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The Tempest probably was written in 1610–1611, and was first performed at Court by the King's Men in
the fall of 1611. It was performed again in the winter of 1612–1613 during the festivities in celebration of
the marriage of King James's daughter Elizabeth.
CONTEXT
The Tempest was probably written in 1610–1611, and was first performed by the King’s Men in the
fall of 1611.
The Tempest is most likely the last play written entirely by Shakespeare, and it is remarkable for
being one of only two plays by Shakespeare whose plot is entirely original.
Because of its theme of a great magician giving up his art, some scholars believe that The Tempest is
Shakespeare’s farewell to the stage.
KEY FACTS
Full title · The Tempest
Author · William Shakespeare
Type of work · Play
Genre · Romance
Language · Elizabethan English
Time and place written · 1610–1611; England
Date of first publication · 1623
Tone · Dreamy, mysterious, magical
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.
NARRATIVE EVENTS
Act 1, Scene 1
The play begins with the storm, magically created by Prospero with the help of Ariel, which disrupts the
journey of the royal party (Alonso, Ferdinand, Sebastian, Antonio, Gonzalo, Stephano, and Trinculo) who
are returning from Claribel's, Alonso's daughter, wedding in Africa. The men aboard begin to argue
during the distress of the storm - the Boatswain orders the royals to go below deck which causes Gonzalo
to gently reprimand the worker for forgetting the power of the king, and Sebastian and Antonio begin
to insult the Boatswain whilst he attempts to save the ship. The sailors enter, with thoughts that they are
going to be killed by the storm, and the royal party all go below deck to pray for their survival.
Act 1, Scene 2
This scene shows Prospero and Miranda watching the storm from an island and Miranda begs her father
to end the storm and save the men aboard.
Prospero tells Miranda the story of her heritage and how they both came to inhabit the island. He informs
her that he was the Duke of Milan and that his brother, Antonio usurped his power because Prospero had
begun to neglect his royal duties by spending too much time with his books and learning magic. Prospero
narrates how he and Miranda were sent away on a dangerous boat, but that Gonzalo took pity on them
and provided them with necessities such as Prospero's books.
After telling Miranda this story Prospero puts her into a magical sleep and summons his spirit servant,
Ariel. Ariel informs Prospero that he has separated members of the royal party onto different parts of
the island and that the ship's crew is in a magical sleep under the deck of the ship.
As Ariel has carried out Prospero's demands, the spirit asks Prospero to provide the freedom that he has
promised Ariel but Prospero refuses and argues that he must continue Ariel's enslavement for a few days
longer.
Ariel leaves angrily, Prospero then awakens Miranda and summons Caliban, another of his servants.
Prospero and Caliban argue as Caliban rebels against Prospero's control as he believes the island to be
his property as Caliban was born on the island, and Prospero has to resort to controlling Caliban through
magic. Prospero threatens Caliban, and claims that Caliban is corrupt as Caliban had previously tried to
rape Miranda. Caliban's presence scares Miranda and Prospero demands that Caliban leaves.
Act 2, Scene 1
The royals are gathered on the island discussing their situation. Gonzalo gives a speech, celebrating their
survival but Alonso is despairing at the loss of his son, as he believes Ferdinand to be drowned. Antonio
and Sebastian distance themselves and mock both Gonzalo's optimism and Alonso's anguish. Antonio and
Sebastian then begin to tell Alonso that he should not have allowed his daughter to marry and African
and that if he had not then they would never have been in the storm which causes Gonzalo to chastise the
pair for being so insensitive. Ariel enters the scene, invisible, and puts Gonzalo and Alonso into a magical
sleep. As the pair sleep Antonio and Sebastian plot to murder them, so that Sebastian can become king.
Sebastian shows some signs of apprehension but agrees to attempt the plot after Antonio convinces his
and they both draw their swords on Alonso and Gonzalo but Ariel awakens Gonzalo so that their plan is
foiled. Sebastian creates a story to excuse their behaviour, suggesting that they heard a dangerous noise
and were protecting the king and Alonso accepts this explanation. They royal entourage then leave to
continue their search for Ferdinand.
