Type of Work

.......The Tempest is a comedy with an atmosphere resembling that of a

fairy tale. It is among Shakespeare's most mature and most admired
plays.
Key Dates
.
Date Written: Probably 1611.
First Performance: Probably November 1 1611 at !hitehall "the #nglish royal palace$ by
the %ings Players.
First Printing: 16&' as part of the (irst (olio the first authori)ed collection of Shakespeare's
plays.
Sources
.......*he main sources for the play have not been fully established. Possible sources include
an account of the wreck of the Sea Venture in the +ermudas in 16,-. A Discovery of the
Bermudas "161,$ by Sylvester /ourdain. A True Repertory of the Wracke and Redemption of
Sir Thomas Gates upon and from the Islands of the Bermudas "written in 161, and published
in 16&0$ by !illiam Strachey. Comedy of the Beautiful Sidea "circa 16,,116,0$ a 2erman
drama by /acob 3yer. e! and "ar#e Discourse of the Travels of Sir Anthony Shirley$ %ni#ht
"16,1$ by !illiam Parry. essay by 4ontaigne "10''110-&$.
Settings
.
.......The Tempest begins at sea on a foundering ship. *he rest of the action takes place on an
island. Strong evidence suggests that the island Shakespeare had in mind was a fictionali)ed
4editerranean version of an island in the +ermudas.
.
Characters
.
Prospero5 6ightful 7uke of 4ilan. !ith his daughter he had been set adrift by his evil brother
to die but provisions provided secretly by his friend 2on)alo enable him and his daughter to
reach a mysterious island. *here Prospero practices magic and rules the island and its
inhabitants for 1& years. !hen a ship carrying his brother and other high officials of Naples8
including the king8sails a course near the island Prospero con9ures a powerful tempest that
blows the ship to his island.
Antonio5 Prospero's brother. :e illegally sei)ed Prospero's dukedom. 3fter the tempest
drives the ship carrying him and 3lonso the %ing of Naples to Prospero's island 3ntonio
conspires against the king.
Miranda5 (ifteen1year1old daughter of Prospero. She has lived with her father on his island
since she was three years old and has never seen a man e;cept for her father and the half1
human <aliban. *he name &iranda is derived from the =atin word mirandus meaning
!onderful stran#e and admired.
Alonso5 %ing of Naples. :e helped 3ntonio oust Prospero as 7uke of 4ilan. :owever after
arriving at Prospero's island he e;hibits genuine remorse for his reprehensible treatment of
Prospero.
Seastian5 +rother of the king.
Ferdinand5 Son of the %ing of Naples.
!on"alo5 :onest old counselor and friend of Prospero.
Ariel5 Spirit of the air on the magical island who serves Prospero. 3riel first served a witch
Sycora; who imprisoned him in a recess of a pine tree after he refused to do her bidding. :e
remained there to suffer great torment for twelve years during which time Sycora; died. >pon
his arrival on the island Prospero freed 3riel but bound the sprite to his service. 3riel
possesses protean power enabling him to alter his appearance instantly. :e can also travel
to any part of the island in a split1second.
Adrian# Francisco5 =ords.
Trinculo5 /ester.
Stephano5 7runken butler.
Calian5 Savage half1man who serves as a slave on Prospero's island. :e is the son of a
witch Sycora;. <aliban believes he is the rightful ruler of Prospero's island having inherited it
from his mother.
$ris# Ceres# %uno5 2oddesses presented by the spirits. In classical mythology Iris was a
messenger goddess and goddess of the rainbow. <eres was the goddess of agriculture and
/uno was the ?ueen of the gods.
&ymphs# 'eapers5 7ancers
Master of the Ship
(oats)ain
Mariners
Spirits
*
Plot Summary
+y 4ichael /. <ummings..@ &,,'
.
