The Tempest - William Shakespeare
Characters:
• Prospero (Protagonist): Magician, he was the Duke of Milan
• Miranda: Prospero's daughter (approximately 15 years old)
• Ariel: Sprite on the island
• Caliban: Creature on the island born of sycorax
• Alonso: King of Naples
• Ferdinand: Prince of Naples (Alonso's son)
• Antonio: Prospero's brother
• Sebastian: Alonso's younger brother
• Gonzalo: Noble neapolitan, ensured that Prospero and Miranda had provisions and books to survive when
exiled from Milan.
• Trinculo (Jester) & Stefano (Butler): Servants of King Alonso
General Info:
• Shakepeare's last play (1610-1611)
• Genre: Romance/Comedy
• Setting: Island, remote & other-worldly
• Elements of fantasy (music, spirits, magic)
• Tales of loss and reconciliation
• Bonds of friendship & family violated by circumstance
• servitude: Caliban and Ariel
• Motif: The sea & supernatural
• Comic Conventions: banishment of the island, love at first sight, characters in disguise, word play
, Summary of the play:
A storm strikes a ship carrying Alonso, Ferdinand, Sebastian, Antonio, Gonzalo, Stephano, and Trinculo, who are
on their way to Italy after coming from the wedding of Alonso’s daughter, Claribel, to the prince of Tunis in
Africa. The royal party and the other mariners, with the exception of the unflappable Boatswain, begin to fear
for their lives. Lightning cracks, and the mariners cry that the ship has been hit. Everyone prepares to sink.
The next scene begins much more quietly. Miranda and Prospero stand on the shore of their island, looking out
to sea at the recent shipwreck. Miranda asks her father to do anything he can to help the poor souls in the ship.
Prospero assures her that everything is all right and then informs her that it is time she learned more about
herself and her past. He reveals to her that he orchestrated the shipwreck and tells her the lengthy story of her
past, a story he has often started to tell her before but never finished. The story goes that Prospero was the Duke
of Milan until his brother Antonio, conspiring with Alonso, the King of Naples, usurped his position. Kidnapped
and left to die on a raft at sea, Prospero and his daughter survive because Gonzalo leaves them supplies and
Prospero’s books, which are the source of his magic and power. Prospero and his daughter arrived on the island
where they remain now and have been for twelve years. Only now, Prospero says, has Fortune at last sent his
enemies his way, and he has raised the tempest in order to make things right with them once and for all.
After telling this story, Prospero charms Miranda to sleep and then calls forth his familiar spirit Ariel, his chief
magical agent. Prospero and Ariel’s discussion reveals that Ariel brought the tempest upon the ship and set fire
to the mast. He then made sure that everyone got safely to the island, though they are now separated from each
other into small groups. Ariel, who is a captive servant to Prospero, reminds his master that he has promised
Ariel freedom a year early if he performs tasks such as these without complaint. Prospero chastises Ariel for
protesting and reminds him of the horrible fate from which he was rescued. Before Prospero came to the island,
a witch named Sycorax imprisoned Ariel in a tree. Sycorax died, leaving Ariel trapped until Prospero arrived and