Act 2, Scene 2
Caliban begins the scene, cursing Prospero and his imprisonment. He hears the noise of somebody
approaching and assuming it to be Prospero lies on the ground, throws a cloak over his body and hides,
showing only his feet.
Trinculo enters and seeing Caliban believes him to be monster made of half of a man and half of a fish.
Inspecting the unknown being, Trinculo wonders if he would be able to sell the beast back in civilization
and touches him but discovers that he is an inhabitant of the island not a monster. Seeing that a storm is
approaching, Trinculo decides to take shelter under the cloak with Caliban. Stephano, drunk, enters and
seeing the covered Caliban and Trinculo, initially believes it to be a monster, and ponders its financial
possibilities whilst examining Caliban. This scares Caliban and Stephano makes Caliban drink his wine to
calm him down. During this Trinculo has recognized Stephano's voice and emerges to drink wine with
Stephano and Caliban. Caliban, being drunk, believes Stephano to be a God and swears to worship him
and become his slave, promising to show Stephano the most prosperous parts of the island.
Act 3, Scene 1
Ferdinand enters carrying a log, a task that Prospero has demanded of him as a punishment. He claims
that he does not mind the work, as thoughts of Miranda make it worthwhile and he wants to serve
Miranda. Miranda enters, having disobeyed he father by coming to see Ferdinand, but Prospero is
secretly watching the couple, and offers to carry out Ferdinand's work for him so that he can rest but he
refuses.
Miranda tells Ferdinand her name, something that her father had forbidden and Miranda becomes
worried. The couple confess their love for each other, Ferdinand telling Miranda that he has never seen
anyone so perfect, and Miranda telling Ferdinand that she has never seen another man, except her father,
and that she has no wish to. Miranda asks Ferdinand if he loves her and begins to cry when he says that
he does. She tells Ferdinand that she loves him, and is willing to be his wife, mistress, or slave as she
believes herself unworthy of him but Ferdinand agrees to marry her and Prospero is pleased by this, as
it benefits his plan.
Act 3, Scene 2
The scene returns to Stephano, Trinculo and Caliban on the island, drunk, plotting to kill Prospero. Caliban
has informed Stephano and Trinculo that Prospero rules the island and that if the men help him to kill
Prospero they can control the island.
Ariel arrives and overhears their plan to burn Prospero's books so that he does not have any magical
power, and Stephano's plan to marry Miranda and Ariel resolves to inform Prospero of these schemes.
The drunken men begin to sing and Ariel scares them by making music to accompany them, but Caliban
reassures Stephano and Trinculo that the island is full of magical noises that should not always be feared.
Act 4, Scene 1
This scene sees Prospero admitting that he has treated Ferdinand unfairly. Prospero suggests that the
tasks he made Ferdinand complete whilst imprisoned proved that he would be a worthy husband to
Miranda and Prospero offers Miranda to Ferdinand as a wife, but warns Ferdinand that he cannot sleep
with Miranda until their wedding night.
Prospero then calls Ariel to summon the spirits of the island so that there can be a masque to celebrate
the upcoming marriage.
The masque takes place, with the blessing of the goddesses Iris, Juno and Ceres who sanctify the
marriage.
This is disrupted by Prospero who remembers that Stephano, Trinculo and Caliban are plotting to murder
him and he ends the masque.
He summons Ariel, who reports that the men are drunk and that Ariel has managed to lead them through
a briar patch and into a filthy pond. Prospero is pleased and tells Ariel to place extravagant clothing in
the path of the men to distract them from their task.
Stephano, Trinculo and Caliban appear, wet, smelling and complaining about the loss of their alcohol but
are distracted, just as Prospero had planned, by the fancy clothes hung up nearby.
Caliban attempts to convince the men to leave the clothes and complete their plot but Stephano and
Trinculo ignore Caliban's pleas and warning that Prospero will find them and Prospero and Ariel enter
with spirits disguised as hunting hounds. Stephano, Trinculo and Caliban flee, being chased by the hounds.
Prospero is extremely pleased by these events and realising that he holds power all of his enemies he
decides to promise Ariel freedom.
Act 5, Scene 1
Ariel informs Prospero that Alonso, Antonio and Sebastian are worried, desperate and remorseful and
Prospero assures Ariel that he will he compassionate when dealing with the royal entourage and asks
Ariel to bring them to him.