.......3fter attending his daughter <laribelAs wedding in *unis 3frica %ing 3lonso of Naples
and his company sail home to Italy in a fleet of ships and encounter a violent storm. !ith
3lonso is his beloved son (erdinand. Bthers on the kingAs ship are 3ntonio the 7uke of
4ilan. 3ntonioAs butler Stephano. the kingAs brother Sebastian. a counselor 2on)alo. and
*rinculo a 9ester. !hen thunder booms and lightning strikes winds churn the sea into a
terrible fury that imperils all of the ships. 4ariners laboring to save the kingAs vessel cry out
C3ll lostD to prayers to prayersD all lostDE "1. 1. &F$. 2on)alo the kingAs counsellor is the last to
speak as the ship founders5 CNow would I give a thousand furlongs of sea for an acre of
barren ground long heath brown fur)e any thing. *he wills above be doneD but I would fain
die a dry deathE "1. 1. GG$.
.......3s a strange fiery light illumines the ship the king and his company 9ump overboard. 3ll
e;cept (erdinand wash ashore at the same location on an enchanted island. (erdinand lands
on another part of the island. 3lonso thinks (erdinand has drowned and vice versa and both
mourn their losses. *he ruler of the island is the magician Prospero. It was Prospero who
caused the tempest. 3ware of who was on the ship thanks to his magical powers he
commanded the sea to deliver to him the king and his company to settle some unfinished
business. *welve years before Prospero the rightful 7uke of 4ilan had been set adrift to die
at sea with his three1year1old daughter 4iranda after his brother 3ntonio sei)ed his
dukedom with the connivance of %ing 3lonso. :owever the kindly counselor 2on)alo
sneaked food and drink to Prospero along with his books of magic. So it was that Prospero
and his daughter survived and landed on the island to live in a cave.
.......Bne of ProsperoAs first orders of business on the island was to free the sprites imprisoned
by a witch named Sycora;. *he chief sprite was 3riel a spirit of the air. In e;change for his
liberation 3riel agreed to do ProsperoAs bidding. Sycora; posed no further threat for she was
dead. :owever she left behind an ugly half1human offspring named <aliban. 3lthough
<aliban once tried to ravish 4iranda Prospero trains him to talk and perform menial chores
using magic to keep the beast1manAs instincts in check.
3riel has proved a valuable servant. In fact under ProsperoAs orders it was 3riel who guided
the tempest toward the island and set the kingAs ship Cabla)eE by imitating fire. Sometimes
3riel would divide himself and become fire in several places at once5 the topmast bowsprit
and yards. In fright the king and his company hurled themselves overboard. 4iranda
witnessed the terrible spectacle. In reporting on it to her father she assumes he caused the
tempest and begs him to calm the raging waters. She e;presses sympathy for the shipAs crew
and passengers telling her father that
I have suffered
!ith those that I saw suffer5 a brave vessel
!ho had no doubt some noble creature in her
7ashAd all to pieces. B the cry did knock
3gainst my very heart. Poor souls they perishAd.
:ad I been any god of power I would
:ave sunk the sea within the earth or ere
It should the good ship so have swallowAd and
*he fraughting souls within her. "1. &. 611G$
.......Prospero informs her however that no harm was done. for 3riel has preserved the ship
in a hidden harbor and cast its crew into a deep sleep. 3riel allowed the rest of the fleet to
survive the storm and resume the trip to Italy CsupposingE as 3riel tells Prospero Cthat they
saw the kingAs ship wrecked and his great person perishE "1. &. &HH1&HF$.
.......3fter 3lonso and the others arrive on the island Prospero dispatches 3riel to bring the
handsome young (erdinand to the cave where the beautiful 4iranda is sleeping. :e also
sends <aliban to bring wood. !hen (erdinand arrives 4iranda awakens and falls
immediately in love with him. =ove smites (erdinand as well. Prospero pretends (erdinand is
a spy and takes him prisoner. #lsewhere on the island %ing 3lonso and most of his company
are still asleep. *he only two who remain awake8the evil 3ntonio and 3lonsoAs brother
Sebastian8see an opportunity before them5 If they kill the king Naples will be theirs. +ut 9ust
as they draw their swords %ing 3lonso and 2on)alo awaken. 4eanwhile <aliban who is
bringing in the wood curses Prospero wishing upon him Call the infections that the sun sucks
up.E "&. &. G$. <aliban after all was the ruler of the island before Prospero arrived. !hy
should he now be carrying wood for ProsperoI
.......*rinculo happens upon <aliban and takes shelter with him from a threatening storm.
