English
The Tempest Book Notes
Character List:
1. Prospero
2. Miranda
3. Ariel
4. Caliban
5. Ferdinand
6. Alonso
7. Antonio
8. Sebastian
9. Gonzalo
10. Boatswain
11. Stephano & Trinculo
,Important Things To know:
- Genre = Comedy and Romance.
- Tone = Dreamy, mysterious and magical.
- Themes…
1. The Illusion of Justice
2. The Difficulty of Distinguishing “Men” from “Monsters”
3. The Allure of Ruling a Colony
4. Prospero’s Threats
5. Obedience and Disobedience
6. Wonder/Admiration
- Setting (Time) = The Renaissance
- Setting (Place) = An island in the Mediterranean sea, probably off the
coast of Italy
- Protagonist = Prospero
- Major Conflict…
= Prospero, the duke of Milan and a powerful magician, was banished from
Italy and cast to sea by his usurping brother, Antonio, and Alonso, the king
of Naples. As the play begins, Antonio and Alonso come under Prospero’s
magic power as they sail past his island. Prospero seeks to use his magic
to make these lords repent and restore him to his rightful place.
- Rising Action…
= Prospero creates the tempest, causing his enemies’ ship to wreck and its
passengers to be dispersed about the island.
- Climax…
= Alonso and his party stop to rest, and Prospero causes a banquet to be
set out before them. Just as they are about to eat, Ariel appears in the
shape of a harpy and accuses them of their treachery against Prospero.
Alonso is overwhelmed with remorse.
- Falling Action…
= Prospero brings Alonso and the others before him and forgives them.
Prospero invites Alonso and his company to stay the night before everyone
returns to Italy the next day, where Prospero will reassume his dukedom.
- Themes…
= The illusion of justice, the difficulty of distinguishing “men” from
“monsters,” the allure of ruling a colony
- Motifs…
= Masters and servants, water and drowning, mysterious noises
, - Symbols…
= The tempest, the game of chess, Prospero’s books
- Foreshadowing…
= Prospero frequently hints at his plans to bring his enemies before him
and to confront them for their treachery. Prospero also hints at his plans to
relinquish his magic once he has confronted and forgiven his enemies.
Prospero Quick Character Analysis:
- The play’s protagonist, and father of Miranda. Twelve years before the
events of the play, Prospero was the duke of Milan. His brother, Antonio, in
concert with Alonso, king of Naples, usurped him, forcing him to flee in a
boat with his daughter. The honest lord Gonzalo aided Prospero in his
escape. Prospero has spent his twelve years on the island refining the
magic that gives him the power he needs to punish and forgive his
enemies.
Miranda Quick Character Analysis:
- The daughter of Prospero, Miranda was brought to the island at an early
age and has never seen any men other than her father and Caliban,
though she dimly remembers being cared for by female servants as an
infant. Because she has been sealed off from the world for so long,
Miranda’s perceptions of other people tend to be naïve and
non-judgmental. She is compassionate, generous, and loyal to her father.
Ariel Quick Character Analysis:
- Prospero’s spirit helper. Ariel is referred to throughout this SparkNote and
in most criticism as “he,” but his gender and physical form are ambiguous.
Rescued by Prospero from a long imprisonment at the hands of the witch
Sycorax, Ariel is Prospero’s servant until Prospero decides to release him.
He is mischievous and ubiquitous, able to traverse the length of the island
in an instant and to change shapes at will. He carries out virtually every
task that Prospero needs accomplished in the play.
