The Tempest scene summaries:
Act 1, scene 1
The Tempest opens in the midst of a fierce storm. The location is a ship at sea, with a royal party on board. As
the sailors fight to save the ship, several of the royal passengers enter, and Alonso, the king, demands to know
where the master (captain) is to be found. The boatswain, worried that the passengers will interfere, orders
them to go below deck. The king's councillor, Gonzalo, reminds the boatswain that he is speaking to the king,
but the boatswain points out that if the king really has so much power, he should use it to quell the storm. If he
lacks this power, the royal party should go below decks, as the boatswain orders. The royal party exits,
presumably to go below deck to seek shelter.
Within moments, however, Antonio, Sebastian, and Gonzalo have returned topside again, much to the
boatswain's annoyance. With Sebastian and Antonio cursing him, the boatswain continues in his efforts to save
the ship. Soon, however, the sailors enter with laments that the ship is lost. Fearing that they will all soon die,
Antonio, Sebastian, and Gonzalo elect to join the rest of the royal party below decks, where they will pray for
their survival.
"I would fain die a dry death."
"Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea for an acre of barren ground."
Act 1, scene 2
Scene 2 opens on the island, with Prospero and Miranda watching the ship as it is tossed by the storm. Miranda
knows that her father is creating the storm, and she begs him to end the ship's torment and her own, since she
suffers as she watches the ship's inhabitants suffer. Prospero reassures his daughter that his actions have been
to protect her. He also tells Miranda that she is ignorant of her heritage; he then explains the story of her birth
right and of their lives before they came to be on the island.
Prospero begins his story with the news that he is the duke of Milan and Miranda is a princess. He also relates
that he had abdicated day-to-day rule of his kingdom to his brother, Antonio. Prospero admits that books held
more attraction than duties, and he willingly allowed his brother the opportunity to grasp control. But Antonio
used his position to undermine Prospero and to plot against him. Prospero's trust in his brother proved unwise,
when Antonio formed an alliance with the king of Naples to oust Prospero and seize his heritage. Prospero and
his daughter were placed in a small, rickety boat and put out to sea. A sympathetic Neapolitan, Gonzalo,
provided them with rich garments, linens, and other necessities. Gonzalo also provided Prospero with books
from his library. Eventually, Prospero and Miranda arrived on the island, where they have remained since that
time.
When he finishes the tale, Prospero uses his magic to put Miranda to sleep. The sprite, Ariel, appears as soon as
Miranda is sleeping and reports on the storm, the ship, and the passengers. Ariel relates everyone, except the
crew, was forced to abandon ship. Ariel tells Prospero that the passengers have been separated into smaller
groups and are on different parts of the island; that the ship, with its sleeping crew, is safely hidden in the
harbour; and that the remainder of the fleet, thinking that the king is drowned, has sailed home. Ariel then asks
that Prospero free him, as had been promised. But Prospero has more need of his sprite and declares that
Ariel's freedom must be delayed a few more days.
When Ariel leaves, Prospero awakens Miranda and beckons Caliban, the son of the witch, Sycorax. Caliban has
been Prospero's slave, but he is insolent and rebellious and is only controlled through the use of magic. Caliban
claims the island as his own and says that Prospero has tricked him in the past. Prospero is unmoved, claiming
that Caliban is corrupt, having tried to rape Miranda. Prospero threatens and cajoles Caliban's obedience, but
Caliban's presence makes Miranda uneasy.
After Caliban leaves, Ariel enters with Ferdinand, who sees Miranda, and the two fall instantly in love. Although
this is what Prospero intended to have happen, he does not want it to appear too easy for Ferdinand, and so he
accuses Ferdinand of being a spy. When Prospero uses magic to control Ferdinand, Miranda begs him to stop.
, "My library Was dukedom large enough."
'Tis a villain, sir, I do not love to look on”
“But as 'tis, ... He does make our fire, Fetch in our wood, and serves in offices That profit us.-What ho! Slave!
Caliban!”
“I have suffered With those that I saw suffer” – Miranda
“Good wombs have borne bad sons”
“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”
Prospero, in Act 1, describes Antonio repeatedly as “false” and says that he has an “evil nature”, highlighting
this conflict and division between the brothers
Act 2, scene 1
This scene opens with all the passengers from the ship, except for Ferdinand, gathered on stage. Gonzalo begins
with a speech celebrating their survival of the storm and their relative safety on the island, but King Alonso
cannot be cheered because he is sure that his missing son, Ferdinand, has drowned. In the meantime, Antonio
and Sebastian whisper among themselves and belittle both Alonso's grief and Gonzalo's cheer.
When Antonio and Sebastian join the general conversation around the king, they make no attempt to soothe
him. Instead, they tell Alonso that he should not have permitted his daughter to marry the African. Sebastian
tells Alonso that, had he not permitted the marriage, the royal party would not have been at sea and, thus, never
in the storm. In short, Ferdinand would still be alive if Alonso had acted properly. These are harsh words to the
grieving father, and Gonzalo gently chastises Sebastian for his insensitivity.
Ariel now enters, unseen by the group on stage, and puts all of them to sleep, except for Sebastian and Antonio.
Left awake, Antonio and Sebastian devise a plot in which Sebastian will seize his brother's crown, much as
Antonio had years earlier seized his brother's title and property. Although Sebastian has some concerns of
conscience, Antonio dismisses such worries and urges action while everyone is asleep. Sebastian needs little
convincing, and with Antonio, the two draw their swords and advance on the sleeping king and his party.
At this moment, Ariel takes action. He awakens Gonzalo in time to prevent the murders. Antonio and Sebastian
quickly concoct a story to explain their drawn swords, warning of great noise, as if from bulls or lions. Alonso is
easily convinced of his brother's sincerity, and the scene ends with the royal party leaving the stage in search of
Ferdinand.
Act 2, scene 2
The scene opens with Caliban cursing Prospero. When he hears someone approach, Caliban assumes it is one of
Prospero's spirits, coming to torture him once again. Caliban falls to the ground and pulls his cloak over his
body, leaving only his feet protruding. But instead of Prospero, the king's jester, Trinculo, enters. Trinculo is
looking for shelter from the coming storm when he sees Caliban. With his body partially covered with the cloak,
Caliban appears to be half man and half fish, or at least that is Trinculo's initial impression. Trinculo
immediately sees the possibilities that this find presents. He can take this "monster" back to civilization and
display it, charging admission to spectators who want to view this aberration of nature. Yet after touching
Caliban, Trinculo decides that his "find" is not half man-half fish, but an islander. With the coming storm,
Trinculo decides to seek shelter under Caliban's cloak.
The king's butler, Stefano, enters, clearly drunk. Stefano stops at the sight of the object on the ground, covered
with a cloak and with four legs sticking out. Like Trinculo, Stefano immediately sees the financial possibilities
that such a creature offers back home. But all of Stefano's poking has alarmed Caliban, who thinks that he is
about to experience a new form of torture, beyond what Prospero has provided.
