunt]
GLOSSARY
1. Boatswain : An officer who summons the crew to their duties,
and is incharge of sails and rigging.
2. Master : Commander of a merchant Vessel.
3. yarely : quickly, smartly
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4. Hearts : my brave fellows CHARACTERS INTRODUCED IN ACT I SCENE I

5. Cheerly : heartily Alonso: king of Naples who has conspired to usurp Prospero’s
6. Tend : Attend dukedom
7. Wind : breath Gonzalo: an old councilor who has shown compassion to
8. Room : Sea-Room Prospero and Miranda

9. roarers : wind and waves; unruly people Antonio: Prospero’s brother, the usurping Duke of Milan

10. Counsellor : One used to give orders. Sebastian: Alonso’s brother

11. Of the present : of the present time Ship–master: master or captain of the ship
12. Hand : Handle Boatswain: the ship’s officer in charge of the crew and the rigging
of the sails
13. Mischance : Calamity
14. Hap. : Happen Mariners: the ship’s crew who take orders from the Boatswain

15. Complexion : external appearence SUMMARY

16. perfect gallows : good indication of being born to be hanged
The play begins with flashes of lightning, the cracking of
17. Advantage : avail thunder, and the urgent shouts of the Ship–master, ordering the
18. Maincourse : mainsail Boatswain to mobilize his crew and prevent the ship from running
19. Our Office : us in the performance of our duties. aground. The Boatswain responds promptly, commanding his
men to “take in the topsail” and prepare for the storm at sea. The
20. Blasphemous : swearing
swaying of the ship drives its royal passengers to the top deck in
21. Incharitable : unfeeling fear. Alonso and Antonio do not immediately see the master of the
22. For : Against ship and assume he is shirking his duty. They urge the Boatswain
23. Lay her a-hold : keep clear of the land. to prod his men into action. The scurrilous Boatswain minces no
words, ordering the royal party to stay in their cabins. He reminds
24. Two courses : mainsail and foresail
Alonso that even the king has no authority over the raging sea,
25. Merely : absolutely and he is only hindering them from doing their job.
26. wide-chapp’d : big-mouthed Gonzalo finds comfort in his belief that the Boatswain is the
27. Washing of the ten tides : the ebb and flow of tide for ten kind of impudent fellow who was born to be hanged and,
times. consequently, will not drown. Sebastian and Antonio curse the
28. Glut : swallow Boatswain, but he rudely challenges them to do the job themselves
if they are not satisfied. Alonso and Ferdinand finally go below
29. furlong : one-eighth of a mile, approximately two hundred
and the rest of the royal party join them to pray for mercy after
metres
the mariners arrive with news that all is lost.

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ANALYSIS comfort in the fact that he “sees no drowning mark upon him
(the Boatswain)” since he is destined to be hanged. Gonzalo insists
It has been suggested that the title of the play should be The
that the passengers “make the rope of his destiny our cable.” If
Island rather than The Tempest since the storm at sea takes place
the Boatswain’s destiny points to the gallows, it is reasonable that
only in the first scene. Some critics believe, however, that the
he will not meet his death by drowning at sea and, in that case,
tempest pervades the entire play, having caused the suffering of
neither will any of the other passengers. Neil H. Wright has noted
Prospero’s enemies which continues long after the storm has
that the symbolic “rope is a hangman’s noose for the Boatswain
abated. Alonso suffers grief for his lost son throughout most of
but a saving cable for the crew and passengers” (Neil H. Wright,
the play. By the end, Ferdinand has been found, Alonso’s sin
“Reality and Illusion as a Philosophical Pattern in The Tempest,”
against Prospero has been forgiven, and his inner tempest
249). Ironically, Gonzalo’s joke is a prophetic statement since
subsides. He has been purified through his suffering. The storm
everyone on the ship eventually reaches the shore safely.
at sea is brought about by Prospero’s magic which permeates the
actions of the characters until Act V when he removes his When the mariners report that all is lost, Sebastian, Antonio,
magician’s robe. It is only then that its purpose has been and Gonzalo are finally convinced of the seriousness of the
accomplished. His dukedom has been restored and his enemies situation. They decide to go below and join Alonso and Ferdinand
forgiven. in their prayers. Soon a confusing noise is heard, and Gonzalo,
thinking they have run aground on a rock, shouts “We split, we
In the opening scene, set aboard a ship in a storm-tossed
split, we split.” Antonio suggests that they “sink wi’ th’ king,”
sea, it is immediately apparent that a hierarchy exists among the
but Sebastian would rather “take leave of him.” Sebastian’s
ship’s officers and crew consisting of the Ship-master, the
statement foreshadows his conspiracy to kill his brother, the king,
Boatswain, and the mariners. This maritime society is a microcosm
later in the play.
of the larger hierarchical society made up of the king, the
noblemen, and the common people. In a social and political society COMPREHENSION PASSAGES
the king would normally exercise his authority over all of his
people, but on the ship at sea he has entered the domain of the Passage - 1
Ship-master and Boatswain and must now succumb to their None that I more love than myself.
authority. They are the ones who hold the king’s very life in their
You are a councillor If you can command these
hands. As the Boatswain so aptly puts it: “What cares these roarers
elements to silence, and work the peace of the
for the name of king?” The king is not more powerful than the
roaring sea. This idea foreshadows the image in Ariel’s song, present, we will not hand a rope more. Use your
“Full Fadom Five,”in Act I, Scene 2 in which he asserts that authority. If you cannot, give thanks you have lived
Alonso “doth suffer a sea-change.” Though Alonso does not so long, and make yourself ready in your cabin for
actually die as the song suggests, the image is symbolic of the the mischance of the hour, if it so hap. – Cheerly,
change he will go through on the island.
good hearts !- Out of our way, It say !
In retaliation for the Boatswain’s rude manners, Gonzalo
persists in repeating a joke about him. The old counsellor finds
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Read the lines given above and answer the questions that
follow :
1. Who speaks these lines ? To whom are these addressed ?
Ans. These lines are spoken by the Boatswain in the opening scene of
William Shakespeare’s play, ‘The Tempest’. These are addressed
to Gonzalo, the old counsellor.
2. What is the context ? Is the speaker annoyed ?
Ans. A ship carrying King Alonso and his party is caught in a storm.
Passengers in the ship fear that it might sink. Sebastian, Antonio
and Alonso come out of their cabins. They start shouting orders
at the Boatswain who is trying his best to keep the ship away
from the shore.
The boatswain is annoyed at this interference in his work. He
loses his temper and rebukes Gonzalo.
3. What is the speaker’s challenge to the other person ?
Ans. The Boatswain challenges Gonzalo, the king’s counsellor, to
bring the storm and the waves under control.
4. How can the other person use his authority ? What should
he do if he cannot ?
Ans. Gonzalo may exercise his authority in controlling those elements
of Nature. If he cannot do so, he should be thankful to the
sailors that he is still alive and not already drowned.
5. The speaker advises, “...make yourself ready in your
cabin...” What for ?
Ans. The Boatswain advises Gonzalo to go to his cabin and prepare
himself for death. If the ship sinks, he will lose his life.
6. What is the speaker’s warning ?
Ans. If Gonzalo goes on interfering with the efforts of the sailors, they
will stop handling the ship’s ropes and leave the ship to the mercy
of waves. This is the speaker’s warning.
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Act I, Scene II, lines 1-188
The island. Before PROSPERO’S cell.
[Enter PROSPERO and MIRANDA]
Miranda. If by your art, my dearest father, you have
Put the wild waters in this roar, allay them.
The sky, it seems, would pour down stinking pitch1,
But that the sea, mounting to the welkin’s2 cheek,
Dashes the fire out. O, I have suffered
With those that I saw suffer: a brave vessel,
Who had, no doubt, some noble creature in her,
Dash’d all to pieces. O, the cry did knock
Against my very heart. Poor souls, they perish’d.
Had I been any god of power, I would
Have sunk the sea within the earth or ere3
It should the good ship so have swallow’d and
The fraughting souls4 within her.
Prospero. Be collected:
No more amazement: tell your piteous5 heart
There’s no harm done.
Miranda. O, woe the day!
Prospero. No harm.
I have done nothing but in care of thee–
Of thee, my dear one, thee, my daughter, – who
Art ignorant of what thou art, naught knowing
Of whence I am, nor that I am more better
Than Prospero, master of a full poor6 cell,
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And thy no greater father. Prospero. By what? by any other house or person?
Miranda. More to know Of any thing the image tell me that
Did never meddle with my thoughts. Hath kept with thy remembrance13.
Prospero. ’Tis time Miranda. ’Tis far off
I should inform thee farther. Lend thy hand, And rather like a dream than an assurance14
And pluck my magic garment from me — So: That my remembrance warrants15. Had I not
[Lays down his mantle] Four or five women once that tended me?
Lie there, my art.— Wipe thou thine eyes; have comfort. Prospero. Thou hadst, and more, Miranda. But how is it
The direful spectacle of the wreck, which touch’d That this lives in thy mind? What seest thou else
The very virtue7 of compassion in thee, In the dark backward16 and abysm17 of time?
I have with such provision in mine art If thou remember’st aught ere thou cam’st here,
So safely ordered that there is no soul— How thou camest here thou mayst.
No, not so much perdition8 as an hair Miranda. But that I do not.
Betid 9 to any creature in the vessel Prospero. Twelve year since, Miranda, twelve year since,
Which thou heard’st cry, which thou saw’st sink. Sit down; Thy father was the Duke of Milan and
For thou must now know farther. A prince of power.
Miranda. You have often Miranda. Sir, are not you my father?
Begun to tell me what I am, but stopp’d Prospero. Thy mother was a piece18 of virtue, and
And left me to a bootless10 inquisition11, She said thou wast my daughter; and thy father
Concluding ‘Stay: not yet.’ Was Duke of Milan; and thou his only heir
Prospero. The hour’s now come; And princess, — no worse issued 19.
The very minute bids thee ope thine ear; Miranda. O the heavens!
Obey and be attentive. Canst thou remember What foul play had we, that we came from thence?
A time before we came unto this cell? Or blessed was’t we did?
I do not think thou canst, for then thou wast not Prospero. Both, both, my girl :
12
Out three years old. By foul play, as thou say’st, were we heaved thence,
Miranda. Certainly, sir, I can. But blessedly holp20 hither.

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Miranda. O, my heart bleeds
To think o’ the teen21 that I have turn’d you to,
Which is from22 my remembrance! Please you, farther.
Prospero. My brother and thy uncle, call’d Antonio—
I pray thee, mark me,—that a brother should
Be so perfidious!—he whom next thyself
Of all the world I loved and to him put
The manage22 of my state; as at that time
Through all the signories23 it was the first
And Prospero the prime duke, being so reputed
In dignity, and for the liberal24 arts
Without a parallel; those being all my study25,
The government I cast upon my brother
And to my state grew stranger, being transported
And rapt26 in secret studies. Thy false uncle—
Dost thou attend me?
Miranda. Sir, most heedfully.
Prospero. Being once perfected 27 how to grant suits,
How to deny them, who to advance, and who
28
To trash for over-topping, — new created
The creatures that were mine, I say, or changed ‘em,
Or else new form’d ‘em; having both the key
Of officer and office, set all hearts i’ the state
To what tune pleased his ear; that now he was
The ivy which had hid my princely trunk,
And suck’d my verdure29 out on’t30. Thou attend’st not.
Miranda. O, good sir, I do.
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Prospero. I pray thee, mark me.
I, thus neglecting worldly ends, all dedicated
To closeness31 and the bettering of my mind
With that which, but by being so retir’d,
O’er-prized all popular rate32, in my false brother
Awak’d an evil nature; and my trust,
Like a good parent, did beget of him
A falsehood, in its contrary as great
As my trust was; which had indeed no limit,
A confidence sans33 bound. He being thus lorded 34,
Not only with what my revenue yielded,
But what my power might else exact, — like one
Who having into truth, by telling of it,
Made such a sinner of his memory,
To credit his own lie, — he did believe
He was indeed the duke; out o’ the substitution
And executing the outward face of royalty,
With all prerogative: hence his ambition growing—
Dost thou hear?
Miranda. Your tale, sir, would cure deafness.
Prospero. To have no screen between this part he play’d
And him he play’d it for, he needs will be
Absolute Milan35. Me, poor man, my library
Was dukedom large enough: of temporal royalties36
He thinks me now incapable; confederates37—
So dry38 he was for sway—wi’ the King of Naples
To give him annual tribute, do him homage,
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Subject his coronet to his crown and bend And then I’ll bring thee to the present business
The dukedom yet unbow’d, —alas, poor Milan!— Which now’s upon’s; without the which this story
To most ignoble stooping39. Were most impertinent 47.
Miranda. O the heavens! Miranda. Wherefore did they not
Prospero. Mark his condition40 and the event 41; then tell me That hour destroy us?
If this might be a brother. Prospero. Well demanded, wench:
Miranda. I should sin My tale provokes48 that question. Dear, they durst not,—
To think but nobly of my grandmother: So dear the love my people bore me, — nor set
Good wombs have borne bad sons. A mark so bloody on the business, but
Prospero. Now the condition. With colours49 fairer painted their foul ends.
The King of Naples, being an enemy In few50, they hurried us aboard a bark,
To me inveterate, hearkens42 my brother’s suit; Bore us some leagues to sea; where they prepared
Which was, that he, in lieu o’ the premises 43 A rotten carcass of a boat, not rigg’d,
Of homage and I know not how much tribute, Nor tackle, sail, nor mast; the very rats
Should presently 44 extirpate me and mine Instinctively had quit51 it: there they hoist us,
Out of the dukedom and confer fair Milan To cry to the sea that roar’d to us, to sigh
With all the honours on my brother: whereon, To the winds whose pity, sighing back again,
A treacherous army levied, one midnight Did us but loving wrong.
Fated to the purpose did Antonio open Miranda. Alack52, what trouble
The gates of Milan, and, i’ the dead of darkness, Was I then to you!
The ministers45 for the purpose hurried thence Prospero. O, a cherubim
Me and thy crying self. Thou wast that did preserve me. Thou didst smile.
Miranda. Alack, for pity! Infused with a fortitude from heaven,
I, not remembering how I cried out then, When I have deck’d 53 the sea with drops full salt,
Will cry it o’er again: it is a hint46 Under my burthen groan’d; which raised in me
That wrings mine eyes to’t. An undergoing stomach54, to bear up
Prospero. Hear a little further Against what should ensue.

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Miranda. How came we ashore? A most auspicious star, whose influence

Prospero. By Providence divine. If now I court not but omit, my fortunes
Some food we had and some fresh water that Will ever after droop. Here cease more questions:
A noble Neapolitan, Gonzalo, Thou art inclined to sleep; ’tis a good dulness,
55
Out of his charity , being then appointed And give it way: — I know thou canst not choose —
Master of this design, did give us, with [MIRANDA sleeps]
Rich garments, linens, stuffs and necessaries, Come away, servant, come. I am ready now.
56
Which since have steaded much ; so, of his gentleness, Approach, my Ariel, come.
Knowing I loved my books, he furnish’d me
GLOSSARY
From mine own library with volumes that
1. stinking pitch : rain as black and foul as pitch
I prize above my dukedom.
2. welkin’s : Sky
Miranda. Would I might
3. Or ere : before
But ever see that man!
Prospero. Now I arise: [Resumes his mantle] 4. Fraughting souls : creatures making up the freight of the vessel.

