Summary Shakespeare's The Tempest, ISBN: 9781628940268 English Home Language
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Course
English Home Language
Institution
12
Book
Shakespeare\'s The Tempest
These notes summarize and analyze each act and scene of the play, 'The Tempest' written by William Shakespeare. These notes are in modern English and are easy to understand and grasp at Matric level - a perfect choice when studying for Prelims/ Trials and Final exams.
, KEY FACTS
Full title – The Tempest
Author – William Shakespeare
Type of work - Play
Genre - Romance
Language - English England, between 1610 - 1611
Composed –
Published - 1623
Tone – Playful, Magical, threatening, hopeful, mischievous, chaotic.
Setting – A remote and mysterious island.
Protagonist - Prospero
Antagonists – Caliban, Antionio, Sebastian, Stephano, Trinculo.
Conflict – Prospero is seeking revenge on the men who betrayed him12 years before. He orchestrates a
storm to have them shipwrecked on the island. Caliban wants his freedom from Prospero, and he encourages
Stephano and Trinculo to help him murder Prospero.
Rising Action - Miranda and Ferdinand meet and fall in love. Prospero tests their relationship and feelings
by obstructing their romance. Antionio and Sebastian plot to kill King Alonso and Gonzalo as they sleep. Ariel
wakes them just in time. Caliban meets Trinculo and Stephano and decides to worship them as gods.
Climax – Miranda and Ferdinand decide to marry. Caliban persuades Stephano to kill Prospero in his sleep
and take Miranda as his bride. Prospero arranges a phantom banquet for Alonso, Antonio, and Sebastian.
Ariel, disguised as a harpy, admonishes them for what they did to Prospero and the banquet vanishes.
Falling Action – Prospero consents to the marriage of Ferdinand and Miranda and delights the lovers with
a vision from the goddesses. Prospero forgives Alonso, Antonio, and Sebastian. Prospero’s dukedom is
restored to him and the group plans to leave the island so that Miranda and Ferdinand can get married in
Naples and Prospero can return to Milan.
Foreshadowing
- The Boatswain’s disregard for the King in the opening scene foreshadows the disruption of normal social
hierarchies that take place on the island.
- Prospero’s recounting of the events that preceded his arrival on the island foreshadows how quickly the
fortunes of the characters change.
- Miranda’s wish to meet Gonzalo foreshadows the reunion to follow.
- The individual reactions of Alonso, Antonio and Sebastian to Ariel’s condemnation and the loss of the
banquet foreshadows their individual responses to Prospero’s attempts at forgiveness and reconciliation.
- Prospero’s admission that his obsession with studying magic cost him his dukedom foreshadows his
decision to renounce magic and be restored as the Duke of Milan.
- His decision is also considered as foreshadowing Shakespeare’s own retirement from theatre.
Themes and Motifs
, - Voyages of discovery
- The myth of the noble savage.
- Europe and its ‘others’.
- Land, language, and liberty.
- Masters and slaves.
- Rulers and subjects.
- Parents and children.
- Brothers.
- Creation, creativity, and divinity.
- Magic and meta-theatre.
- Music.
- Colonialism
Symbols
- Ships and islands.
- The staff and book.
- Goddesses.
- The globe.
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