While waiting for the men to arrive Prospero gives a soliloquy about how he achieved many great things
through his magic and then he promises to give up his knowledge of magic, to bury his staff and drown
his books.
Ariel re-enters with the royal party who are in a sort of trance, and places them within Prospero's magical
circle and removes the spell on the men.
Prospero appears, dressed in the clothes of the Duke of Milan, assumes his rightful place and
embraces Alonso as a gesture of reconciliation. Prospero also embraces Gonzalo, who he does not
chastise because he helped Prospero when he was banished, and Prospero tells Antonio and Sebastian
that he will not treat them as traitors this time and he forgives Antonio - who is required to give his
dukedom back to Prospero.
Prospero informs Alonso that Ferdinand is not dead, after Alonso continues to mourn, telling him Ferdinand
has agreed to marry Miranda and reveals to Alonso Miranda and Ferdinand playing chess. Alonso
welcomes Miranda as his daughter and Gonzalo, as the sight of this reconciliation, begins to cry at the
miracle the island has brought to them.
Prospero, alone on the stage, asks the audience to free him as he has now given up his magic, freed his
slaves, and forgiven those who have wronged him in the past. He asks to be returned to Naples as the
island has been his prison and suggests that the audience's applause will show that they have freed him.
He also suggests that forgiveness is what all men desire and during the audience's applause Prospero
leaves the stage.
A Tempest in Bermuda
It is believed that The Tempest was inspired by a series of pamphlets concerning the survival of some mariners
in the Bermuda Islands after a tempest in 1609. The Bermudas were popularly thought to be inhabited by demons
and fairies, and this sparked Shakespeare’s imagination for the creation of the play.
Prospero
Prospero’s attempt to return to Milan after twelve years of expulsion is the main plot of the play.The
rightful Duke of Milan, though his kingdom and title were usurped by his brother Antonio. Prospero was
able to survive a plot on his life, and he and his daughter Miranda were set aboard a wrecked craft, but
managed to land safely on the island. Prospero is able to gain control of the spirits of the island, and
uses his vast knowledge and control over the spirits to direct acts of magic as he pleases. He is ruler of
the island, after taking control of it from its rightful heir, Caliban, and he makes sure that Alonso's ship
wrecks on the island, so he can get his revenge on his brothers for their wrongdoing.
As a sorcerer, he compels the elements of nature to do his will and he orders his slaves about. Through his
plan of playing upon the consciences of his betrayers, he means to regain his kingdom and leave the
Betrayal, revenge and forgiveness, the consequences of each and the journey from turbulence to
harmony.
Some related scenes:
Act 1 Scene 2: Prospero tells Miranda of his betrayal by Alonso and Antonio and explains that he
has instructed Ariel to shipwreck the King's party.
Act 3 Scene 2: Caliban, Stephano and Trinculo plot to murder Prospero.
Act 3 Scene 3: In response to Ariel's magic banquet Alonso feels remorse for his past behaviour
while Sebastian and Antonio continue their plotting.
Act 4 Scene 1: Prospero thwarts Caliban's plot to murder him and tells Ariel to inflict them with
cramps, convulsions and pinches.
Act 5 Scene 1: Prospero releases the noblemen from their charm, welcomes Gonzalo, forgives
Alonso, and privately warns Antonio and Sebastian. With provisos he will forgive Caliban,
Stephano and Trinculo.
Colonialism - The Tempest is preoccupied with the theme of colonialism. Shakespeare presents colonialism as
a form of exploitation which Western society uses to control 'inferior' beings. The conflict between Prospero
and Caliban, it is argued, represents the conflict between the Old World (Europe) and the challenges to their
culture and beliefs from the New World (America), as Prospero can be seen as the colonist and Caliban as
the native inhabitant. There is much support within The Tempest for the idea that colonization was a form of
economic exploitation. Firstly, Prospero takes control of Caliban and uses him as a slave, and secondly and
perhaps most obviously, when Stephano and Trinculo discover Caliban their first thought is to wonder how
much money they could gain by exhibiting Caliban at an English fair.