Sit still, and hear the last of our sea-sorrow57. 5. Piteous : pitiful

Here in this island we arrived; and here 6. Full Poor : very wretched

Have I, thy schoolmaster, made thee more profit 7. virtue : efficatious part

Than other princesses can, that have more time 8. perdition : loss

For vainer hours58, and tutors not so careful. 9. Betid : happened

Miranda. Heavens thank you for’t! And now, I pray you, sir, 10. Bootless : vain

For still, ’tis beating in my mind 59—, your reason 11. inquisition : questioning

For raising this sea-storm? 12. Out : fully

Prospero. Know thus far forth. 13. remembrance : memory

By accident most strange, bountiful Fortune,— 14. assurance : certainly

Now my dear lady,— hath mine enemies 15. warrants : guaranteed
Brought to this shore; and by my prescience60 16. dark backward : retrospect
I find my zenith61 doth depend upon 17. abysm : depth.

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18. piece : perfect specimen 45. ministers : agents

19. issued : descended 46. hint : occassion
20. holp : helped 47. impertinent : irrelevant
21. teen : trouble 48. provokes : excites
22. manage : management 49. colours : pretexts
23. signories : states of northern Italy 50. In few : briefly
24. liberal : elegant 51. quit : abandoned
25. study : preoccupation 52. Alack : alas
26. rapt : absorbed 53. deck’d : sprinkled
27. perfected : accomplished 54. Undergoing stomach : resisting courage
28. trash : check 55. charity : love
29. verdure : sap 56. steaded much : been of great help
30. on’t : of it. 57. sea-sorrow : suffering endured at sea
31. closeness : seclusion 58. vainer hours : hours of vanity
32. rate : estimation 59. beating in my mind : exercising my thought
33. sans : without 60. presience : fare knowledge
34. lorded : invested with the power and authority of prince. 61. zenith : the highest point of one’s fortune.
35. Absolute Milan : completely Duke of Milan CHARACTERS INTRODUCED IN ACT I
36. Temporal royalties : eartly powers SCENE II (LINES 1 - 188)
37. confederates : conspires
Prospero: the rightful Duke of Milan whose dukedom has been
38. dry : thirsty
usurped by his brother, Antonio
39. Stooping : humiliation
Miranda: Prospero’s fifteen-year-old daughter
40. condition : terms
SUMMARY
41. event : result
42. hearkens : listens to The scene is set on an island at the mouth of Prospero’s cave
where he and Miranda have been living for the past 12 years.
43. In lieu o’ premises : in return for fulfilment of the conditions
From the shore they have been watching the sinking ship and
44. presently : immediately listening to the heartrending cries of the people on board. Aware
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that her father has raised the tempest with his magic, Miranda
begs him to calm the “wild waters” and end the suffering. Prospero
assures her that no harm has been done, and that he has acted
solely on her behalf.
He expresses his regret that she is ignorant of her true station in
life. Moreover, she does not know that he is a man of high rank.
She admits that the idea has not occurred to her. Convinced that
the time is now right, Prospero begins the account of their
precarious voyage to the island when she was not quite three
years old. He asks her whether she has any memory of her life
before she came to the island. She replies that she can remember
four or five women who tended her, but has no recollection of
her arrival at the island with her father. He goes on to explain that
he is the rightful Duke of Milan whose dukedom had been usurped
by his own brother, Antonio, who had been entrusted to manage
the affairs of state so that Prospero could be free to concentrate
on his “secret studies.” With both money and power at his constant
disposal, Antonio began to believe that he was actually the duke.
Interspersed into his lengthy exposition are Prospero’s occasional
accusations against Miranda for not listening. He then goes on to
explain that the King of Naples had been his long-lasting enemy.
In exchange for Antonio’s homage and tribute, the king levied an
army, removed Prospero from his rightful position as duke and
replaced him with Antonio, the new Duke of Milan. At midnight,
Prospero and Miranda were hurried aboard a rotten tub without a
sail and left alone on the roaring sea. Miranda asks her father
why Alonso and Antonio did not have them killed immediately.
Prospero explains that they did not dare because of his people’s
love for him as Duke of Milan. The conspirators decided instead
to make Prospero’s death look like an accident. Out of compassion
for Prospero and Miranda, Gonzalo packed the rotting vessel
with food, water, clothing, and an ample supply of books from
Prospero’s library. He tells Miranda that, with her own father as
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her tutor, she has been fortunate to have a better schoolmaster
than most princesses.
Prospero’s long discourse has solved many mysteries for Miranda,
but she still wonders why her father has raised the storm at sea.
He tells her it has been his good fortune that his enemies have
accidentally wandered to the shore of this island, and he must act
now, or he might never be given another chance. Dressing in his
magic robe, he puts Miranda into a deep sleep and signals Ariel to
approach.
ANALYSIS
One of the major themes in The Tempest is illusion versus reality
as it relates to the opposing worlds of a primitive island and the
civilized culture of Milan. The storm at sea seems to be
endangering the lives of its passengers and crew, but when Miranda
begs her father to allay the “wild waters,” he calms her fears,
telling her there has been “no harm done.” We learn later that the
“brave vessel” has not been “dash’d all to pieces,” as Miranda
had feared, but rests safely in the harbor.
The magical atmosphere of the island, with its primeval
surroundings, is Prospero’s realm. While he was still in Milan, he
became increasingly “transported and rapt in secret studies.” He
kept moving further into his illusory world of books which was
in stark contrast to the management of his dukedom in the real
world of Milan. Ironically, Antonio, who had been entrusted to
administer the affairs of government for Prospero, also lived under
the illusion that “he was indeed the duke.” His royalty was only
an “outward face,” but his ambition grew, and, with the help of
Alonso, the king, he conspired against Prospero to become the
Duke of Milan.
Writing in the consciousness of his own age, Shakespeare’s view
of the natural order was based on the hierarchy of all beings and
things. The idea had its beginnings with Plato and Aristotle and
influenced the ethics of medieval thought which extended well
into the sixteenth century and beyond. In the hierarchy, God was
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supreme and all other beings had a superior to whom they owed But Shakespeare’s power is sacred as a king’s.
obedience and an inferior whom they ruled. It extended from Those legends from old priesthood were received,
God to the lowest animals and even to inanimate objects. When
the hierarchy was destroyed, disorder and chaos reigned. All would And he then writ, as people then believed.
go well as long as individuals in families and the larger society Dryden/ Davenant “Prologue to The Tempest,” 1354-55
knew their place. Antonio’s selfish refusal to recognize his Dryden is implying that theater audiences of Shakespeare’s day
particular place in the social and political hierarchy resulted in the
believed in magic. By Dryden’s time people had developed a
overthrow of Prospero’s dukedom and the consequent corruption
skepticism about magic. Consequently, Dryden and Davenant
of the natural harmony. Antonio’s subversiveness led to anarchy
collaborated in adapting The Tempestfor audiences of their own
in the state and violated the trust between brothers as well.
time.
Prospero expresses his disappointment and loss when he says,
“that a brother should/ Be so perfidious! – he whom next thyself/ Parliament’s statute against the practice of witchcraft and the
Of all the world I loved.” conjuration of evil spirits was enacted in 1563 under Queen
Elizabeth and confirmed again in 1604 under the rule of James I.
The natural hierarchy, often referred to as degree, had been a
It has been noted by commentators that in the light of these
major theme throughout Shakespeare’s great tragedies. In Troilus
sixteenth and early seventeenth-century laws, Shakespeare was
and Cressida, Ulysses warns about the dire consequences of
careful to make a distinction between the “white magic” of
breaking the natural law (Act I, Scene 3). “Take but degree away,
Prospero and the “black magic” of Sycorax, an evil witch who
untune that string/ And hark what discord follows.” We see this
had ruled the island before Prospero’s arrival. It was believed
discord immediately in the evil nature of Prospero’s expulsion
that she relied on the devil for her magical powers. Some critics
from his dukedom in Milan. The sinister and hurried act of putting
feel that Prospero used his magic to protect the good characters
him and his three-year-old daughter out to sea to drown was
and punish the evil ones; hence the name, white magic.
committed at midnight “i’ th’ dead of darkness.” Further discord
that is a direct result of the overthrow of Prospero’s dukedom is In Prospero’s long discourse on the loss of his dukedom and his
gradually revealed as the play progresses. subsequent arrival on the island, he frequently addresses Miranda
with questions like “Dost thou attend me?” to make sure she is
The magic of Prospero is an all-pervasive dramatic element of The
still listening. Her short and insignificant responses are a dramatic
Tempest. Its success with the audiences of Shakespeare’s day
device, changing Prospero’s monologue into a dialogue
depended to some degree upon their belief in magic. Dryden’s
appropriate for the stage.
“Prologue to The Tempest,” written in 1667, sheds some light on
Shakespeare’s use of magic in relation to his audience.
But Shakespeare’s magic could not copied be;
Within that circle none durst walk but he.
I must confess ‘twas bold, nor would you now
That liberty to vulgar wits allow,
Which works by magic supernatural things;
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COMPREHENSION PASSAGES
Passage - 1
O, I have suffered
With those that I saw suffer! A brave vessel,
Who had, no doubt, some noble creature in her,
Dashed all to pieces. O,the cry did knock
Against my very heart ! Poor souls, they perished
Had I been any god of power, I would
Have sunk the sea within the earth, of ere
It should the good ship so have swallowed and
The fraughting souls within her.
Read the lines given above and answer the questions that
follow:
1. Name the speaker and identify the source of these lines.
Ans. These words have been spoken by the young girl, Miranda in
Shakespeare’s play ‘The Tempest’.
2. Whose suffering has moved the heart of the speaker ?
Ans. Miranda has seen a ship caught in a storm. She has heard the
cries of passengers who board on this ship. Miranda’s heart has
been moved at the sight of this suffering. The hopeless
passengers are crying for help.
3. What, according to the speaker, has been dashed to pieces?
Is it true ?
Ans. According to Miranda , the ship has been dashed to pieces. It
was a beautiful ship. The passengers were unlucky. They have
all been drowned in the sea. Miranda has expressed the worst of
her fears. But she does not know that no harm has come to ship.
The passengers too are safe.
4. What would the person have done if he/she has been any
‘god of power’ ?
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Ans. The innocent girl says that if she has been some powerful god,
she would have driven the sea into the bowels of the earth before
it could destroy such a fine-looking ship. She would not have
allowed those poor passengers lose their lives.
5. What impression do you form of the speaker ‘s character ?
Ans. These lines not only describe the speaker ‘s state of the mind,
but also indicate that Miranda has a heart full of sympathy and
kindness.
Passage - 2
My brother and thy uncle, called Antonio –
I pray thee mark me, that a brother should
Be so perfidious ! – he, whom next thyself
Of all the world I loved, and to him put
The manage of my state, as at that time
Through all the signories it was the first,
And Prospero the prime duke, being so reputed
In dignity, and for the liberal arts
Without a parallel;
Read the lines given above and answer the questions that
follow:
1. Who is Antonio ? Who is referring to him ? What is the
context?
Ans. Antonio is Prospero’s brother. Prospero himself is referring to
his brother while telling his daughter, Miranda, the story of his
past before coming to the island.
2. What is expected of a brother? How has Antonio been ?
Ans. Antonio has been unlike a brother. A brother is expected to be
loving and helpful. But Antonio proved to be wicked person when
he turned against his own elder brother, Prospero.
3. The speaker loved two persons most in life. Who were they?
Ans. Prospero tells Miranda how once he was the Duke of Milan. He
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then loved two persons most. The first was his daughter, Miranda
and the next to her was his brother, Antonio .
4. How did the speaker treat Antonio ? What did it show ?
Ans. Prospero completely trusted his brother. He entrusted the
administration of his state to Antonio. At that time his state was
the foremost among all principalities. Prospera’s action showed
that he was a simple-minded person who did not suspect that his
own brother could do him any harm.
5. Who was Prospero ? What was his reputation once ?
Ans. Prospero, the duke of Milan , had the reputation of being superior
to all other dukes. He was known for his dignity and was thought
was without equal in the study of liberal arts. He was known to
be great scholar.
Passage - 3
Now the condition.
This King of Naples being an enemy
To me inveterate, hearkens my brother’s suit,
Which was, that he, in lieu o’th’ premises
Of homage and I know not how much tribute,
Should presently extirpate me and mine
Out of the dukedom, and confer fair Milan,
With all the honours, on my brother. Whereon,
A treacherous army levied, one midnight
Fated to th’ purpose,
Read the lines given above and answer the questions that
follow :
l. Who is the speaker of these lines ? To whom are these
addressed? What is he talking about ?
Ans. Prospero is telling his daughter the story of his past. This is the
story of how he was removed from his dukedom by his brother
by entering into a conspiracy with Prospero’s enemy.
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2. Why did the king of Naples listen to the speaker’s brother’s
suit?
Ans. The king of Milan was interested in removing Prospero from his
dukedom. Thus the king was an enemy to Prospero who had
maintained independence of the dukedom so far. Now when
Prospero’s brother, Antonio sought the king’s help to dislodge
Prospero, the king was ready to help him.
3. What was the suit ? What were the promises of homage ?
Ans. The suit was that the king of Milan should help Antonio in
removing Prospero from the dukedom, He should also accept
Antonio as the new duke of Milan. In return, Antonio promised
to pay a handsome tribute to the king, whose over-lordship was
willingly accepted.
4. “...extirpate me and mine.” Who are referred to as ‘me’
and ‘mine’ ?
Ans. Prospero is referring to himself and his daugther, Miranda who
were forced to leave Milan.
5. Why was an army gathered ? How was this army
treacherous ?
Ans. An army was gathered to force the existing duke of Milan to
leave his dukedom and make way for his brother, Antonio. It
was a treacherous army because a noble duke was being
overthrown by conspiring with the enemy.
6. What happened one midnight ?
Ans. One midnight, Antonio carried out his evil plan. In the stillness of
midnight, his men carried Antonio and his daughter out of Milan.
Miranda then was a little child and she was crying when they
were driven out of their place.
Passage - 4
My tale provokes that questions. Dear, they durst not,
So dear the love my people bore me; nor set
A mark so bloody on the business, but
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With colours fairer painted their foul ends.
In few, they hurried us aboard a bark,
Bore us some leagues to sea, where they prepared
A rotten carcass of a butt, not rigged,
Nor tackle, sail, nor mast. The very rats
Instinctively have quit it. There they hoist us,
To cry to th’s sea that roared to us, to sigh
To th’winds, whose pity sighing back again.
Read the lines given above and answer the questions that
follow :
l. “My tale provokes that question.”
(a) Whose tale is referred to ? What was the tale ?
(b) Which question ? Who had posed the question ?
Ans. (a) Prospero is telling the tale of his past when he was expelled
from his own dukedom. This was done by no other person
than his own brother who himself wanted to become the
duke.
(b) When Prospero is telling his tale, his daugther poses the
question why his treacherous uncle did not prefer to kill his
brother and niece instead of sending them out of Milan in a
boat.
2. Whose people loved him ? How did it help him ?
Ans. The people of Milan loved their duke, Prospero. This helped him
in the sense that though his brother, Antonio did everything to
expel him from Milan, he dared not kill him and his daughter. He
feared that the people of Milan would raise a revolt against him.
3. Who were put into a boat ? What was the condition of the
boat ? Why that condition arises ?
Ans. Prospero and Miranda were put into a boat and left in the sea at
the mercy of their fate. The boat was in a bad condition. It had
no ropes, no sails, no mast. The purpose was that Prospero and
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his child should be drowned in the sea. The boat should not help
them to reach the shore safely.
4. Why would have rats left it ?
Ans. The very rats would have fled from that boat, knowing that it
was bound to sink.
5. How did the sea respond to their pitiable condition ?
Ans. When Prospero and Miranda were left in such a boat at the
midnight time, they could nothing except to cry to the ocean
around them. The ocean too responded with its roar. When they
sighed, the winds returned their sighs out of sympathy for them.
Passage - 5
By Providence divine.
Some food we had and some fresh water that
A noble Neapolitan, Gonzalo,
Out of his charity, being then appointed
Master of this design, did give us, with
Rich garments, linens, stuffs and necessaries,
Which since have steaded much; so, of his gentleness,
Knowing I loved my books, he furnish’d me
From mine own library with volumes that
I prize above my dukedom.
Read the lines given above and answer the questions that follow :
1. Who is the speaker of these words ? What is he talking
about ?
Ans. Prospero is the speaker in Shakespeare’s play ‘The Tempest’.
He is narrating the story of his past to this young daughter,
Miranda.
2. What happended by “providence divine” ?
Ans. When Prospero tells Miranda that twelve years ago, they were
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expelled from his dukedom. Then they were put into an ill equipped
boat and left in the sea to perish.
Miranda asks curiously how they came ashore in those
circumstances.
3. Who was noble Gonzalo ? Explain the reason why the speaker
has good words for that old man ?
Ans. Gonzalo was the old counsellor who had all sympathy for
Prospero when he was being expelled from his own dukedom.
Luckily, he was entrusted with the task of sending Prospero and
his daughter out of Milan. He could not disobey his master who
was controlling the dukedom. But he did whatever he could to
give a chance to his former ruler to survive. Prospero has good
words for this old man for this reason.
4. What were the things provided by Gonzalo ? How did they
prove, to be of great use ?
Ans. Since Gonzalo had been deputed to execute the whole plan, he
gave food, water, costly clothes, linens, goods and essential
commodities to Prospero when bidding him good bye. These
things proved to be of great use to the unfortunate father and
daughter who were left at the mercy of waves and winds in the
sea.
5. What did the speaker prize above his dukedom ? Did he
have to suffer for this reason ?
Ans. Prospero was the duke of Milan. But has was not interested in
the governance of his dukedom. He had delegated all powers to
his brother, Antonio. His brother administered the dukedom on
his behalf. But in course of time, he grew ambitious. He decided
to overthrow his brother and assume the charge himself.
Prospero was a scholar. He loved reading his books in the library
than doing the work of administering his dukedom. He prized his
books above his dukedom. But this cost him heavily. He was
expelled from his own dukedom. Gonzalo knew his love of books.
So he brought some valuable books from Prospero’s library and
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left them in the boat which carried Prospero and his daughter
away from Milan.
Passage - 6
Know thus far forth.
By accident most strange, bountiful Fortune,—
Now my dear lady,— hath mine enemies
Brought to this shore; and by my prescience60
I find my zenith61 doth depend upon
A most auspicious star, whose influence
If now I court not but omit, my fortunes
Will ever after droop. Here cease more questions:
Thou art inclined to sleep; ’tis a good dulness,
And give it way: — I know thou canst not choose —
Read the lines given above and answer the questions that
follow:
l. “Know thus far forth.” The speaker is promising to tell
something more. Who is the listener ? What does the
listener want to know?
Ans. Prospero is speaking to his daughter, Miranda in Shakespeare’s
play The Tempest’. He is telling the story of his past life when
he was expelled from Milan. Right here, his daughter wants to
know why he has raised a storm in the sea.
2. What is described as ‘accident most strange’?
Ans. Prospero describes it as a strange accident by which a ship
carrying his enemies has come near his island.
3. Whose enemies have been brougth to the shore ? Who are
the enemies ? Where are they now ?
Ans. Prospero’s enemies include his own brother, Antonio who was
responsible for expelling him from his own dukedom. Along with
him is the king of Naples named Alonso. It was with his help that
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Antonio had forced his brother to quit Milan. The two had
conspired to throw Prospero out of his dukedom, replacing him
with Antonio as the duke.
Now these persons along with others are in a ship near Prospero’s
island. The ship is caught in a storm raised by Prospero, the
magician.
4. What does the speaker’s foreknowledge tell him ?
Ans. Prospero has the power to foresee the coming events. He knows
that if he acts now, his good luck will rise to the highest point.
5. What will happen if he does not take advantage of the
present situation ?
Ans. Now Prospero is under the influence of a lucky star. If he does
not take advantage of the present situation, his fortune will sink
to the its lowest in the time to come.
6. Why does the speaker ask his listener to stop asking more
questions ?
Ans. Prospero asks Miranda to ask no more questions because she is
feeling sleepy. Sleep is good for her at the moment. She cannot
resist it.
Passage - 7
If by your art, my dearest father, you have
Put the wild waters in this roar, allay them.
The sky, it seems, would pour down stinking pitch1,
But that the sea, mounting to the welkin’s cheek,
Dashes the fire out. O, I have suffered
With those that I saw suffer: a brave vessel,
Who had, no doubt, some noble creature in her,
Dash’d all to pieces. O, the cry did knock
Against my very heart. Poor souls, they perish’d.
Had I been any god of power, I would
Have sunk the sea within the earth or ere3
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It should the good ship so have swallow’d and
The fraughting souls within her.
Read the above lines and answer the following questions :
1. Name the speaker of these lines.
Ans. The speaker of these lines, taken from The Tempest, is Prospero’s
daughter, Miranda.
2. What is the “brave vessel” referred to ? What does the
word “brave” mean here ?
Ans. The “brave vessel” here is the ship on which King Alonso and
the others were making a voyage from Tunis back to Italy. The
word “brave” here means fine, excellent, or handsome (as often
in Shakespeare).
3. Who is the person addressed as “my dearest father”, and
what is his “art” ? Why has he used his art to put “the
whild waters in this roar” ?
Ans. The person addressed as “my dearest father” is Prospero. His
art is magic or the supernatural powers which he acquired after
many years of secret studies. He has used his art to bring about
a storm on the sea in order to wreck the ship on which King.
Alonso and others are the passengers. Prospero wishes to bring
Alonso and his companions under his control and to settle some
old score with them.
4. Why has the speaker suffered with those who were seen
suffering ?
Ans. The speaker, Miranda, suffered with the sufferers because her
smpathy was aroused for them. She was a fine-looking ship
caught in the storm. The cries of the noble persons on the ship
pierced her heart. Being a soft-hearted person she felt very
touched by their sufferings.
Passage - 8
I pray thee, mark me.
I, thus neglecting worldly ends, all dedicated
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To closeness and the bettering of my mind
With that which, but by being so retir’d,
O’er-prized all popular rate, in my false brother
Awak’d an evil nature; and my trust,
Like a good parent, did beget of him
A falsehood, in its contrary as great
As my trust was; which had indeed no limit,
A confidence sans bound. He being thus lorded ,
4. Give the meanings of the following expressions :
A confidence sans bound ; made such a sinner of his
memory: executing the outwards face of royalty.
Ans. A confidence sans bound — a confidence without limits ;
unlimited or excessive trust. Made such a sinner of his memory—
made his memory so sinful ; committed the sin of forgetting the
true facts. Executing the outward face of royalty — assuming
the air and exercising the functions royalty ; behaving in all
outward respects like the real Duke or ruler.