Stephano the kingAs butler also shows up drunk. It seems he had the good fortune to float
ashore on a barrel of wine which he put to good use after fashioning a flask out of tree bark.
3fter he plies <aliban with wine the monster1man dreams of being free of Prospero. +ack
near the cave (erdinand is gathering wood under orders from Prospero. !hen 4iranda goes
out to help him the two lovers forget about the wood. Instead they coo and woo and talk of
marriage. (rom a distance Prospero watches and smiles approvingly. <aliban suddenly
possessed of a bold and persuasive tongue convinces his new companions Stephano and
*rinculo to help him murder Prospero so that they can all become the new rulers of the
island. *heir plan is to steal upon him while he is sleeping brain him with a log or pierce him
with a stake or a knife then burn his books.
.......3riel off working on ProsperoAs behalf con9ures up a magnificent ban?uet for %ing
3lonso 3ntonio Sebastian 2on)alo and the rest of the kingAs entourage. 3s they are about
to eat lightning flashes thunder booms and 3riel appears in the form of a harpy a hideous
bird. :e claps his wings and the ban?uet vanishes. *hen he rebukes 3lonso 3ntonio and
Sebastian for their previous mistreatment of Prospero and 4iranda years before. :e tells
them that
=ingering perdition8worse than any death
<an be at once8shall step by step attend
Jou and your ways. . . .E "'. '.-'1-0$
.......3fter 3riel vanishes and 3lonso 3ntonio and Sebastian leave the scene the goodly
2on)alo observing the reaction of the three men says
3ll three of them are desperate5 their great guilt
=ike poison given to work a great time after
Now Agins to bite the spirits.E "'. '. 1&G11&6$
Prospero meanwhile presents an entertainment for (erdinand and 4iranda in celebration of
their forthcoming marriage. *he entertainers are spirits in the form of three deities8<eres
goddess of agriculture. Iris goddess of the rainbow. and /uno ?ueen of the gods8who sing
to the betrothed couple. *hen Nymphs and 6eapers descend upon the island and perform a
graceful dance. 3fter the entertainment Prospero uses his magic to thwart the murderous
plots against him while 3riel spellbinds 3lonso and the others with music and leads them to
ProsperoAs cave. (erdinand re9oices at the sight of his father and 3lonso re9oices at the sight
of his son. *hen every offender repents his wrongs and even the beastly <aliban admits he
was a Cthrice1double assE "0. 1. '&F$. Prospero having regained his dukedom renounces
magic and prepares to return to Naples with (erdinand 4iranda and 3lonso and his
entourage after 3lonsoAs ship8thought wrecked and lost8is found still afloat and seaworthy.
Prospero commands 3riel to calm the seas then frees him. Bnly <aliban remains on the
island.
.
.
*
.
Themes
.
(orgive and forget. *hough Prospero has been wronged he reconciles with his wrongdoers.
6epent your sins. 3ll of Prospero's wrongdoers repent at the end and achieve redemption.
*he New !orld "3merica$ is a raw untamed wilderness. Prospero's island may have
symboli)ed 3merica or the islands off the coast of 3merica with <aliban representing the
uncivili)ed native population.
#;ploration of new lands often results in mistreatment of native populations. It has been
suggested that <aliban represents indigenous peoples e;ploited by #uropeans during the
3ge of 7iscovery.
*he storms of life are followed by peace and calm.
