This is a complete summary of The Tempest, by William Shakespeare. Analysis of the book from start to finish, character analysis, themes and more! All you need to ace English Paper 2!
Shakespeare's "The Tempest" Plot Summary, Themes & Characters
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The Tempest
Shakespeare
OVERVIEW (Background)
- One of Shakespeare’s last plays
- Published in 1673, written in England
- Genre: Romance
- Setting: An unnamed island in the Mediterranean Sea
- Considered a romance
Not a traditional love story
Elements of comedy
Takes of loss and reconciliation
- The sea plays a major role / motif (Separation / reconciliation / shipwreck)
- The supernatural as a motif
- Comic conventions
Banishment / 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 freed
him. After Ariel assures Prospero that he knows his place, Prospero orders
Ariel to take the shape of a sea nymph and make himself invisible to all
but Prospero.
Miranda awakens from her sleep, and she and Prospero go to visit
Caliban, Prospero’s servant and the son of the dead Sycorax. Caliban
curses Prospero, and Prospero and Miranda berate him for being
ungrateful for what they have given and taught him. Prospero sends
Caliban to fetch firewood. Ariel, invisible, enters playing music and
leading in the awed Ferdinand. Miranda and Ferdinand are immediately
smitten with each other. He is the only man Miranda has ever seen,
besides Caliban and her father. Prospero is happy to see that his plan for
his daughter’s future marriage is working, but decides that he must upset
things temporarily in order to prevent their relationship from developing
too quickly. He accuses Ferdinand of merely pretending to be the Prince
of Naples and threatens him with imprisonment. When Ferdinand draws
his sword, Prospero charms him and leads him off to prison, ignoring
Miranda’s cries for mercy. He then sends Ariel on another mysterious
mission.
On another part of the island, Alonso, Sebastian, Antonio, Gonzalo, and
other miscellaneous lords give thanks for their safety but worry about the
fate of Ferdinand. Alonso says that he wishes he never had married his
daughter to the prince of Tunis because if he had not made this journey,
his son would still be alive. Gonzalo tries to maintain high spirits by
discussing the beauty of the island, but his remarks are undercut by the
sarcastic sourness of Antonio and Sebastian. Ariel appears, invisible, and
plays music that puts all but Sebastian and Antonio to sleep. These two
then begin to discuss the possible advantages of killing their sleeping
companions. Antonio persuades Sebastian that the latter will become
ruler of Naples if they kill Alonso. Claribel, who would be the next heir if
Ferdinand were indeed dead, is too far away to be able to claim her right.
, Sebastian is convinced, and the two are about to stab the sleeping men
when Ariel causes Gonzalo to wake with a shout. Everyone wakes up, and
Antonio and Sebastian concoct a ridiculous story about having drawn
their swords to protect the king from lions. Ariel goes back to Prospero
while Alonso and his party continue to search for Ferdinand.
Caliban, meanwhile, is hauling wood for Prospero when he sees Trinculo
and thinks he is a spirit sent by Prospero to torment him. He lies down
and hides under his cloak. A storm is brewing, and Trinculo, curious about
but undeterred by Caliban’s strange appearance and smell, crawls under
the cloak with him. Stephano, drunk and singing, comes along and
stumbles upon the bizarre spectacle of Caliban and Trinculo huddled
under the cloak. Caliban, hearing the singing, cries out that he will work
faster so long as the “spirits” leave him alone. Stephano decides that this
monster requires liquor and attempts to get Caliban to drink. Trinculo
recognizes his friend Stephano and calls out to him. Soon the three are
sitting up together and drinking. Caliban quickly becomes an enthusiastic
drinker, and begins to sing.
Prospero puts Ferdinand to work hauling wood. Ferdinand finds his labor
pleasant because it is for Miranda’s sake. Miranda, thinking that her
father is asleep, tells Ferdinand to take a break. The two flirt with one
another. Miranda proposes marriage, and Ferdinand accepts. Prospero
has been on stage most of the time, unseen, and he is pleased with this
development.
Stephano, Trinculo, and Caliban are now drunk and raucous and are made
all the more so by Ariel, who comes to them invisibly and provokes them
to fight with one another by impersonating their voices and taunting
them. Caliban grows more and more fervent in his boasts that he knows
how to kill Prospero. He even tells Stephano that he can bring him to
where Prospero is sleeping. He proposes that they kill Prospero, take his
daughter, and set Stephano up as king of the island. Stephano thinks this
a good plan, and the three prepare to set off to find Prospero. They are
distracted, however, by the sound of music that Ariel plays on his flute
and tabor-drum, and they decide to follow this music before executing
their plot.
Alonso, Gonzalo, Sebastian, and Antonio grow weary from traveling and
pause to rest. Antonio and Sebastian secretly plot to take advantage of
Alonso and Gonzalo’s exhaustion, deciding to kill them in the evening.
Prospero, probably on the balcony of the stage and invisible to the men,
causes a banquet to be set out by strangely shaped spirits. As the men
prepare to eat, Ariel appears like a harpy and causes the banquet to
vanish. He then accuses the men of supplanting Prospero and says that it
was for this sin that Alonso’s son, Ferdinand, has been taken. He
vanishes, leaving Alonso feeling vexed and guilty.
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