Not only with what my revenue yielded,

But what my power might else exact, — like one
Who having into truth, by telling of it,
Made such a sinner of his memory,
To credit his own lie, — he did believe
He was indeed the duke; out o’ the substitution
And executing the outward face of royalty,
With all prerogative: hence his ambition growing—
Read the above passage and answer the following questions:
1. Who is the speaker of these lines ?
Ans. The speaker of these lines, taken from The Tempest, is Prospero.
2. Why did the speaker neglect worldly ends and what kind of
life did he adopt ?
Ans. The speaker, Prospero, neglected worldly ends in his pursuit of
supernatural powers. He devoted himself to a life of secrecy. He
spent all his time studying secret books in order to improve his
mind and to acquire magic powers.
3. What did the speaker’s false brother do ?
Ans. Prosper’s brother, Antonio, betrayed him. Prospero had entrusted
Antonio with the responsibility of running the government.
Antonio now enjoyed all the authority of the Duke. Soon Antonio
began to think that he was the real Duke. He now became too
ambitious.
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Act I, Scene II, lines 189-320 Plunged in the foaming brine 12 and quit the vessel,
Then all a—fire with me: the king’s son, Ferdinand,

[Enter ARIEL] With hair up-staring,—then like reeds, not hair,—

Ariel. All hail, great master! grave sir, hail! I come Was the first man that leap’d; cried, ‘Hell is empty,

To answer thy best pleasure; be’t to fly, And all the devils are here.’

To swim, to dive into the fire, to ride Prospero. Why that’s my spirit!

On the curl’d clouds, to thy strong bidding task But was not this nigh shore?

Ariel and all his quality1. Ariel. Close by, my master.

Prospero. Hast thou, spirit, Prospero. But are they, Ariel, safe?

Perform’d to point 2 the tempest that I bade thee? Ariel. Not a hair perish’d;

Ariel. To every article3. On their sustaining13 garments not a blemish,

I boarded the king’s ship; now on the beak 4, But fresher than before: and, as thou bad’st me,

Now in the waist, the deck, in every cabin, In troops I have dispersed them ‘bout the isle.

I flamed amazement: sometime I’d divide, The king’s son have I landed by himself;

And burn in many places; on the topmast, Whom I left cooling of the air with sighs

The yards and bowsprit, would I flame distinctly, In an odd 14 angle of the isle and sitting,

Then meet and join. Jove’s lightnings, the precursors 5 His arms in this sad knot.

O’ the dreadful thunder-claps, more momentary 6 Prospero. Of the king’s ship

And sight-outrunning7 were not; the fire and cracks The mariners say how thou hast dispos’d,

Of sulphurous roaring the most mighty Neptune And all the rest o’ the fleet.

Seem to besiege and make his bold waves tremble, Ariel. Safely in harbour

Yea, his dread 8 trident 9 shake. Is the king’s ship; in the deep nook, where once

Prospero. My brave10 spirit! Thou call’dst me up at midnight to fetch dew

Who was so firm, so constant, that this coil 11 From the still-vex’d15 Bermoothes, there she’s hid:

Would not infect his reason? The mariners all under hatches16 stow’d17;

Ariel. Not a soul Who, with a charm join’d to their suffer’d18 labour,

But felt a fever of the mad and play’d I have left asleep; and for19 the rest o’ the fleet

Some tricks of desperation. All but mariners Which I dispers’d, they all have met again,

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And are upon the Mediterranean flote20, To do me business in the veins o’ the earth30
Bound sadly home for Naples, When it is baked31 with frost.
Supposing that they saw the king’s ship wreck’d, Ariel. I do not, sir.
And his great person perish. Prospero. Thou liest, malignant thing32! Hast thou forgot
Prospero. Ariel, thy charge The foul witch Sycorax, who with age and envy
Exactly is perform’d: but there’s more work. Was grown into a hoop33? hast thou forgot her?
What is the time o’ the day? Ariel. No, sir.
Ariel. Past the mid season. Prospero. Thou hast. Where was she born? speak; tell me.
Prospero. At least two glasses21. The time ‘twixt six and now Ariel. Sir, in Argier 34.
Must by us both be spent most preciously22. Prospero. O, was she so? I must
Ariel. Is there more toil? Since thou dost give me pains23, Once in a month recount what thou hast been,
24
Let me remember thee what thou hast promis’d, Which thou forget’st. This damn’d witch Sycorax,
Which is not yet perform’d me. For mischiefs manifold and sorceries terrible
Prospero. How now? moody? To enter human hearing, from Argier,
What is’t thou canst demand? Thou know’st, was banish’d: for one thing she did
Ariel. My liberty. They would not take her life. Is not this true?
Prospero. Before the time be out25? no more! Ariel. Ay, sir.
26
Ariel. I prithee , Prospero. This blue-ey’d hag was hither brought with child
Remember I have done thee worthy service; And here was left by the sailors. Thou, my slave,
Told thee no lies, made thee no mistakings, serv’d As thou report’st thyself, wast then her servant;
Without or27 grudge or grumblings: thou didst promise And, for35 thou wast a spirit too delicate
To bate28 me a full year. To act her earthy36 and abhorr’d commands,
Prospero. Dost thou forget Refusing her grand hests37, she did confine thee,
From what a torment I did free thee? By help of her more potent ministers38
Ariel. No. And in her most unmitigable39 rage,
Prospero. Thou dost, and think’st it much to tread the ooze29 Into a cloven pine; within which rift
Of the salt deep, Imprison’d thou didst painfully remain
To run upon the sharp wind of the north, A dozen years; within which space she died,

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And left thee there; where thou didst vent thy groans To every eyeball else. Go take this shape
As fast as mill-wheels strike. Then was this island— And hither come in’t: go, hence with diligence!
Save for the son that she die litter40 here, [Exit ARIEL]
41
A freckled whelp hag-born —not honour’d with Awake, dear heart, awake! thou hast slept well;
A human shape. Awake!
Ariel. Yes, Caliban her son. Miranda. The strangeness of your story put
Prospero. Dull thing42, I say so; he, that Caliban Heaviness47 in me.
Whom now I keep in service. Thou best know’st Prospero. Shake it off. Come on;
What torment I did find thee in; thy groans We’ll visit Caliban my slave, who never
43
Did make wolves howl and penetrate the breasts Yields us kind answer.
Of ever angry bears: it was a torment Miranda. ’Tis a villain, sir,
To lay upon the damn’d, which Sycorax I do not love to look on.
Could not again undo: it was mine art, Prospero. But, as ’tis,
When I arrived and heard thee, that made gape44
We cannot miss him: he does make our fire,
The pine and let thee out.
Fetch in our wood and serves in offices48
Ariel. I thank thee, master.
That profit us. What, ho! slave! Caliban!
Prospero. If thou more murmur’st, I will rend an oak
Thou earth, thou! speak.
And peg thee in his knotty entrails till
Caliban. [Within] There’s wood enough within.
Thou hast howl’d away twelve winters.
Prospero. Come forth, I say! there’s other business for thee:
Ariel. Pardon, master;
Come, thou tortoise! when?
I will be correspondent 45 to command
[Re-enter ARIEL like a water-nymph]
And do my spiriting 46 gently.
Fine apparition! My quaint Ariel,
Prospero. Do so, and after two days
Hark49 in thine ear.
I will discharge thee.
Ariel. My lord it shall be done. [Exit]
Ariel. That’s my noble master!
Prospero. Thou poisonous slave, got by the devil himself upon thy
What shall I do? say what; what shall I do?
wicked dam, come forth!
Prospero. Go make thyself like a nymph o’ the sea: be subject
To no sight but thine and mine, invisible

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CHARACTERS INTRODUCED IN ACT I 23. Pains : hard tasks