Colonization links closely to the idea of social class as Europeans believed that social hierarchy was a fixed
element of society and was God-given. Natives tended to live without a rigid social hierarchy - although they
did often have a leader who was usually seen to have links with the supernatural - yet all were considered
equal and Western colonists perceived this as appalling and as something that would create anarchy - and
Prospero uses this idea and controls it through his control and punishments of Caliban. Europeans justified
their actions against natives through the suggestion that natives and their actions were full of debauchery and
depravity. For example, Caliban's attempted rape of Miranda is used as evidence of his evil nature, especially
as he does not realize how horrible his actions are. In comparison, Prospero's control of Miranda's sexuality
suggests that Western society is a higher state of civilization, characterized by restraint, abstinence and self-
discipline.
Clasping of Hands
Line 377.
Ariel invites Ferdinand to take hands as Ariel leads Ferdinand away from crying over his father’s death.
This could be also considered as a symbol of faith.
The Game of Chess
The object of chess is to capture the king. That, at the simplest level, is the symbolic significance of Prospero
revealing Ferdinand and Miranda playing chess in the final scene. Prospero has caught the king—
Alonso—and reprimanded him for his treachery. In doing so, Prospero has married Alonso’s son to his own
daughter without the king’s knowledge, a deft political maneuver that assures Alonso’s support because
Alonso will have no interest in upsetting a dukedom to which his own son is heir. This is the final move in
Prospero’s plot, which began with the tempest. He has maneuvered the different passengers of Alonso’s
ship around the island with the skill of a great chess player.
Caught up in their game, Miranda and Ferdinand also symbolize something ominous about Prospero’s
power. They do not even notice the others staring at them for a few lines. “Sweet lord, you play me false,”
Miranda says, and Ferdinand assures her that he “would not for the world” do so (V.i.174–176). The
theatrical tableau is almost too perfect: Ferdinand and Miranda, suddenly and unexpectedly revealed
behind a curtain, playing chess and talking gently of love and faith, seem entirely removed from the
world around them. Though he has promised to relinquish his magic, Prospero still seems to see his daughter
as a mere pawn in his game.
MOTIFS
(A Motif is a decorative image or design, especially a repeated one forming a pattern or a dominant or
recurring idea in an artistic work
Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, and literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text’s
major themes.)
Masters and Servants
Lines 10, 11, 12, 108, 190, 270, 294, 299, 305, 318.
From the very beginning of the play we can find three motifs that will be not only in the first act, but also in
the rest of the play. The first one can be identified as “masters and servants”: in every scene of the play we
find different relationships between a figure that has power and another figure that is the subject of the other
one’s power. For example, in the first scene, the servant, the Boatswain, feels angry with his masters, the
noblemen. Then, this kind of relationship dominates the play.
Nearly every scene in the play either explicitly or implicitly portrays a relationship between a figure that
possesses power and a figure that is subject to that power. The play explores the master-servant dynamic
most harshly in cases in which the harmony of the relationship is threatened or disrupted, as by the
rebellion of a servant or the ineptitude of a master. For instance, in the opening scene, the “servant” (the
Boatswain) is dismissive and angry toward his “masters” (the noblemen), whose ineptitude threatens to
lead to a shipwreck in the storm. From then on, master-servant relationships like these dominate the play:
Prospero and Caliban; Prospero and Ariel; Alonso and his nobles; the nobles and Gonzalo; Stephano,
Trinculo, and Caliban; and so forth. The play explores the psychological and social dynamics of power
relationships from a number of contrasting angles, such as the generally positive relationship between
Prospero and Ariel, the generally negative relationship between Prospero and Caliban, and the treachery
in Alonso’s relationship to his nobles.
Servant and master as varied examples of the exercise of power.