(riends in need are friends indeed. *hanks to his friend 2on)alo Prospero and his daughter
survive their ordeal at sea.
(reedom must be earned. #veryone in The Tempest is a slave or a captive8socially
emotionally geographically or otherwise. (or e;ample Prospero and 4iranda victims of
treachery are captives of their environment. *he shipwrecked adversaries of Prospero are
captives of guilt ambition or desire for revenge. 3riel a free spirit of the air is Prospero's
slave. <aliban a misshapen half1human is a prisoner of unruly instincts. Bnly through ordeal
tribulation and demonstrations of humanity do these characters redeem and liberate
themselves.
.
.
Clima+
.
.......*he clima; of a play or another narrative work such as a short story or a novel can be
defined as "1$ the turning point at which the conflict begins to resolve itself for better or worse
or as "&$ the final and most e;citing event in a series of events. *he clima; in The Tempest
occurs according to the first definition in 3ct III Scene III when 3riel "appearing as a :arpy
a mythological monster with the head of a woman and the body of a bird$ reveals 3ntonio
3lonso and Sebastian as sinners who conspired to remove Prospero from his dukedom.
3ccording to the second definition the clima; occurs at the end of 3ct K when (erdinand and
his father are reunited and all the enemies in the play become friends.
Shakespeare,s Musicality
......The Tempest is among ShakespeareAs finest plays in terms of its musicality. Shakespeare
scholar 2. +. :arrison has written the following appraisal of the language of the play5
Shakespeare like all #li)abethan dramatists used four kinds of speech in his plays5 blank
verse rhymed verse prose and song. #ach kind has its uses and the whole play especially
in his maturity is conceived as a kind of verbal symphony each scene or episode being
composed as part of a complete harmony. The Tempest in its poetical scenes is the finest
e;ample of the musical use of words in all ShakespeareAs plays.E "&a'or British 0'$
3mong the passages that best e;hibit musicality are the poems such as the following
(ull fathom five thy father lies.
Bf his bones are coral made5
*hose are pearls that were his eyes5
Nothing of him that doth fade
+ut doth suffer a sea1change
Into something rich and strange.
Sea1nymphs hourly ring his knell5
:arkD now I hear them8ding1dong bell. "1.&.G06$
3riel while invisible sings this poem to (erdinand telling the lad that his father lies under thirty feet of water. *he poem has
a rhyme scheme of ababccdd.
Now my charms are all o'erthrown
3nd what strength I have's mine own
!hich is most faint5 now 'tis true
I must be here confined by you
Br sent to Naples. =et me not
Since I have my dukedom got
3nd pardon'd the deceiver dwell
In this bare island by your spell.
+ut release me from my bands
!ith the help of your good hands5
2entle breath of yours my sails
4ust fill or else my pro9ect fails
!hich was to please. Now I want
Spirits to enforce art to enchant
3nd my ending is despair
>nless I be relieved by prayer
!hich pierces so that it assaults
4ercy itself and frees all faults.
3s you from crimes would pardon'd be
=et your indulgence set me free. "epilogue$
Figures of Speech: Types
......(ollowing are e;amples of figures of speech from the play.
3ntithesis
2ood wombs have borne bad sons. "1. &. 1G1$
<ontrast of good wombs and bad sons. *he statement is also a parado;.
3lliteration
................ :ast thou forgot
*he foul )itch Sycora; )ho )ith age and envy
Was grown into a hoopI "1.&.&0-1&6,$
Full fathom five thy father lies ".&.'-G$
:e that dies pays all debts. "'.&.1G'$
:yperbole
Jour tale sir would cure deafness. "1.&.1,6$
*his line also contains a metaphor comparing the tale to a remedy.
4etaphor
4y library
!as dukedom large enough. "1.&.1&F$
<omparison of a dukedom to a library.