SCENE II (LINES 189 - 320) 24. Remember : Remind
25. Be out : Expire
Ariel: an airy spirit under Prospero’s servitude who performs
acts of magic for him 26. Prithee : Pray thee
27. Or : either
GLOSSARY
28. Bate : abate, reduce
1. Quality : professional skill.
29. Ooze : soft mud
2. To Point : in detail.
30. Veins o’ the earth : interiors of the earth
3. To every article : minutely
31. Baked : hardened
4. Beak : prow
32. Malignant thing : evil-minded creature
5. Precursors : fore-runner
33. Grown into a hoop : bent double
6. Momentary : lasting a moment
34. Argier : Algiers
7. Sight out-running : too quick to be percieved by the eye.
35. For : because
8. Dread : dreaded
36. Earthy : gross
9. Trident : three-sponged spear
37. Hests : behests, commands
10. Brave : fine
38. Ministers : agents
11. Coil : Confusion
39. Unmitigable : relentless
12. Brine : salt-sea
40. Litter : bring forth
13. Sustaining : bearing them up
41. Hag-born : born of a witch
14. Odd : out of the way
42. Dull thing : stupid creature
15. still vex’d : ever agitated by storms
43. Penetrate : touch
16. Under hatches : below deck
44. Gape : open-wide
17. Stow’d : bestowed or deposited
45. Correspondent : agreeable
18. Suffer’d labour : fatigue
46. Spiriting : doing the work of a spirit.
19. For : as for
47. Heaviness : sleepiness
20. Flote : sea
48. Offices : duties
21. Glasses : hours
49. Hark : Listen
22. Most preciously : to the best advantage

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SUMMARY
Prospero calls forth his spirit, Ariel, who appears, reporting that
he has created the tempest just as he was instructed to do.
Moreover, he has created quite a spectacle on board ship. He has
caused the lightning and thunder claps while the mighty sea roared
and the “bold waves trembled.” Prospero praises him for
maintaining his composure in spite of the uproar. Ariel continues,
telling him that all except the mariners plunged into the foaming
sea in fear and desperation. They have all landed, safe and
unblemished, on the shore. He has dispersed them in troops around
the island, but left Ferdinand, the king’s son, by himself. The
king’s ship has been stowed in a deep inlet of the harbor with the
mariners sleeping under the hatches. The passengers on the other
ships of the fleet, thinking the king is dead, are on their way
back to Naples.
Prospero again commends Ariel for an excellent performance
but tells him there is still more work to be done. Ariel complains,
reminding Prospero of his promise to give him his liberty. Prospero
tells him to remember what he has done for him. He has saved
Ariel from the “foul witch Sycorax” who had imprisoned him in
a “cloven pine.” Meanwhile, she died and left him in torment for
12 years. When Prospero arrived on the island, he heard Ariel’s
painful cries and used his art of magic to release him from the
pine.
Though Ariel thanks him, Prospero, nevertheless, threatens to
peg him into an oak tree to howl away for 12 more years if he
continues to grumble. Apologizing, Ariel promises to follow his
master’s orders. Prospero rewards him by telling him he will be
free in two days. This is good news for Ariel, and he is eager to
cooperate. He is then sent to disguise himself as a “nymph o’ th’
sea” and appear invisible to all except Prospero. Ariel quickly
obeys.
While Ariel is gone, Prospero awakens Miranda whom he has
put into a deep sleep. Together they prepare a visit to Caliban,
Prospero’s slave. Miranda calls him a villain, but Prospero assures
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her they could not do without him. He makes their fires, fetches
their wood, and does other odd jobs around their cell. Just as he
summons Caliban, Ariel appears dressed like a water-nymph.
Prospero whispers in Ariel’s ear, and he is sent off to do his
master’s bidding.
ANALYSIS
On the island, Prospero’s magic is, in most cases, performed by
Ariel. It is Ariel who raises the tempest under Prospero’s direction.
After the tempest, Ariel’s greeting to Prospero appropriately
represents the elements of air, water, and fire from which he is
derived. As a spirit, Ariel can fly, swim, or “dive into the fire.” In
ancient times it was believed that the elements of air, water, and
fire were the fundamental constituents of the universe. As a spirit
of the island, Ariel embodies these elements that emanate from
him at various times. He can divide himself and become fire as
he does on the king’s ship during the course of the tempest.
I flam’d amazement. Sometime I’ld divide
And burn in many places; on the topmast,
The yards and boresprit, would I flame distinctly,
Then meet and join.
Act I, Scene 2, ll. 198-201
Ariel “flam’d amazement” or terrorized the passengers and crew
by burning “on the topmast.” This alludes to a well-known
phenomenon in Shakespeare’s day called corposant or St. Elmo’s
fire, a bluish, luminous glow that would appear on the mast of a
ship during an electrical storm at sea. St. Elmo was the patron
saint of sailors.
During the storm Ariel mingles with the air, causing Jove’s
lightning, and with the water, making “Neptune’s...bold waves
tremble.” It is through Ariel’s poetic description of the storm
that we sense the paradox of this light, airy spirit who was “too
delicate/ To act her (Sycorax’s) earthy and abhorr’d commands,”
but could raise a spectacular storm at sea that would strike terror
into the passengers and crew.
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The magic of the “foul witch Sycorax” is set in stark contrast to
the magic of Prospero. In her “unmitigable rage,” Sycorax had,
with her evil powers, imprisoned Ariel in a “cloven pine” and left
him there to groan in agony for 12 years. Prospero, in his
benevolence, took pity on him and used his magic to set him
free. Sycorax had been banished from Argier (Algiers) because
of her “sorceries terrible.” It was believed that she relied on
devils or evil spirits of the underworld to assist her in these magic
acts. Before she died, she had bore a son, Caliban, who was
described by Prospero as “a freckled whelp, hag-born,” his shape
is less than human.
In The Tempest Shakespeare observed all three of the Aristotelian
unities of action, time, and place. Unity of action requires that
the plot must be a unified whole with a beginning, a middle, and
an end. Unity of time confined the action to one day only. In this
scene Prospero suddenly becomes aware of the time which is
“past the mid season./ At least two glasses,” or two o’clock in
the afternoon. He realizes they must accomplish their work on
the island “‘twixt six and now.” Unity of place limits the action
to a single place which is, in the case of The Tempest, the island
and the sea near the shore. Many of the great playwrights,
including Shakespeare (The Tempest being an exception), violate
at least some of the unities. Modern dramatists put little stress
on the importance of the traditional unities but emphasize instead,
the single emotional effect of the action.
COMPREHENSION PASSAGES
Passage - 1
I flamed amazement: sometime I’d divide,
And burn in many places; on the topmast,
The yards and bowsprit, would I flame distinctly,
Then meet and join. Jove’s lightnings, the precursors
O’ the dreadful thunder-claps, more momentary
And sight-outrunning were not; the fire and cracks
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Of sulphurous roaring the most mighty Neptune
Seem to besiege and make his bold waves tremble,
Yea, his dread trident shake.
Read the lines given above and answer the questions that
follow:
l. Who are the persons engaged in conversation ? What are
they talking about ?
Ans. In Shakespeare’s play ‘The Tempest’, Ariel is talking to his master,
Prospero. He is describing how he carried out his order to
passengers in a particular ship.
2. “I flamed amazement”. What does the speaker want to say?
Ans. Ariel tells Prospero how he created a panic among passengers in
the ship caught in a terrible storm. Ariel showed the passengers
some unusual occurrences to drive them out of their wits.
3. What did the speaker do by assuming the shape of a flame
? How could he change his shape ?
Ans. Ariel first got into the king’s ship. In the shape of a flame he
appeared on the bow, on the waist, on the deck of the ship. Then
he moved about in every cabin to terrify the passengers.
Ariel was a spirit. It could easily assume different shapes.
Essentially, it remained invisible. Thus, he divided himself into
several flames and appeared at several places.
Then he combined himself into a single flame to surprise the
passengers in the ship.
4. Horn does he explain the quickness of his movements ?
Ans. Ariel is giving an impressive detail of how he executed his plan.
He claims that even Jove’s lightnings, seen before he hurls his
dreadful thunderbolts, are not so rapid and swift as Ariel’s
movements were.
5. How did he fill terror in the heart of the sea-god ?
Ans. The flashes of lightning and the loud roar of thunder that Ariel
produced seemed to overpower even the most powerful god of
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sea, shaking the powerful waves of the sea and the fearful trident,
the three-pronged weapon of the sea-god.
The description given by Ariel gives the impression that he not
only terrified his victims in the ship, but also filled the heart of
the sea-god with terror.
Passage - 2
Not a soul
But felt a fever of the mad and play’d
Some tricks of desperation. All but mariners
Plunged in the foaming brine and quit the vessel,
Then all a—fire with me: the king’s son, Ferdinand,
With hair up-staring,—then like reeds, not hair,—
Was the first man that leap’d; cried, ‘Hell is empty,
And all the devils are here.’
Read the lines given above and answer the questions that
follow:
1. The speaker is answering some question put to him. Who is
the speaker ? Whose question is he going to answer ?
Ans. Yes, the speaker is answering the question put to him by Prospero
in the play ‘The Tempest’written by William Shakespeare. The
speaker is a spirit whose name is Ariel.
He is commanded by Prospero, the magician
2. Who played ‘tricks of desperation’? Why did they do so ?
Ans. Prospero asks Ariel how the passengers in the ship behaved when
the ship caught fire in a stormy situation. He wants to know if
there was anyone among them to keep his cool in the tumult and
confusion created by Ariel.
Ariel explains that everyone of them behaved like a mad man
when the fit is upon him.
Everyone of them played some desperate prank or other’
3. Did the mariners jump into the sea ? What was the condition
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of the sea at that time ?
Ans. The mariners did not jump into the sea. They stayed back trying
to save the ship. But all others jumped into the stormy sea.
4. Why did they quit the vessel ?
Ans. They quit the vessel because it seemed to be burning in the flames
produced by Ariel.
They desperately hoped to survive by swimming ashore. The
condition on the ship seemed to threaten their lives.
5. How did Ferdinand behave ? Who was Ferdinand ?
Ans. Ferdinand was the son of the king of Naples, the heir to the
throne. The prince was the first to jump into the sea. He was
very badly terrified. His hair stood on end with fear.
He cried that all devils had come there, and then took a leap into
the sea.
Passage - 3
Not a hair perish’d;
On their sustaining garments not a blemish,
But fresher than before: and, as thou bad’st me,
In troops I have dispersed them ‘bout the isle.
The king’s son have I landed by himself;
Whom I left cooling of the air with sighs
In an odd angle of the isle and sitting,
His arms in this sad knot.
Read the lines given above and answer the questions that
follow:
l. “Not a hair perished”. What information is being given in
these words ? Who is the speaker ?
Ans. Ariel is the speaker. He is describing to Prospero how a storm
was raised in the sea and how the passengers jumped into the
sea in panic.
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Ariel assures his master that no harm has actually come to any
of the passengers. Not a hair has perished. Ariel has managed to
bring them to the island safely.
2. Explain the context.
Ans. Ariel has just canied out a plan to catch a ship in a storm raised
by this spirit. Then he has been able to frighten the passengers
who jumped into the sea for safety. These passengers have been
conducted to the island safely but separately.
3. Whose garments look fresher than before ? What does that
indicate ?
Ans. Ariel assures Prosperg that the passengers are completely safe
and unharmed. Even the clothes which bore them on the sea
have not suffered the least damage. These garments look even
more fresh than before.
4. What has the speaker done according to some instructions?
Whose instructions ?
Ans. Ariel has just obeyed the orders of his master, Prospero.
According to Prospero’s instructions, Ariel has scattered the
passengers on the island in groups.
5. Who is the king’s son ? What has been done to him ?
Ans. Ferdinand is the son of the king of Naples. Ariel has managed to
land the prince on the island alone.
6. What was the prince doing when the speaker last left him ?
Ans. When the speaker (Ariel) left the prince, he was in some out of
the way corner of the island, cooling the air with sighs of sorrow
and sitting with his arms folded. He was thus looking sad.
Passage - 4
Safely in harbour
Is the king’s ship; in the deep nook, where once
Thou call’dst me up at midnight to fetch dew
From the still-vex’d Bermoothes, there she’s hid:
The mariners all under hatches stow’d;
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Who, with a charm join’d to their suffer’d labour,
I have left asleep; and for the rest o’ the fleet
Which I dispers’d, they all have met again,
And are upon the Mediterranean flote,
Bound sadly home for Naples,
Read the lines given above and answer the questions that
follows:
1. Who is the speaker of these lines ? State the context.
Ans. These lines are spoken by Ariel to Prospero. Ariel has described
in detail how he caused the storm, dispersed the courtiers and
the king about the island according to the orders given to him.
2. Where is the king’s ship ?
Ans. The king’s ship is safe in the harbour. She is hidden in the deep
corner where once prospero had called Ariel up to bring him
dew from the Bermudas islands, ever troubled by storms.
3. What has happened to the sailors ?
Ans. All the sailors have been packed away by Ariel in the lower deck
with the hatches or gratings battened down to prevent their escape
to the shore.
4. Why have they fallen asleep ?
Ans. They have fallen asleep because of a spell which Ariel has cast
upon them. Moreover, they have fallen asleep after the tiring
exertions of the day while fighting the storm.
5. Where are the remaining ships of the fleet ?
Ans. So far as the remaining ships of the fleet scattered by Ariel are
concerned, they have all assembled together again on the
Mediterranean sea.
6. What is the cause of their sadness ?
Ans. These ships are sailing sadly home for Naples from where they
had come along with their king and prince. Now they are under
the impression that the king’s ship has been destroyed and the
king has been drowned. The same are their fears about their
prince.
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Passage - 5
She did confine thee,
By help of her more potent ministers
And in her most unmitigable rage,
Into a cloven pine; within which rift
Imprison’d thou didst painfully remain
A dozen years; within which space she died,
And left thee there; where thou didst vent thy groans
As fast as mill-wheels strike. Then was this island—
Save for the son that she die litter here,
Read the lines given above and answer the questions that
follow:
l. “She did confine thee” Who confined whom ? Identify the
speaker? Explain the context.
Ans. The reference is to that old and ugly witch, Sycorax, who had
imprisoned Ariel for not obeying her. Prospero is speaking to
Ariel reminding him of his past when Prospero had released him
from a painful confinement.
2. Why did someone confine the other ?
Ans. Sycorax wanted to engage Ariel in all types of dirty work. But
Ariel being a very delicate spirit refused to carry out the hateful
commands of the witch. Sycorax punished Ariel by imprisoning
him in a cloven pine.
3. What was done with the help of ‘more potent ministers’ ?
Ans. The hateful witch had many slaves working for her. When Ariel
resisted her authority, she began to punish him with the help of
her more powerful agents.
4. What continued for twleve Years ?
Ans. Shut in the cloven pine tree, Ariel for a long period of twelve
years. During this period, his tormentor died, leaving the prisoner
there. There in that painful condition Ariel groaned repeatedly
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like the wheels of a windmill striking the water again and again.
5. Who were the residents of the island at that time ?
Ans. At that time, the island was uninhabited by any human being
except that witch’s son whom she had given birth there. This
son was no better than a dog with a spotted body.
Passage - 6
This blue-ey’d hag was hither brought with child
And here was left by the sailors. Thou, my slave,
As thou report’st thyself, wast then her servant;
And, for thou wast a spirit too delicate
To act her earthy and abhorr’d commands,
Refusing her grand hests, she did confine thee,
By help of her more potent ministers
And in her most unmitigable rage,
Into a cloven pine; within which rift
Imprison’d thou didst painfully remain
A dozen years; within which space she died,
And left thee there; where thou didst vent thy groans
As fast as mill-wheels strike. Then was this island—
Save for the son that she die litter here,
A freckled whelp hag-born—not honour’d with
A human shape.
Read the above passage and answer the following questions:
1. Name the speaker of these lines and name the person
addressed.
Ans. The speaker of these lines, which have been taken from The
Tempest, is Prospero. He is speaking to Ariel who is a Spirit of
the air and who is under the full control and authority of Prospero.
2. What do you learn about the seaker from these lines ?
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Ans. We learn and that Prospero employs Ariel as his slave. We also
learn that Prospero had, out of pity, released Ariel from inside
the pine-tree where he had been a prisoner for a dozen years.
3. Who was “this blue-eyed hag” ?
Ans. The blue-eyed hag was Sycorax, an old and ugly witch. Sycorax
had been banished from Algiers for doing much mischief and
performing evil acts of black magic.
4. Who is “a freckled whelp hag-born ?”
Ans. “A freckled help hag-born” is Caliban, the son of the old hag,
Sycorax. Caliban has a spoted skin and is no better than a fleopard.
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Act I, Scene II, lines 321-374
[Enter CALIBAN]
Caliban. As wicked dew as e’er my mother brush’d
With raven’s feather from unwholesome fen
Drop on you both! a south-west1 blow on ye
And blister you all o’er!
Prospero. For this, be sure, to-night thou shalt have cramps,
Side-stitches that shall pen2 thy breath up; urchins3
Shall, for that vast4 of night that they may work,
All exercise on thee; thou shalt be pinch’d
As thick as honeycomb, each pinch more stinging
Than bees that made ‘em.
Caliban. I must eat my dinner.
This island’s mine, by Sycorax my mother,
Which thou takest from me. When thou camest first,
Thou strok’dst me and madest much of me, wouldst give me
Water with berries in’t, and teach me how
To name the bigger light, and how the less,
That burn by day and night: and then I loved thee
And show’d thee all the qualities5 o’ the isle,
The fresh springs, brine-pits6, barren place and fertile:
Cursed be I that did so! All the charms
Of Sycorax, toads, beetles, bats, light7 on you!
For I am all the subjects that you have,
Which first was mine own king: and here you sty8 me
In this hard rock, whiles you do keep from me
The rest o’ the island.
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Prospero. Thou most lying slave, Fill all thy bones with aches, make thee roar
Whom stripes may move, not kindness! I have us’d thee, That beasts shall tremble at thy din.
Filth as thou art, with human care, and lodged thee Caliban. No, pray thee.
In mine own cell, till thou didst seek to violate [Aside] I must obey: his art is of such power,
The honour of my child. It would control my dam’s god, Setebos,
Caliban. O ho, O ho! would’t had been done! and make a vassal16 of him.
Thou didst prevent me; I had peopled else Prospero. So, slave; hence!
This isle with Calibans. [Exit CALIBAN]
Prospero. Abhorred slave, [Re-enter ARIEL, invisible, playing and singing;]
Which any print of goodness wilt not take, FERDINAND following.
Being capable of 9 all ill! I pitied thee, ARIEL’S song.
Took pains to make thee speak, taught thee each hour Come unto these yellow sands,
One thing or other: when thou didst not, savage, And then take hands:
10
Know thine own meaning, but wouldst gabble like Courtsied when you have and kiss’d
A thing most brutish, I endow’d thy purposes The wild waves whist17,
With words that made them known. But thy vile race11, Foot it18 featly19 here and there;
Though thou didst learn, had that in’t which good natures And, sweet sprites, the burthen20 bear.
Could not abide to be with; therefore wast thou
CHARACTERS INTRODUCED IN ACT I
Deservedly confin’d into this rock,
SCENE II (LINES 321 - 374)
Who hadst deserved more than a prison.
Caliban: a deformed, subhuman monster; born from the union
Caliban. You taught me language; and my profit on’t
of the evil witch Sycorax and a devil
Is, I know how to curse. The red plague12 rid you
For learning13 me your language! GLOSSARY