For example:
'Come away, servant, come. I am ready now. / Approach, my Ariel, come Act 1 Scene 2
'Is there more toil? Since thou dost give me pains, / Let me remember thee what thou hast promised,
/ Which is not yet performed me' Act 1 Scene 2
'Thou, my slave, / As thou report'st thyself, was then her servant' Act 1 Scene 2
'When thou cam'st first, / Thou strok'st me, and made much of me...And then I loved thee' Act 1
Scene 2
'For I am all the subjects that you have, / Which first was mine own king' Act 1 Scene 2
'Thou most lying slave / Whom stripes may move, not kindness...' Act 1 Scene 2
'my brother's servants / Were then my fellows; now they are my men' Act 2 Scene 1
'Drink, servant-monster, when I bid thee' Act 3 Scene 2 'Monster, I will kill this man: his daughter and
I will be king and queen - save our graces! - and Trinculo and thyself shall be viceroys' Act 3 Scene
2
'Do you love me, master? no?' Act 4 Scene 1 'My Ariel, chick, / That is thy charge. Then to the
elements / Be free, and fare thou well' Act 5 Scene 1
Nature
The play uses a variety of forms of the natural world throughout, such as: the sea, air and wind, earth,
wildlife and thunder and lightning. These images of nature are presented both as benign and as
threatening, depending on the situation of each scene and this suggests that Shakespeare believes that
Mysterious Noises
Beginning of the Scene I; line 195.
The last motif we have considered is the mysterious noises. These noises give the play a hypnotic and magical
atmosphere. In the first act we obviously find the typical noises that a storm implies: thunders and lightning
(although this last has not noise, but a lightning implies a storm with it).
The isle is indeed, as Caliban says, “full of noises” (III.ii.130). The play begins with a “tempestuous noise
of thunder and lightning” (I.i.1, stage direction), and the splitting of the ship is signaled in part by “a
confused noise within” (I.i.54, stage direction). Much of the noise of the play is musical, and much of the
music is Ariel’s. Ferdinand is led to Miranda by Ariel’s music. Ariel’s music also wakes Gonzalo just as
Antonio and Sebastian are about to kill Alonso in Act II, scene i. Moreover, the magical banquet of Act III,
scene iii is laid out to the tune of “Solemn and strange music” (III.iii.18, stage direction), and Juno and
Ceres sing in the wedding masque (IV.i.106–117).
The noises, sounds, and music of the play are made most significant by Caliban’s speech about the noises
of the island at III.ii.130–138. Shakespeare shows Caliban in the thrall of magic, which the theater
audience also experiences as the illusion of thunder, rain, invisibility. The action of The Tempest is very
simple. What gives the play most of its hypnotic, magical atmosphere is the series of dreamlike events it
stages, such as the tempest, the magical banquet, and the wedding masque. Accompanied by music, these
present a feast for the eye and the ear and convince us of the magical glory of Prospero’s enchanted
isle.
Sounds and magic as helping to create the spirit of the magic island and giving atmosphere to key
moments of action.
For example:
'A tempestuous noise of thunder and lightning heard' Act 1 Scene1
'Where should this music be? i'the air or the earth?' Act 1 Scene 2
'Hark! Now I hear them - Ding-dong bell' Act 1 Scene 2
'Enter Ariel, invisible, playing solemn music' Act 2 Scene 1
'the isle is full of noises, / Sounds and sweet airs' Act 3 Scene 2 'Solemn and strange music' Act 3
Scene 3
'Marvellous sweet music!' Act 3 Scene 3
'they prick'd their ears, / Advanced their eyelids, lifted up their noses / As they smelt music...' Act
4 Scene 1
'A noise of hunters heard' Act 4 Scene 1 'and, when I have required / Some heavenly music, which
even now I do...' Act 5 Scene 1
Costume and theatre as magical, illusory; also as transformational and symbolic of a change in
character.
For example:
'And pluck my magic garment from me' Act 1 Scene 2
'Enter Ariel like a water-nymph' Act 1 Scene 2
'Solemn and strange music; and Prospero on the top, invisible. Enter several strange shapes...' Act
3 Scene 3
'Enter Ariel, like a harpy' Act 3 Scene 3 'Spirits, which by mine art / I have from their confines called
to enact / My present fancies' Act 4 Scene 1
'And, like the baseless fabric of this vision, / The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces, / The
solemn temples, the great globe itself...' Act 4 Scene 1
'Enter Ariel, loaden with glistering apparel' Act 4 Scene 1
'O King Stephano! O peer! O worthy Stephano, look what a wardrobe here is for thee! Act 4 Scene
1
'Put off that gown, Trinculo. By this hand, I'll have that gown! Act 4 Scene 1
'Fetch me the hat and rapier in my cell / I will discase me, and myself present / As I was sometime
Milan' Act 5 Scene 1