................. *he king's son (erdinand
!ith hair up1staring8then like reeds not hair
!as the first man that leap'd. cried ':ell is empty
3nd all the devils are here.' "1.&.&1'1&16$
<omparison of Prospero's island to hell
Jou taught me language. and my profit onAt
Is I know how to curse. "1. &. G',1G'1$
<omparison of knowledge to profit.

*he winds did sing it to me and the thunder
*hat deep and dreadful organ1pipe pronounced
*he name of Prosper5 it did bass my trespass."'.'.-H1--$
4etaphor "and personification$ comparing the winds to a singer
4etaphor comparing thunder to the sound made by an organ pipe
No sweet aspersion shall the heavens let fall
*o make this contract grow. "G.1.1F11-$
<omparison of heaven's approval to rain "aspersion$ that promotes the growth of a seed
!e are such stuff
3s dreams are made on and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep. "G.1.16F11H,$
<omparison of humans to the immateriality of a dream
Parado;
!hat's past is prologue. "&.1.&61$
Shakespeare,s &ame !ame
.......7id you notice in your reading of The Tempest that the name of the beast1man <aliban
is an anagram for cannibal "e;cept for a missing n$I 7id you also notice that name of
ProsperoAs servant 3riel sounds like aerial meaning in the air of the air high flying
ethereal and fanciful8words which all describe 3rielI Bther characters also have names
suggestive of their ?ualities and lot in life5 Prospero "a name that derives from the =atin
prosperare meaning to cause to prosper$ who prospers through his magic and intelligence.
4iranda "a name that derives from the =atin mirandus meaning strange wonderful
miraculous$ who is wonderful to behold and is indeed strange8that is e;otic. and (erdinand
"a name that derives from 2ermanic words meaning bold traveler$ who has traveled on the
high seas and survived a roaring tempest.
Character -aitats
.......Shakespeare's plays fre?uently present characters in settings far removed from urban
centers. :owever they generally are creatures of the city the court the vibrant life where
people throng. <onsider the following observation5
Shakespeare's characters are . . . dubious of rusticity. Kalentine Lin The T!o
Gentlemen of VeronaM does not re9oice in his woodland life as head of an outlaw
band. the lovers of A (&idsummer i#ht)s* Dream find their woodland adventure
unnerving and mountain life seems rude to the characters in Cym+eline who are
forced to endure it. 3lthough (lori)el Lin The Winter)s TaleM dreams of spending his life
with Perdita in a cottage she knows that pastoral bliss is only a dream. true content
lies in =eontes' court to which all the characters . . . return. #ven Prospero Lin The
TempestM who has no great desire to see 4ilan again knows that he and 4iranda
must leave their island which is as much prison as refuge to them. 3lthough critics
can ideali)e the pastoral e;periences of Shakespeare's characters as renewing
contacts with nature that e;perience is often somewhat harrowing.8Shakespeare)s
Comedies ,rom Roman ,arce to Romantic &ystery. Newark5 > of 7elaware 1-F6
"Page 1GG$.
The Tempest and -umanism
.
.......7uring the #uropean 6enaissance between 1G,, and 16,, great thinkers began
advocating the betterment of civili)ation by emphasi)ing the study of classical culture and
literature and by promoting the cultivation of such ennobling ?ualities as compassion
generosity friendship wise 9udgment and prudence. In The Tempest Prospero e;hibits
those ?ualities. :e does not seek to retaliate against those who wronged him. he seeks only
to bring them out of the darkness of hatred and revenge. In this respect he is like the
6enaissance humanist who builds a bridge for the 7ark 3ges to cross into the enlightenment
of a new age in which humankind renounces its old barbarity and savagery. In discussing this
idea Shakespeare scholar +ernard 7. 2rebanier wrote5
Shakespeare is perhaps the perfect e;pression of 6enaissance humanism. :is profound
sympathy for humanity enabled him to pierce to the very core of his characters. his
une;celled gifts as a poet made his men and women unforgettable creatures of flesh and
blood. *his may be said as much of the best of his earliest plays as of The Tempest where
Prospero is himself a kind of incarnation of the best of what the 6enaissance had e;tended to
mankind. "2rebanier +ernard 7. et al. -n#lish "iterature and Its Back#rounds. New Jork5
:olt 1-0, page &G&$
Prospero.s $sland as The &e) World
.......Shakespeare sets the scene in a far1off isolated island. !hether he intended the setting
to symboli)e the New !orld is arguable but it certainly resembles it. =ike 3merica it is wild
and undeveloped with strange sights sounds and creatures. It has a CcolonialE overseer
Prospero who e;ploits the native population8the savage beast1man <aliban and the sprite
3riel8turning them into servants or slaves. ProsperoAs daughter 4iranda knows no other
world but her fatherAs island. In this respect she is like the real1life Kirginia 7are the first
#nglish child born in the 3mericas "on 6oanoke Island off the coast of present1day North
<arolina$.