Prospero. Hag-seed, hence! 1. South-west : south-west wind that brings pestilential vapour.
Fetch us in fuel; and be quick, thou’rt best, 2. Pen : confine, stipple
To answer other business. Shrug’st thou, malice14? 3. Urchins : hobgoblins
If thou neglect’st or dost unwillingly 4. Vast : waste
What I command, I’ll rack thee with old15 cramps, 5. Qualities : resources
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6. Brine-pits : pits from which salt is obtained love for Prospero, Caliban had shown him where to find fresh
7. Light : descend water and land fertile enough to grow food. He regrets his former
show of kindness because he is now forced to stay imprisoned
8. Sty : confine
in a rock and engage in hard labor for Prospero. He curses himself
9. capable of : susceptible to for what he has done, calling upon the magic of Sycorax to
10. gabble : talk no sense bombard Prospero with toads, beetles, and bats.

11. race : hereditary nature Prospero is furious, calling him a “lying slave” who can only be
made to understand with harsh beatings rather than with kindness.
12. red plague : crysipelas
Prospero reminds Caliban of the care he has bestowed on him,
13. learning : teaching lodging him in his own cell until his attempted rape of Miranda,
14. malice : perniceous his own daughter. Showing no remorse, Caliban only wishes
Prospero would not have prevented him from populating the
15. old : intensive
island with Calibans.
16. vassal : servant
Miranda chastises Caliban for being capable of doing only evil.
17. whist : hushed When he was an ignorant savage, she took pity on him, teaching
18. foot it : chance him to speak her language. Though he was able to learn, it was
his “vild race” that made it impossible for good people to tolerate
19. fealthy : nimbly
his presence. Caliban rebukes Miranda, hoping the “red-plague”
20. burthen : refrain will destroy her as a retribution for teaching him language. His
only benefit has been that he now knows “how to curse.”
SUMMARY
Prospero warns Caliban not to neglect his duties, or he will be
With harsh and abusive language, Prospero rudely calls for given such severe cramps and aching bones that his cries of
Caliban, his slave. Caliban, in turn, curses his master and Miranda pain will frighten the beasts. In an aside, Caliban finally decides
for subjecting him to the hard labor of carrying logs. Prospero to obey, realizing the power of Prospero’s magic which would
threatens to punish Caliban for his show of disrespect by having control even his mother’s god, Setebos.
urchins or goblins in the form of hedgehogs trouble him all night ANALYSIS
long with their painful pinches. When Prospero summons Caliban from the rock where he is
Caliban retaliates further by declaring that the island really belongs imprisoned, he refers to him as earth. “What ho! slave! Caliban!/
to him since he has inherited it from his mother, Sycorax. Before Thou earth, thou! speak (Act I, Scene 2, l. 314). Just as Ariel
Prospero took it from him, Caliban was his own king, but now embodies the elements of air, water, and fire, which was reviewed
he has been relegated to the position of Prospero’s only subject elsewhere in the text, Caliban represents the element of earth.
on the island. Reminiscing about better days, Caliban remembers The spirituality of Ariel is seen in contrast to the earthiness of
the time when Prospero and Miranda had just arrived on the Caliban. He was the son of the witch, Sycorax, whose “earthy
island. Prospero treated him with kindness then, giving him food and abhorr’d commands” (Act I, Scene 2, l. 273) were too much
to eat and teaching him the names of the sun and moon. Out of to bear for Ariel, a delicate spirit.
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It is generally agreed by critics that the character of Caliban is
based on the primitive savage of the New World. For The
Tempest, Shakespeare used Montaigne’s essay “Of the
Canniballes” which examines the life of the cannibal inhabitants
of what would be present-day Brazil. Montaigne describes the
lives of the savages as uncorrupted and natural in contrast to
those of the corrupt and civilized Europeans. In the case of
Caliban, Shakespeare would have it the other way around. Caliban
is portrayed as a subhuman monster “got by the devil himself”
(Act I, Scene 2, l. 319). He has tried to violate the honor of
Prospero’s daughter, and although he has been taught their
language, all he has learned is “how to curse.”
In the “Riverside Shakespeare’s Names of the Actors” Caliban is
described as “a savage and deformed slave.” Caliban is an
anagram of “cannibal” which is a derivative of “Carib,” a savage
race of the West Indies or the New World. Caliban’s deformity
is described later in the play when he is first seen by Trinculo
who wonders what kind of monster he has run across on the
island. He is “legg’d like a man; and his fins like arms” (Act II,
Scene 2, ll. 33-34). Bewildered, Trinculo thinks he is some
“strange fish.” This is reminiscent of another reference to a fish-
like monster in Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida. It is what
Ajax is called when he mistakes the deformed and scurrilous
Thersites for Agamemnon, the general. “He’s (Ajax) grown a
very land-fish, languageless, a monster” (Act III, Scene 3, l.
263).
It was not uncommon to hear stories about deformed, fish-like
monsters inhabiting the territories of the New World in
Shakespeare’s day. Monsters too occupied a “position in the moral
scale, below man, just as the angels were above him…they are
the link between…the settled and the wild, the moral and the
unmoral” (cited by L. Edwards in “The Historical and Legendary
Background of the Wodehouse and Peacock Feast Motif in the
Walsokne and Braunche Brasses.” Monumental Brass Society
Transactions, VIII. Pt. vii, 300-11. This quotation raken from
Kermode’s “Introduction to the Arden Shakespeare, p XXXIX).
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Explorers were coming back from their travels with stories of
savage, beast-like creatures with no language, living in the forests
without the benefit of the civilizing influences. By the late
seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, even before the days
of Darwin, the issues of these savage races as the “missing link”
were being raised among the general public.
The tension between the two worlds of the play centers around
the issue of natural man versus civilized man. Caliban represents
nature without the benefit of nurture (Act IV, Scene 1, i. 188).
When Caliban attempts to violate Miranda’s honor, he cannot do
otherwise because he is a natural man without the benefit of
societal restraints. To Miranda, a civilized woman, Caliban is “a
thing most brutish” who is “capable of all ill.”
In this scene we are introduced to the subplot of the play which
is not immediately obvious. In subsequent scenes we will see
Caliban’s conspiracy to murder Prospero and repossess the island.
Caliban voices his rightful claim when he says, “This island’s
mine by Sycorax, my mother.” Ironically, Prospero usurped
Caliban’s position as king of the island just as Antonio usurped
his brother’s dukedom in Milan.
COMPREHENSION PASSAGES
Passage - 1
This island’s mine, by Sycorax my mother,
Which thou takest from me. When thou camest first,
Thou strok’dst me and madest much of me,wouldst give me
Water with berries in’t, and teach me how
To name the bigger light, and how the less,
That burn by day and night: and then I loved thee
And show’d thee all the qualities o’ the isle,
The fresh springs, brine-pits, barren place and fertile:
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Read the lines given above and answer questions that follow:
1. Who is the speaker ? How does he claim that the island is
his ?
Ans. Caliban is the Speaker in Shakespear’s play ‘The Tempest’.
Prospero calls him, and he feels irritated. He is eating his dinner
and does not like to be disturbed. He curses his master, Prospero.
Caliban tells Prospero that the island belong to him. It originally
belonged to Sycorax, the witch. From her mother, Caliban
inherited it.
2. Has this island passed on to someone else ?
Ans. Prospero came to island. With his power to command the spirits,
he took control of the island. Caliban became his slave.
3. Who came later and treated the speaker very well. How
well ?
Ans. Prospero came later while Caliban was the very native of the
island. Then Prospero treated him very well. He used to fondle
him. He showed a great deal of affection to Caliban. He used to
give him water with berries in it.
4. What was the speaker taught ?
Ans. Caliban was taught the name of the moon which shines during
the night and the name of the sun which shines during the day.
5. How did the speaker respond to the other person then ?
Ans. Caliban was pleased with Prospero. He responded by telling the
new-comer with all the secrets of the island. He showed Prospero
the springs of fresh water, the pits from where salt is obtained.
This is how Caliban then responded showing his love to Prospero.
6. Is the speaker sorry for something now ?
Ans. Caliban is now cursing himself for having served Prospero in
that manner. Now prospero is a master and Caliban is a mere
slave. He complains that he who was his own master earlier has
now become a subject to Prospero, the ruler of the island.
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Passage - 2
Prospero. Thou most lying slave,
Whom stripes may move, not kindness! I have us’d thee,
Filth as thou art, with human care, and lodged thee
In mine own cell, till thou didst seek to violate
The honour 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.
Read the lines given above and answer the questions that
follow:
1. Introduce the persons engaged in conversation. State the
context.
Ans. Prospero and Caliban are engaged in conversation in the play
‘The Tempest’written by William Shakespeare. Caliban complains
that he has been ill-treated by Prospero. He was the master of
the island but Prospero has turned him into a slave.
2. Who is most lying slave ? What lies has he told ?
Ans. Prospero refutes Caliban’s charge against him. He says that
Caliban is a downright liar. He does not deserve any kind of
treatment. In the past, he was initially given the best treatment
till he misbehaved. Now he is fit only to receive severe beating.
3. How has Prospero treated Caliban ?
Ans. Though Caliban was a worthless fellow, Prospero gave him all
his sympathy and love. He treated him with human kindness. He
allowed Caliban to share his own cell.
4. When did Prospero change his attitude towards Caliban ?
Ans. Prospero changed his attitude towards Caliban when Caliban tried
to violate the honour of his daughter, Miranda.
5. Is Caliban sorry for his wrong-doing ?
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Ans. Caliban admits that he tried to violate the honour of Miranda. But
he is not sorry for such an evil attempt. He boldly says that if he
had succeeded in his plan, he would have given many more
Calibans to the island.
Passage - 3
I pitied thee,
Took pains to make thee speak, taught thee each hour
One thing or other: when thou didst not, savage,
Know thine own meaning, but wouldst gabble10 like
A thing most brutish, I endow’d thy purposes
With words that made them known. But thy vile race11,
Though thou didst learn, had that in’t which good natures
Could not abide to be with; therefore wast thou
Deservedly confin’d into this rock,
Read the lines given above and answer the questions that
follow:
l. Who showed pity ? To whom ? Explain the context.
Ans. Prospero pitied Caliban in trying to educate him. Caliban now
grumbles that he is being ill-treated by Prospero by giving him
kicks and insults. But Prospero reminds Caliban what he had
tried to do to civilise him.
2. How does the speaker give a rebuke to the other fellow ?
Ans. Prospero now gives a rebuke to Caliban for his ingratitude. He
calls Caliban a hateful slave. He proved himself incapable of doing
anything good.
3. The speaker took pains to do something ? What was that ?
Ans. Caliban was a complete savage. He did not know how to express
himself. Prospero sympathised with him and taught him human
language. Prospero tried to teach Caliban something or the other
all the time.
4. ...”I endowed thy purpose with words...” How ? Explain.
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Ans. Caliban could not express even his needs and wants. He lacked
words to say anything. It was Prospero who taught him language.
He thus enabled Caliban to express his purpose in words.
5. Is the speaker sorry for having all that for the other
person ?
Ans. Prospero is not happy with Caliban. Inspite of all his efforts,
Prospero could not educate or civilise this beast. His essential
evil always took the upper hand. For this reason Caliban had to
be shut in a rock. He did not deserve freedom.
Passage - 4
I must eat my dinner.
This island’s mine, by Sycorax my mother,
Which thou takest from me. When thou camest first,
Thou strok’dst me and madest much of me, wouldst give me
Water with berries in’t, and teach me how
To name the bigger light, and how the less,
That burn by day and night: and then I loved thee
And show’d thee all the qualities o’ the isle,
The fresh springs, brine-pits, barren place and fertile:
Cursed be I that did so! All the charms
Of Sycorax, toads, beetles, bats, light on you!
For I am all the subjects that you have,
Which first was mine own king: and here you sty me
In this hard rock, whiles you do keep from me
The rest o’ the island.
Read the lines given above and answer the questions that
follow:
1. Who speaks these lines and to whom ?
Ans. These lines, taken from The Tempest, are spoken by Caliban to
Prospero.
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2. How did the person addressed treat the speaker in the
beginning and how did the speaker behave then ?
Ans. In the beginning Prospero used to fondle Caliban and show him
a great deal of affection. Prospero used to give Caliban water
with berries in it. Prospero also taught Caliban the names of the
sun and the moon. As for Caliban, he in those days loved Prospero.
He acquainted Prospero with all the aspects of this island. He
showed to Prospero the springs of fresh water and pits from
which salt could be obtained.
3. What is the speaker’s grievance ?
Ans. Caliban’s grievance is that he is no longer free to roam about the
island. Caliban is now almost a prisoner like a pig in a pig-sty.
4. Do you feel any sympathy for the speaker ? Give reasons
for your answer.
Ans. Caliban’s speech does excite a litle of our sympathy because we
do not yet know all the facts and we are yet ignorant of his true
character. Soon, however this sympathy will completely melt
away when we learn how Caliban tried to violet Prospero’s
daughter and when we learn the wholly evil nature of Caliban
who is half-monster and half-human.
Passage - 5
Abhorred slave,
Which any print of goodness wilt not take,
Being capable of all ill! I pitied thee,
Took pains to make thee speak, taught thee each hour
One thing or other: when thou didst not, savage,
Know thine own meaning, but wouldst gabble like
A thing most brutish, I endow’d thy purposes
With words that made them known. But thy vile race,
Though thou didst learn, had that in’t which good natures
Could not abide to be with; therefore wast thou
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Deservedly confin’d into this rock,
Who hadst deserved more than a prison.
Read the lines given above and answer the questions that
follow:
1. Who is the speaker of these lines and to whom ae the lines
addressed ?
Ans. These lines are spoken by Prospero to Caliban in the play, The
Tempest.
2. What did the speaker do for the character addressed here
and how did the latter behave ?
Ans. The speaker, Prospero took pity on Caliban. He tried to teach
Caliban to speak and kept teaching him something or the other
all the time. But Caliban being evil by nature, did not improve in
the moral sense. Caliban, therefore, became intolerable to the
good nature of Prospero.
3. Write in two or three sentences your generally impression
of the character addressed in this speech.
Ans. Caliban has inherited his wickedness from his mother who was
a witch. In spite of Prospero’s kindness towards him, Caliban
proved ungrateful to his master. He even tried to violate the honour
of Prospero’s daughter.
4. Give the meanings of the following words and phrases :
Abhorred slave ; gabble ; vile race ; abide.
Ans. Abhored slave—hateful servant. (Prospero uses these words for
Caliban. Gabble—talk meaninglessly. Vile race—inherited wicked
nature. Abide—tolerate.
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Act I, Scene II, lines 375-504 Hark! now I hear them,—Ding-dong, bell.
Ferdinand. The ditty5 does remember6 my drown’d father.
Hark, hark; This is no mortal business, nor no sound

[Burden, dispersedly, within, Bow, wow] That the earth owes7. I hear it now above me.
Prospero. The fringed curtains8 of thine eye advance9
The watch-dogs bark :
And say what thou see’st yond.
[Burden, dispersedly, within, Bow wow] Miranda. What is’t? a spirit?
Hark, hark! I hear Lord, how it looks about! Believe me, sir,

The strain of strutting chanticleer1 It carries a brave10 form. But ’tis a spirit.

Cry, Cock-a-diddle-dow. Prospero. No, wench; it eats and sleeps and hath such senses

Ferdinand. Where should this music be? i’ the air or the earth? As we have such. This gallant which thou see’st

It sounds no more:— and sure, it waits upon Was in the wreck; and, but he’s something11 stain’d

Some god o’ the island. Sitting on a bank, With grief that’s beauty’s canker12, thou mightst call him

Weeping again the king my father’s wreck, A goodly person: he hath lost his fellows13

This music crept by me upon the waters, And strays about to find ‘em.

Allaying both their fury and my passion2 Miranda. I might call him

With its sweet air3: thence I have follow’d it, A thing divine; for nothing natural14

Or it hath drawn me rather:— But ’tis gone. I ever saw so noble.

No, it begins again. Prospero. [Aside] It goes on, I see,

[ARIEL sings] As my soul prompts it. Spirit, fine spirit! I’ll free thee

Full fathom five thy father lies; Within two days for this.

Of his bones are coral made; Ferdinand. Most sure, the goddess

Those are pearls that were his eyes: On whom these airs attend! Vouchsafe my prayer

Nothing of him that doth fade May know if you remain upon this island;

But doth suffer a sea-change4 And that you will some good instruction give

Into something rich and strange. How I may bear me15 here: my prime request,

Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell Which I do last pronounce, is, O you wonder!

[Burthen within. Ding-dong] If you be maid or no?

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Miranda. No wonder16, sir; And your affection not gone forth22, I’ll make you
But certainly a maid. The queen of Naples.
Ferdinand. My language! heavens! Prospero. Soft23, sir! one word more.
I am the best of them that speak this speech, [Aside]
Were I but where ’tis spoken. They are both in either’s powers; but this swift business
Prospero. How? the best? I must uneasy make, least too light winning
What wert thou, if the King of Naples heard thee? Make the prize light.
17
Ferdinand. A single thing , as I am now, that wonders [To FERDINAND]
To hear thee speak of Naples. He does hear me; One word more; I charge thee
18
And that he does I weep: myself am Naples , That thou attend me: thou dost here usurp
Who with mine eyes, never since at ebb19, beheld The name thou ow’st not; and hast put thyself
The king my father wreck’d. Upon this island as a spy, to win it
Miranda. Alack, for mercy! From me, the lord on’t.
Ferdinand. Yes, faith, and all his lords; the Duke of Milan Ferdinand. No, as I’am a man.
And his brave son being twain. Miranda. There’s nothing ill can dwell in such a temple:
Prospero. [Aside]. The Duke of Milan If the ill spirit have so fair a house,
20
And his more braver daughter could control thee, Good things will strive to dwell with’t.
If now ‘twere fit to do’t. At the first sight Prospero. [To ferdinand] Follow me.
21
They have chang’d eyes . Delicate Ariel, Speak not you for him; he’s a traitor. Come;
I’ll set thee free for this. I’ll manacle24 thy neck and feet together:
[To FERDINAND] Sea-water shalt thou drink; thy food shall be
A word, good sir; The fresh-brook muscles25, wither’d roots and husks
I fear you have done yourself some wrong: a word. Wherein the acorn cradled26. Follow.
Miranda. Why speaks my father so ungently? This Ferdinand. No;
Is the third man that e’er I saw, the first I will resist such entertainment27 till
That e’er I sigh’d for: pity move my father Mine enemy has more power.
To be inclin’d my way! [Draws, and is charmed from moving]
Ferdinand. O, if a virgin, Miranda. O dear father,
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Make not too rash a trial of him, for The wreck of all my friends, nor this man’s threats,
He’s gentle and not fearful28. To whom I am subdu’d, are but light32 to me,
Prospero. What? I say, Might I but through my prison once a day
My foot my tutor? Put thy sword up, traitor; Behold this maid: all corners else o’ the earth
Who makest a show but darest not strike, thy conscience Let liberty33 make use of; space enough
Is so possess’d with guilt: come from thy ward29, Have I in such a prison.
For I can here disarm thee with this stick Prospero. [Aside] It works.
And make thy weapon drop. [To FERDINAND]
Miranda. Beseech you, father. Come on.
Prospero. Hence! hang not on my garments. Thou hast done well, fine Ariel!
Miranda. Sir, have pity; [To FERDINAND]
I’ll be his surety. Follow me.
Prospero. Silence! one word more [To ARIEL]
Shall make me chide thee, if not hate thee. What! Hark34 what thou else shalt do me.
An advocate for an imposter! hush! Miranda. Be of comfort;
Thou think’st there is no more such shapes as he, My father’s of a better nature, sir,
Having seen but him and Caliban: foolish wench! Than he appears by speech: this is unwonted35
To the most of men this is a Caliban Which now came from him.
And they to him are angels. Prospero. Thou shalt be free
Miranda. My affections As mountain winds: but then exactly do
Are then most humble; I have no ambition All points36 of my command.
To see a goodlier man. Ariel. To the syllable37.
Prospero. [To ferdinand] Come on; obey: Prospero. Come, follow. Speak not for him.
Thy nerves30 are in their infancy again [Exeunt]
And have no vigour in them. GLOSSARY
Ferdinand. So they are;
My spirits, as in a dream, are all bound up31. 1. Chanticleer : cock