Shakespeare,s !ra (ag of Mar/els
.......*o give his play a wondrous fairy1tale atmosphere Shakespeare set it on a remote
island with an e;otic landscape then populated the island with a sorcerer "Prospero$ a
monster "the beast1man <aliban son of a witch$ a mischievous sprite a beautiful maiden
"4iranda$ a young prince who loves her "(erdinand son of the %ing of Naples$ and
mythological deities11including <eres goddess of agriculture. Iris goddess of the rainbow.
and /uno ?ueen of the gods. Perhaps Shakespeare was capitali)ing on stories about the
New !orld across the seas11a world that was mostly terra incognita to the #nglish and
therefore a ripe sub9ect for speculation about wonders there that awaited discovery.
.......*here were of course published reports about the 3mericas and the islands near the
mainlands. *hese reports included several about +ermuda including an account of the wreck
of the Sea Venture in the +ermudas in 16,-. A Discovery of the Bermudas "161,$ by
Sylvester /ourdain. A True Repertory of the Wracke and Redemption of Sir Thomas Gates
upon and from the Islands of the Bermudas "written in 161, and published in 16&0$ by
!illiam Strachey. *he Spanish navigator /uan +ermNde) is credited with discovery of the
+ermuda Islands and they first appeared on Spanish maps in 1011. It may well be that the
wreck of the Sea Venture inspired Shakespeare to write about the wreck of %ing 3lonsoAs
ship.
Calian as an 0+ploited &ati/e
.......In The Tempest <aliban suffers the same fate as many New !orld natives5 :e loses
control over a domain he thought he ruled becoming a virtual slave of Prospero. 3lthough
Prospero teaches him language <aliban complains that the only benefit of this e;perience is
that he learned how to curse. <alibanAs encounter with Prospero resembles the encounter of
real1life native 3mericans with #uropeans seeking riches in the New !orld wilds while
spreading their culture. *he natives learned bad habits ac?uired alien diseases and lost
control of their domains. Bf course The Tempest centers on the wrong done to Prospero by
his brother who usurped ProsperoAs dukedom. +ut did not Prospero usurp <alibanAs domainI
Study 1uestions and 0ssay Topics
!rite an essay e;plaining how closed isolated environments like ProsperoAs island in
The Tempest #lsinore <astle in /amlet and the forest of 3rden in As 0ou "ike It
affect the characters.
Shakespeare uses allusions to mythology in The Tempest. !hat is an allusionI
!here do allusions take place in 3cts ' and GI
=ust for power a theme in other Shakespeare plays manifests itself in The Tempest
in two independent conspiraciesI !hat are these conspiracies and who is involved in
themI
!ould you consider ProsperoAs island an e;ample of a microcosmI !rite a short
essay that e;plains your answer. In the essay be sure to define microcosm as a
literary device.
*o whom does Shakespeare address the epilogue at the end of the playI
!hat was ProsperoAs wife likeI "See lines spoken by Prospero in 3ct I.$
7o you despise or pity <aliban. #;plain your answer.
7o you approve of the way Prospero treats 4irandaI