My father’s loss, the weakness which I feel, 2. Passion : grief

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3. Air : music
4. Sea-change : change wrought by the sea
5. Ditty : song
6. Remember : recall
7. Owes : recall
8. Fringed curtains : eyelids
9. Advance : life up
10. Brave : comely
11. Something : somewhat
12. Canker : worm that feeds upon flowers
13. Fellows : companions
14. Natural : human
15. Bear me : conduct myself
16. Wonder : object of wonder
17. Single thing : one and identical person, solitary creature
18. Naples :King of Naples
19. Ebb : ceasing to flow
20. Control : contradict
21. Chang’d eyes : exchanged looks
22. Gone forth : engaged
23. Soft : patience
24. Manacle : shackle
25. Muscles : shell-fish
26. Cradled : was lodged
27. Entertainment : treatment
28. Fearful : formidable
29. Ward : posture of defence
30. Nerves : sinews
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31. Bound up : enchained
32. Light : of no account
33. Liberty : those who are free
32. Hark : listen to
33. Unwonted : unusual
34. points : particulars
35. To the Syllable : in every particular
CHARACTERS INTRODUCED IN ACT I
SCENE II (LINES 375 - 504)
Ferdinand: the son of Alonso, the King of Naples; the prince is
later betrothed to Miranda
SUMMARY
Ariel, invisible to all except Prospero, appears as a “nymph o’ th’
sea,” playing and singing as he leads Ferdinand, the king’s son,
onto the shore of the island. Addressing his invisible attendant
spirits, Ariel instructs them to hush the “wild waves” into silence
as they imitate the dance. He welcomes Ferdinand onto the island
of domestic habitation with its sounds of dogs and roosters in
the distance and the graces of music and harmony to soothe his
troubled spirit. The music seems like a supernatural presence to
Ferdinand who is unable to locate its source. Drawing him out
of the water, the song has had a soothing influence on him,
allaying both the fury of the tempest and his grief over his
drowned father.
For a while the music stops, but then it begins again. This time
in “Full Fadom Five thy Father Lies,” Ariel, still invisible, addresses
Ferdinand directly to confirm his fears that his father has drowned.
He is lying at the bottom of the sea where each part of his body,
otherwise doomed to decay, is being transformed into a rich sea
substance. Ferdinand is convinced that the music that honors
the memory of his drowned father must have some ethereal
quality.
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As Ferdinand appears on the island, Miranda perceives him as a
spirit, but Prospero informs her that he is human. He has survived
the tempest, but, although he has a pleasing appearance, he has
been misshapen with grief for his lost friends. Still not convinced,
Miranda feels he must be a divine being. When Ferdinand first
meets Miranda, he is sure she is the goddess who has been singing
the songs that led him to the shore. Ferdinand questions Miranda,
and she affirms that she is, indeed, human. Prospero promises
Ariel his freedom within two days for working his magic on the
young couple. Ferdinand then tells Prospero and Miranda that
his father, the King of Naples, and all his lords, including the
Duke of Milan and his son, disappeared during the storm at sea.
He thinks they have drowned since he personally saw their
perilous struggle in the raging storm.
In another aside Prospero again addresses Ariel, telling him how
pleased he is that, with the help of his magic, the young couple
has fallen in love at first sight. For this, Ariel will be rewarded.
All is going according to Prospero’s plan, but he decides to break
off the speedy development of their romantic love to prevent
Ferdinand from feeling that Miranda is too easily won. Carrying
out a devious plan, Prospero decides to accuse Ferdinand of
coming as a spy in order to snatch the lordship of the island
from him. Ferdinand denies the charge and Miranda defends
him. Prospero quickly censures her for standing up for a traitor.
Ferdinand draws his sword, but Prospero uses his magic to freeze
his movements. Miranda repeatedly pleads in Ferdinand’s behalf,
but her father silences her for being “an advocate for an imposter.”
He tells her it is because of her inexperience that she does not
realize there are many men better than Ferdinand. The young
prince resolves to endure, in spite of all that has happened to
him, if only once a day he will be allowed to see Miranda from
his prison. Leading Ferdinand away, Prospero addresses Ariel
with words of praise and further plans for still more work to be
done.
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ANALYSIS
The two songs, “Come unto These Yellow Sands” and “Full
Fadom Five thy Father Lies” are set in juxtaposition to enhance
their dramatic unity within the context of the play. Both songs
assist the dramatic action of the play by ushering Ferdinand onto
the shore of the island for the first time and by simultaneously
calming the tempest at sea and Ferdinand’s grief over his
supposedly drowned father.
The mesmerizing power of music in The Tempest is analogous
to that of the Orpheus myth in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Just as
“Orpheus sang; and drew wild beasts along,/And rocks and trees,
submissive to his song”(Book II, II. 1-2), Ariel’s singing and
playing leads Ferdinand onto the island. In both cases music has
the power to draw or lead its subjects, whether they be beasts or
humans, to a desired place. Shakespeare’s audiences were
familiar with the Orpheus myth and would have easily understood
the dramatic function of the music in this part of the play.
Ariel’s literal invitation to the dance, eventually leading Ferdinand
to Miranda, has symbolic overtones. He will take her hands and
together they will kiss “the wild waves whist” or, in other words,
still the tempest of the play which represents the hatreds and
political rivalries of the past. Their union will bring the opposing
sides together and, thereby, offer a peaceful solution to their
former conflicts. Symbolically, Ferdinand is being invited to the
dance of life which is the fulfillment of love, marriage, and fruition.
Aesthetically the songs function in the dramatic context as lyric
poems set apart, by the language, meter, and rhyme scheme,
from the blank verse of the rest of the poetic drama. The elements
of poetry are evident in the alliteration of “wild waves whist,
Foot it featly, sweet sprites, strain of strutting chanticleer,” and
in the onomatopoeic effects of “Bow-wow” and “Cock-a-diddle-
dow.” To the song’s sense of sound is added the cheerful color
of the “yellow sands” and the rhythm of the dance performed by
the spirits. “Burthen” indicates the bass to be sung by the spirits
but also dispersed by the barking of dogs coming from all corners
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of the island with chanticleer, the rooster, added to the sound
effects of the pastoral scene.
Ferdinand refers to the song as a “sweet air.” “Ayre” or “air”
was a word used for song in Shakespeare’s day, but the word
originated with the ancient Greeks. In their operas, the Italians
have substituted the word “aria” for “air” in reference to the
solos, but etymologically aria came from the word air.
In “Full Fadom Five thy Father Lies” Ariel’s song creates the
illusion that Ferdinand’s father has drowned. This illusory scene
is filled with spirits singing and dancing and Prospero’s magic
controlling the actions of many of the characters. Ferdinand would
have us believe it is “no mortal business.” Even Miranda engages
in the illusion when she sees Ferdinand’s “brave form” and thinks
he must be a spirit. As if in a trance, she hardly hears Prospero’s
explanation but goes on to say, “I might call him/A thing divine,
for nothing natural/ I ever saw so noble.” For Prospero, who
knows the truth, however, the illusory world he is creating with
his magic is merely practical reality. Commentators have observed
that Prospero has separated Ferdinand from his father on the
island so that he can bring Ferdinand and Miranda together, and,
thereby, accomplish his purpose which is to restore his dukedom
through the marriage of his daughter to Alonso’s son.
Further analysis of the aesthetically beautiful lyrics in “Full Fadom
Five thy Father Lies” reveals an imagery that substitutes coral
for bones and pearls for eyes, lending detachment and perspective
to Alonso’s supposedly recent death and, in this way, reducing
Ferdinand’s pain. The heavy alliteration of “Full Fadom Five thy
Father Lies” is not picked up again until the fifth line of the song
with “suffer a sea-change.” The image of Alonso’s sea-change,
with its beautiful pearl and coral, is symbolic of the change Alonso
goes through on the island and reflects the central theme of the
play which is repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Alonso’s
supposed loss of his son in the storm leads him to an
acknowledgement of his guilt. By the end of the play Alonso’s
suffering has changed him. He asks Prospero for forgiveness
and restores his dukedom.
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Some of the songs can still be sung just as they were written for
Shakespeare’s audiences. Robert Johnson’s setting of “Full Fadom
Five thy Father Lies,” and “Where the Bee Sucks,” appearing
later in the play, are both extant settings that were found in John
Wilson’s Cheerful Ayres published in 1660. The original music
for “Come Unto These Yellow Sands” has not survived but Long
has set it to the music of The Frog Galliard by John Dowland,
written in 1610. (Both songs can be found in Shakespeare’s Use
of Music by John H. Long. University of Florida Press, Gainesville,
1961.) It is believed that Robert Johnson wrote all the original
music for The Tempest which has more songs than any other
Shakespearean play.
COMPREHENSION PASSAGES
Passage - 1
Where should this music be? i’ the air or the earth?
It sounds no more:— and sure, it waits upon
Some god o’ the island. Sitting on a bank,
Weeping again the king my father’s wreck,
This music crept by me upon the waters,
Allaying both their fury and my passion
With its sweet air: thence I have follow’d it,
Or it hath drawn me rather:— But ’tis gone.
No, it begins again.
Read the lines given above and answer the questions that
follow:
1. Who is asking about the source of ‘this music’ ? What is
the situation ?
Ans. These lines are spoken by Ferdinand , the prince of Naples . He
is talking to himself after being separated from the royal party.
He believes that all members of the royal party who were with
him in the voyage, have been drowned. He alone has survived
the shipwreck. But he does not know the true facts.
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2. What is the speaker’s guess about the source of music?
Ans. Ferdinand has heard strange music. He does not know if this
music is coming from, the air or the earth. In a moment, it is not
heard any longer.
The prince is charmed by the sweetness of the strange music.
He finds something unearthly about it. He guesses that this music
is being played for some god of the island.
3. Where was the speaker sitting earlier ? What was he doing
there?
Ans. He was sitting earlier on a bank. He was weeping over the death
of his father, the king of Naples. He had the impression that he
had been killed in the shipwreck. So he was sorrowing over his
death.
4. What was the impact of the music ?
Ans. Suddenly, he heard that music which seemed to be floating over
the water past him. It was no ordinary music. It had its immediate
impact upon the forces of nature as well as upon the prince’s
mind. It decreased the fury of the storm and his grief. In short,
this music had soothing effect on the disturbed mind of the prince.
5. How has the speaker been drawn towards music ?
Ans. The prince has been drawn towards this music. He just could
not resist it. He followed the music to that place. But then this
music has once again ceased. Once again it has resumed. It is
being heard at short intervals.
Passage - 2
No, wench; it eats and sleeps and hath such senses
As we have such. This gallant which thou see’st
Was in the wreck; and, but he’s something stain’d
With grief that’s beauty’s canker, thou mightst call him
A goodly person: he hath lost his fellows
And strays about to find ‘em.
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Read the lines given above and answer the questions that
follow:
1. Who is addressed as ‘wench’ ? Who is the speaker ?
Ans. Miranda is addressed as ‘wench’ by her father in the play ‘The
Tempest’ written by William Shakespeare.
2. Explain the context.
Ans. Ariel has worked in a manner to bring prince Ferdinand in the
presence of Prospero and Miranda. He has made the prince follow
him by using his sweet airy music. Things have worked according
to plan. A meeting between prince Ferdinand and Miranda was to
be arranged by Prospero. Ariel has carried out the orders of his
master, Prospero perfectly.
3. Who is the person referred to as ‘gallant’ ? What is said
about him ?
Ans. Prospero is happy to see the handsome prince whom he calls
‘gallant’. He thinks that his daughter will also appreciate the hand-
some appearance of the youngman. Miranda, who has never
seen any other man than her own father, thinks that she is only
looking at a spirit.
4. Who is stained with grief ? What is the cause of his grief ?
Ans. Prospero tells his daughter that the youngman is not a spirit. He
eats and sleeps like other human beings. He does everything just
as they themselves do. Only he is a victim of a shipwreck. He is
a handsome youngman although grief, which tends to destroy
beauty, has to some extent marred his good looks. He has lost
his companions and is wandering about in search of them.
5. Is the cause of his grief real ? Who knows the truth ?
Ans. The cause of his grief is not real. He believes that his father has
been drowned. Their ship has been wrecked. His companions
have also lost their lives. But the reality is known to Prospero
and his servant, Ariel. Ariel has dispersed all passengers of the
wrecked ship, over the island. They are all safe. Even the ship is
intact. But this fact is known to none except the doer and his
master.
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Passage - 3
[Aside]
They are both in either’s powers; but this swift business
I must uneasy make, least too light winning
Make the prize light. — One word more; I charge thee
That thou attend me: thou dost here usurp
The name thou ow’st not; and hast put thyself
Upon this island as a spy, to win it
From me, the lord on’t.
Read the lines given above and answer the questions that
follow:
1. “They are both in either’s powers.” Who says this ? Who
are these two persons referred to ?
Ans. Prospero is the speaker in the play ‘The Tempest’ written by
William Shakespeare.
The two persons referred to are Ferdinand , the prince of Naples
and Miranda , Prospero’s daughter.
2. How are they in each other’s powers ? What has just
preceded?
Ans. Miranda sees Ferdinand and is charmed by his appearance. She
first mistakes him for a spirit. Then she is told that he is a
handsome youngman in distress. Ferdinand too is pleasantly
surprised to see a beautiful maid on that island where he has
been washed ashore. The two young persons fall in love with
each other at the first sight.
3. What, according to the speaker, is ‘swift business’ ?
Ans. Prospero’s own purpose is to make them fall in love with each
other. But he thinks that all this is happening rather too swiftly.
Each one is under the spell of the other. They have not passed
through a slow natural process of love. It has been a swift
business with them.
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4. What does he intend to do ? Why does he want to do it ?
Ans. Prospero decides that he must put some difficulties in the way
of the young lovers. Their love is developing too fast. Prosperao
wants to hinder the process for the time being. He knows that
what is lightly won is lightly prized. The young prince must win
his love by facing difficulties. Only then will he value his love.
5. Whom does the speaker call a ‘spy’ ? Is he really a spy?
Ans. Prospero turns to Ferdinand and speaks to him rather sternly. He
orders the youngman to obey him. He charges him that he is an
impostor to call himself the king of Naples. He is only a spy. He
has secretly come to the island to win it from its actual master.
Ferdinand is not a spy. This fact is known to Prospero. He knows
that the youngman is a prince. He also looks upon him as his
future son-in-law. But Prospero pretends to be angry. This
increases his own daughter’s anxiety for the safety and security
of her lover. Her sympathy for the youngman increases. Prospero
knows that sympathy is the first stage of love.
Passage - 4
Silence! one word more
Shall make me chide thee, if not hate thee. What!
An advocate for an imposter! hush!
Thou think’st there is no more such shapes as he,
Having seen but him and Caliban: foolish wench!
To the most of men this is a Caliban
And they to him are angels.
My affections
Are then most humble; I have no ambition
To see a goodlier man.
Read the lines given above and answer the questions that
follow:
l. Introduce the two persons engaged in conversation while
stating the context.
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Ans. Prospero and his daughter, Miranda are engaged in conversation
in Shakespeare’s play ‘The Tempest’.
Miranda has fallen in love with Ferdinand at the first sight.
Prospero wants to test Ferdinand’s sincerity in love. So he
threatens to treat him harshly. He will like to put Ferdinand in
fetters and treat him as a slave. Miranda requests her father not
to be harsh to the youngman. Prospero rebukes her for doing so.
2. Why does Prospero want to silence Miranda ?
Ans. Miranda appeals to her father to spare the young man. She wants
him to have pity on him. She is ready to stand surety for him.
But Prospero tells her not to plead the case of an impostor. He
warns her that he will be annoyed with her if she speaks any
more words in defence of Ferdinand.
3. How is she an advocate for an impostor ? Is she really so ?
Ans. Prospero says that Ferdinand is an impostor. He claims that he is
the king of Naples. In reality he is only a spy who has come
secretly to this island to win this from Prospero. Miranda is too
simple to judge the youngman.
Now Miranda pleads the youngman’s case. She says that such a
good-looking youngman cannot be wicked. Prospero himself
knows that his daughter is not advocating in favour of any
impostor.
4. Is she holding some incorrect view about someone ?
Ans. According to Prospero, Miranda has been charmed by the
handsome appearance of the youngman called Ferdinand. She is
mistaken in her opinion to think that Ferdinand is the handsomest
man in the world.
5. What is the basis of her error ?
Ans. Prospero argues that his daughter has just failed to assess the
youngman she has seen. He looks so handsome to her only
because she has seen no other human beings except Caliban.
Caliban is ugly, and so by comparison, Ferdinand is handsome.
But when Ferdinand is compared with other handsome youngmen
in the world, he will only look like Caliban.
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6. “I have no ambition to see a goodlier man”. Does Miranda
seem to take Prospero’s advice ?
Ans. Miranda speaks the language of a romantic lover. For her there
is no need to see any other youngman more handsome than
Ferdinand. She dismisses her father’s advice. No other person
can take Ferdinand’s place. Love is irreplaceable. Miranda is
humble in her ambition. It centres on one person only, and he is
Ferdinand.
Passage - 5
So they are;
My spirits, as in a dream, are all bound up.
My father’s loss, the weakness which I feel,
The wreck of all my friends, nor this man’s threats,
To whom I am subdu’d, are but light to me,
Might I but through my prison once a day
Behold this maid: all corners else o’ the earth
Let liberty make use of; space enough
Have I in such a prison.
Read the lines given above and answer the questions that
follow:
l. Explain the context and identify the speaker.
Ans. Miranda and Ferdinand have fallen in love with each other at
first sight. But Prospero has adopted a clever posture to test the
sincerity of Ferdinand’s love. He has decided not to let their love
succeed so swiftly. He wants this process of love to involve
some rigours. He pretends to treat Ferdinand harshly. He calls
him a spy, an impostor and threatens to take him a prisoner.
Ferdinand resists. But he finds himself impotent before Prospero
who disarms him easily. Then the youngman accepts defeat and
surrenders before a more powerful opponent.
2. What are the speaker’s difficulties and misfortunes ?
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Ans. Ferdinand here analyses his difficulties and misfortunes. The
loss of his father is one big misfortune. He is feeling physically
weak and helpless while opposing his enemy.
His companions have been lost or they too have been drowned in
the sea.
3. What prison is he referring to ?
Ans. He is referring to the prison where he is likely to be shut by
Prospero who has threatened to punish Ferdinand in this manner.
4. What relief does he want while in his prison ?
Ans. Ferdinand thinks that all his losses and sorrows will become
tolerable only if once a day he has the opportunity to look at the
beautiful young girl, Miranda. He just cannot do without wishing
to see the young woman he has fallen in love with. He will not
ask for freedom from the prison in that case.
5. Does anyone console him with words of sympathy ?
Ans. Words of sympathy at once come from Miranda. She assures
her lover that he need not fear her father. Ferdinand need not
lose his heart because Prospero is a kinder person than he appears
to be from his speech. Though he has spoken harsh words, he is
soft and syrnpathetic at heart.
ESSAY TYPE QUESTIONS OF ACT I
(NOT FOR EXAMINATION POINT OF VIEW)
1. Why is it significant that the play begins with a storm at
sea?
Ans. Shakespeare’s The Tempest is the story of Prospero, the Duke
of Milan whose position was usurped by his brother Antonio.
Living in exile on an isolated island with this daughter, Miranda,
Prospero utilizes the magical powers he has acquired for his and
Miranda’s benefit and to scheme against Antonio. Having taken
control of the island and all its inhabitants, including Caliban, a
monster born of the witch Sycorax, Prospero seeks revenge
against Antonio. Toward this end, he conjures a storm that delivers
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Antonio and his ally, King Alonso, to the island so that Prospero
can carry out his plans for his and Miranda’s redemption.
Shakespeare begins his play with a storm – Act I, Scene 1:
“On a ship at sea: a tempestuous noise of thunder and lightning
heard” – in which is caught Antonio’s ship. The crew struggles
mightily to control the vessel, but all is for naught as the ship is
doomed. The scene ends with Gonzalo praying for land:
“Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea for an acre of
barren ground, long heath, brown furze, any thing. The wills
above be done! But I would fain die a dry death.”
Scene II then opens with Prospero and Miranda discussing
the storm that the former has created through his sorcery. The
title The Tempest serves multiple purposes for Shakespeare. It
refers to the storms at sea the Prospero creates, and to the political
and emotional blows that the play’s characters rain down upon
each other. The play opens with a storm, however, because
Prospero’s ability to conjure up such “a tempest” is at the center
of his, and the play’s focus on the role of sorcery in the former
duke’s plans to regain his position and see to Miranda’s proper
future. The storm is necessary to Shakespeare’s plot, as it is
used to place Antonio, King Alonso, Gonzolo, and the other
characters on Prospero’s island. The storm’s meaning becomes
clearer as the story progresses, but as a plot devise to place all
the characters in a central location, it serves its purpose well.
2. Why does Miranda have such immediate empathy for the
men in the ship? Since we learn that she has lived on a
deserted island with her father since childhood, where would
she have learned these ideas of pity and mercy?
Ans. Miranda is a very open and loving person. She seems to be
caring and empathetic toward everyone immediately. She also
has not met many people, and as soon as she meets people she is
very excited. She is thrilled when she first sees Ferdinand. She
is also very excited to see all of the other men when she sees
them in person.
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When Miranda learns of the storm, she feels sad. There has
been a wild storm, which was caused by Ariel and her father.
This is an island with a lot of magic users. Miranda is used to
that. Miranda feels sorry for the ships' occupants and what they
might be going through, because Miranda never wants to see
anyone suffering. She asks her father to stop the storm.
MIRANDA
If by your art, my dearest father, you have
Put the wild waters in this roar, allay them.
... O, I have suffered
With those that I saw suffer: a brave vessel,
Who had, no doubt, some noble creature in her,
Dash'd all to pieces. (Act 1, Scene 2)
Miranda cares about people, possibly because she has no
one around. She has had few examples of people. Her father is
a very interesting person, himself a mixture of compassion and
revenge. Caliban is also a mix of contradictions. At first he and
Miranda got along. She taught him language and other cultural
elements, but then he tried to take advantage of her and now
they hate each other.
When Miranda first sees Ferdinand, she doesn’t believe he
is real. She is entranced by his beauty.
MIRANDA
What is't? a spirit?
Lord, how it looks about! Believe me, sir,
It carries a brave form. But 'tis a spirit. (Act 1, Scene 2)
She falls in love with Ferdinand really fast, because she is of
the right age to fall in love and her prospects on a deserted island
are pretty low. She seems to think he is quite attractive. He is
noble, after all, at least he would be if his father remained king.
When the other people come to the island, Miranda utters
her famous line, demonstrating how enthralled she is with all of
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the men she is seeing (though she has no idea of the role most of
the them have played in tormenting her father).
MIRANDA
O, wonder!
How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,
That has such people in't! (Act 5, Scene 1)
Miranda just knows that these people have been shipwrecked
and here they are. At least, we can assume that this is what she
knows. Ferdinand must have told her something by now.
Miranda has a big heart and a sweet nature. She takes a childlike
joy in people and experiences, and wants to see the best in others.
3. Why do the books of Prospero have importance in his life
in The Tempest?
Ans. Prospero tells Miranda that when he was expelled from his
kingdom, Gonzalo made sure that he was provided with clothes
and food, and also gave him his books.
Knowing I loved my books, he furnish'd me
From mine own library with volumes that
I prize above my dukedom. (Act 1, Scene 2)
The books are what give Prospero his magic. He is a wizard
of sorts. In addition to communing with magical creatures like
Ariel, Prospero conjures up the gods Iris, Juno, and Ceres to
entertain his daughter and Ferdinand at their wedding.
Caliban says that Prospero is powerless without his books.
Remember
First to possess his books; for without them
He's but a sot, as I am, nor hath not
One spirit to command: they all do hate him
As rootedly as I. Burn but his books. (Act 3, Scene 2)
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Prospero is intent on revenge at first. He causes the shipwreck
and then has Ariel trap them in an enchantment. She calls them
“men of sin,” referring to Antonio, Alonso, and Sebastian. They
conspired to have Prospero ousted from his kingdom. Propsero
has a hard time forgiving his brother Antonio especially.
However, Prospero decides not to take revenge against them.
Ferdinand and Miranda are happy. Prospero has been on the
island long enough, and now has a chance to get off. He decides
to throw away his books and take back his kingdom.
But this rough magic
I here abjure, and, when I have required
Some heavenly music, which even now I do,
To work mine end upon their senses that
This airy charm is for, I'll break my staff,
Bury it certain fathoms in the earth,
And deeper than did ever plummet sound
I'll drown my book. (Act 5, Scene 1)
While magic means a lot to Prospero, family means more.
He loves his daughter. He is thrilled with the chance to return to
his kingdom. Prospero decides that he has spent enough years
in bitterness, and forgiveness is the way forward.
4. What does it mean that Prospero has to take off his robe,
his “magic garment,” before he can tell Miranda about her
history?
Ans. The "magic garment" is, for Prospero, much like the vestments
of a priest, or the formal suit of a lawyer. While dressed for
working, he's dressed to do -work-, not pass idle chit-chat. Would
you expect a bishop in full robes to sit down to a quiet afternoon
tea, hat and all?
In many magical systems, it is also fairly common to find
that a magician in his magic-working attire labors under certain
restrictions and dangers. It is possible that, while wearing his
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"magic gear" he could accidentally set forces in motion without
meaning to, so removing the garment is a safety issue.
Likewise, it may be impossible for Prospero to create
powerful spells without that magic garment. Whether the effect
is psychological or simply a limitation of his powers, the fact
that he removes it before talking to Miranda points up to the
audience that he -has- such a garment, and that it may play an
important role later in the play.
5. What crimes does Antonio, Prospero’s brother, commit?
What motivates him?
Ans. Prospero’s brother Antonio conspired with Alonso to steal his
position from him.
Prospero is a wizard or magic-user who is stranded on a
deserted island with his daughter, Miranda. He used to be a
duke, but his brother Antonio conspired against him with the
king, Alonso, and shut him out. He pretty much then forced
Prospero and Miranda onto a tiny boat and pushed them out to
sea. Prospero’s friend Gonzalo took pity on him, helping him by
bringing him food and his magic books so he would survive the
journey. He did.
When Prospero creates a storm and Miranda begs him to
stop, Prospero reminds her of all of this. It is not something he
has ever forgotten.
PROSPERO
My brother and thy uncle, call'd Antonio--
I pray thee, mark me--that a brother should
Be so perfidious!--he whom next thyself
Of all the world I loved and to him put
The manage of my state … (Act 1, Scene 2)
Indeed, Prospero has his opportunity for revenge. Alonso,
Antonio, and Alonso’s son Ferdinand are shipwrecked in
Prospero’s storm. He uses his magical servant Ariel to mess
with them.
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Propero’s dukedom had been usurped by his own brother,
Antonio, whom he had entrusted to manage the affairs of
government while he was concentrating on his study of the liberal
arts. With the support of Alonso, the King of Naples, Antonio
conspired against his brother to become the new Duke of Milan.
Prospero and his three-year-old daughter were put on “a rotten
carcass of a butt” without a sail.
6. In Prospero’s questioning of Ariel, we learn that the storm
is part of Prospero’s design. Does he want to punish the
conspirators or lead them to repentance?
Ans. Ariel’s message as the harpy reminds the men of their part in
taking Prospero’s kingdom from him.
Ariel keeps the men in place during his speech through magic,
so the literal answer is that Ariel and Prospero have been keeping
Alonso, Antonio, and the others under a spell since they landed
on the island. However, the message is also designed to prey on
their guilt. If they are good men at all, they will feel remorse for
what they have done. They had no idea that Prospero was on
the island, or even that he was still alive. When they find out, it
has a great effect on them.
Alonso and Antonio are most at fault because they conspired
to take Prospero’s kingdom from him and set him adrift in a
broken down boat with nothing but his baby daughter. Gonzalo
secretly assisted Prospero, so he is considered a friend and a
good person. It is clear from the conversation that Sebastian
and Antonio have that they are not good men. Always scheming,
they are ready to kill Alonso to take his place as king.
Prospero sees the presence of his greatest enemies all in one
place on his island as a grand opportunity for revenge. Ariel
comes to the men in the guise of a harpy, a mythological bird
woman, and tells them they are “men of sin.” He is actually
referring to Alonso, Antonio, and Sebastian only.
Lingering perdition, worse than any death
Can be at once, shall step by step attend
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You and your ways; whose wraths to guard you from--
Which here, in this most desolate isle, else falls
Upon your heads--is nothing but heart-sorrow
And a clear life ensuing. (Act 3, Scene 3)
After the visit from the harpy, which had the men entranced,
Prospero is not done with them. He tells Ariel that they will
remain under his control until he can deal with them properly.
My high charms work
And these mine enemies are all knit up
In their distractions; they now are in my power;
And in these fits I leave them … (Act 3, Scene 3)
Interestingly enough, Prospero has become somewhat of a
changed man too. He wanted to draw Ferdinand in to fall in love
with his daughter, and the match was a successful one. Prospero
is happy for them. It is not just a ploy to get back at his enemies.
He decides to put down his book of magic and reclaim his throne,
but without seeking any further revenge against the men who
took it from him in the first place.
In an unusual moment of forgiveness, Prospero brings the
men to him and tells them that he is still alive, but he does not kill
them or perform some other kind of magical punishment on
them. He turns the occasion into a happy one, bringing the rest
of the crew together and showing Alonso his son. Even betrayed
by his brother and isolated in years of frustration and anger,
Prospero is able to forgive.
Prospero’s want to repentance the conspirators.
7. How does Prospero threatens Ariel in Act 1 Scene 2 of The
Tempest?
Ans. Prospero actually bullies and threatens Ariel. He reminds him of
how Sycorax kept him imprisoned, forcing Ariel to thank Prospero
for the act of releasing him, but then Prospero goes on to threaten
Ariel with precisely the same kind of imprisonment if he is
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disobedient and refuses to do what Prospero orders. Note the
threat from Act I scene 2 where Prospero does this:
If thou more murmur'st, I will rend an oak,
And peg thee in his knotty entrails till
Thou hast howled away twelve winters.
This threat is successful (and shocking) because it is precisely
the way that Sycorax imprisoned Ariel. The relationship between
Prospero and Ariel is one that is of particular interest in this
masterful play, as Prospero can be viewed as being far from the
benevolent ruler he sometimes tries to be taken for. He can be
viewed as exploiting Ariel most cruelly for his own purposes.
8. Prospero calls Caliban “a born devil, on whose nature/
Nurture can never stick.” Discuss the themes of nature
and nurture in The Tempest.
Ans. To answer this question, you should focus on Caliban and
Miranda. The theme of “nurture” refers to education; that of
“nature” describes a person’s general makeup. Miranda has a
high nature- a noble temperament, a sense of morality, and ample
self-control. She benefits from her education; Prospero’s
teachings make her a better person, and she becomes a fine
young woman. Caliban, however, has a low nature that can’t be
educated. He has so little self-control that he tries to rape Miranda,
and he so lacks any moral sense that instead of regretting his
crime, he cries, “Would’t had been done!”
Caliban, however, does exit on a positive note. His final
speech- “I’ll be wise hereafter,/And seek for grace”- suggests
that even if he has the nature of a born slave, he may have learned,
at least temporarily, to accept his low degree. In this he contrasts
with the unrepentant Antonio and Sebastian, who can’t excuse
their villainy by claiming low natures.
9. What is the nature of Prospero and Miranda’s relationship?
Discuss moments where Miranda seems to be entirely
dependent on her father and moments where she seems
independent. How does Miranda’s character change over
the course of the play?
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Ans. At first, Miranda seems very young. When Prospero tells her of
his exile from Italy, it is her passionate but also restless youth
that the reader sees in her exclamations of concern (“O the
heavens!” I.ii.116; “Alack, for pity!” I.ii.132). In this scene the
reader sees a relationship that is tender but also astonishingly
one-sided. Prospero has lived alone with his daughter for twelve
years and not told her why they live alone on the island. After he
has told her, he charms her to sleep so that he can set about the
new plan of getting her a husband, which he has not discussed
with her. When that future husband, Ferdinand, arrives, Prospero
continues to dominate her by directing her gaze toward Ferdinand,
but then quickly steps between the two. When Miranda begs
him to have mercy upon Ferdinand, Prospero is strikingly harsh.
Prospero’s love for Miranda is most evident in his willingness
to remain quiet while Miranda talks to Ferdinand in Act III, scene
I. Though Prospero enters, unseen, at the same time as Miranda
in this scene, he does not say a word until she and Ferdinand
have left the stage. During that time, Miranda remembers that
her father has given her “precepts” (III.i.58) against talking with
Ferdinand—and then breaks them by trusting her desires and
proposing marriage to him (III.i.77–86). By the end of the scene,
Miranda seems almost to have forgotten her father entirely, and
she seems much older, in control of her destiny. By leaving her
alone for perhaps the first time, Prospero has allowed Miranda
to leave behind her childhood. The transition is not complete,
however, and may not become complete, even by the end of the
play. In Act IV, scene i, Miranda speaks only two and a half
lines, standing completely silent while her father and Ferdinand
discuss the details of her marriage. And while Miranda speaks
first, and forthrightly, when she appears in Act V, scene i, she
appears only after being revealed behind a curtain by her father.
Her final lines, “O brave new world / That has such people in’t”
(V.i.186–187) while gloriously hopeful, are also painfully ironic.
The isolation her life has forced upon her has made her mistake
for “brave” a cast of characters that the audience knows only
too well to be deeply flawed.
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10. In The Tempest, why is Gonzalo certain that the ship will
not sink?
Ans. The Tempest opens aboard a ship in the midst of a terrible storm.
Shakespeare must have enjoyed simulating a storm at sea on his
stage. It makes a great attention-grabber. The stage directions
read:
On a ship at sea. A tempestuous noise of
thunder and lightning heard.
The characters would all be shouting at each other as if to
make themselves heard above the thunder, wind, and crashing
waves, some of which would be provided by sound effects
offstage. We later learn that the storm was aroused by Prospero,
who has powers of sorcery.
Gonzalo is an elderly counselor to the King of Naples, who
is also aboard the ship. Gonzalo persists in annoying the
Boatswain, who is trying desperately to save the ship by issuing
orders to the sailors. The Boatswain has a natural contempt for
landsmen, or landlubbers, anyway; but he is particularly annoyed
at having to cope with them at this critical time. Gonzalo, for his
part, feels free to ask anything he likes because he is of a far
higher social status and actually represents Alonso, the King of
Naples. It is a funny situation because the storm changes the
relations between the working men and the noblemen aboard.
The Boatswain and his men fear for their lives, and this puts
them temporarily on an equal footing with the noblemen whose
lives are in equal danger. The equality of the risk of losing their
lives makes all men equal while the storm lasts. When Gonzalo
tells the Boatswain to remember whom he has aboard, the
Boatswain replies with the great line:
None that I more love than myself.
When Alonso, Sebastian, Antonio, Ferdinand, Gonzalo, and
other passengers appear, they have evidently been cowering below
decks and have all come up together to see what is happening.
They may be very important men on land, but the Boatswain
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feels contempt and annoyance. The Boatswain speaks very rudely
to all these gentlemen. He and Gonzalo take an immediate dislike
to each other because Gonzalo insists that the Boatswain should
treat his superiors with proper deference even in these perilous
conditions.
There is a strong contrast between these two characters.
The rough, plainspoken Boatswain makes Gonzalo seem more
of a genteel aristocrat, while Gonzalo makes the Boatswain seem
more like an uneducated workman who knows his occupation
thoroughly and despises men who can do nothing but talk and
display their fine clothes and fine manners. The audience will
sympathize with the Boatswain and enjoy hearing him insult the
passengers, and especially Gonzalo, who is the biggest nuisance
of the bunch. The Boatswain exits to tend to serious matters
after telling Gonzalo:
Out of our way, I say!
This is where Gonzalo declares he is sure that the ship will
not sink. He says to himself:
I have great comfort from this fellow. Methinks he hath
no drowning mark upon him; his complexion is perfect
gallows. Stand fast, good Fate, to his hanging. Make
the rope of his destiny our cable, for our own doth little
advantage. If he be not born to be hanged, our case is
miserable.
In other words, if the Boatswain is born to be hanged, as
Gonzalo prognosticates, then the Boatswain cannot be drowned
in this storm. And if the Boatswain survives in order to be hanged
later on, that means that everybody else will survive with him.
Later Gonzalo repeats his presentiment:
I'll warrant him for drowning, though the ship
were no stronger than a nutshell and as leaky as an
unstanched wench.
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By "warrant him for drowning," Gonzalo means he will

guarantee that he will not drown because he has the hanging
look in his features. Some people used to believe that men could
have a hanged-man's look about them while they were still alive.
The French use the word pendard, which originally meant a man
who had been hanged. They may call a living man a pendard
because he looks as if he is bound to be hanged sooner or later.
There may be no validity to this bit of physiognomy, but there
certainly are more than a few men who look as if they are destined
to do something that will result in their being hanged.

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