The tempest

The Tempest

William Shakespeare

Plot

First act

Alonso, the king of Naples, his son Ferdinand and Antonio, the duke of Milan, together with their court, are mysteriously transported to an island thanks to the plan of Prospero, a magician who lives on the island with his daughter Miranda. Prospero explains to Miranda that in the past he was the legitimate Duke of Milan, but had been deposed and exiled twelve years earlier by the will of his brother Antonio. Prospero and Miranda eventually landed on the island, which had once been the refuge of the witch Sycorax. The island was inhabited by two main characters: Caliban, the brutal son of Sycorax, and Ariel, a gentle air spirit who had been imprisoned by Sycorax. Prospero freed Ariel and nominated him as his agent, then they began to plan plans on the island.

Second act

The sovereign Alonso is distressed because he fears that his son has disappeared in the waters. Meanwhile, Ferdinand explores the island and, touched by Ariel's melody, meets Miranda, starting to experience feelings of love.

Third act

To test Ferdinand, Prospero assigns him modest tasks. Caliban meets Trinculo, the court jester, and Stephano, the king's servant, and they begin to plan Prospero's elimination. Ariel overhears their conversation and immediately informs Prospero of the plot.

Fourth act

Prospero continues to manipulate events on the island thanks to his spirit Ariel. Caliban convinces Stephano and Trinculo to join him in a plot to kill Prospero and take control of the island. Meanwhile, Ferdinand and Miranda are celebrating their love and preparing to get married

Fifth act

The play ends with an atmosphere of peace and universal agreement: Miranda and Ferdinand unite their lives in marriage, Prospero forgives his brother and returns to Milan to take back the kingdom he had lost. Caliban remains alone on the island, while Ariel is freed and can wander as he pleases.

Themes

The themes are the serenity: in human relationships Shakespeare seems much more concerned with human destiny than individual pouliarities, more eager to show that goodmay come of evil. There aren't tragic ends infact are the criminals prevented from causing death, but they are forgiven. Forgiveness is a theme: all ends in peace and conciliation, with music intensifying the atmosphere of enchantment. There are other elements interested for a Jacobean audience for example: the wild, exotic setting, the relationship between natives and invaders.

The most important theme

Obviusly the most important theme of the play is the "element of magic". There are two types of magic in the play. There is the dark magic of the witch Sycorax. Then there is the magic of Prospero, derived from study and used only for good purposes. Prospero's books are his source of power and represent his supernatural knowledge of him; he wears his robe as a magician but he takes it off when he is an ordinary man.

08 Gonzalo

01 Prospero

09 Trinculo and Stephano

02 Miranda

03 Caliban

Characters

04 Ariel

05 Ferdinand

06 Antonio and Sebastian

07 Alonso

Date and sources

The Tempest was performed in 1611 and because of the happy resolution of the play with the marriage of Ferdinand and Miranda it was chosen in 1613 for the wedding celebration of Elizabeth, daughter of James I, and Prince Frederick. Many different works and sources gave to Shakespeare some ideas to create the play. They are mainly of three types: 1. pamphlets about voyages to America; 2. fairy tales of monsters in human form (from which he must have taken theidea of Caliban) or stories about magic; 3. the Italian 'commedia dell'arte', since Italian companies often travelled through England.

Text analysis

In this scene, Caliban, the island's native, laments the loss of autonomy of him on the island by Prospero, the former master. Prospero, the exiled wizard, responds by accusing Caliban of trying to rape his daughter Miranda. The scene is full of tension and conflict between Caliban and Prospero.

Metric analysis

Shakespeare's work is written in blank verse, lines are composed of fivemetric feet, with a rhythm of alternation between stressed syllables and syllables don't stress.

Meaning analysis

1. Caliban laments the loss of the island, which he claims is his for birthright (his mother was Sycorax, the previous owner). [v.1-3] 2. Caliban recalls how Prospero initially looked after him, teaching him the basics of civilization and the island, but now he considers it traitor. [v.4-18] 3. Prospero accuses Caliban of trying to rape his daughter, Miranda, and scolds him for her ingratitude. [v.19-33] 4. Caliban curses Prospero and the magic he taught him, wishing for a red sore on him. [v.34-36] 5. Prospero threatens Caliban with physical punishment and orders Caliban to collect wood for him. [v.37-42]

Meaning analysis

In the scene, important themes emerge such as power, colonization, civilization vs. barbarism and the conflict between master and servant.

Trinculo and Stephano

These two characters are sailors shipwrecked on the island and become Caliban's accomplices in his rebellion against Prospero. They are often used for comic relief in opera.

Caliban

Caliban is the son of a witch who originally inhabited the island before Prospero's arrival. He is a wild and brutal character, but also very intelligent. Prospero made him his slave because of a previous attempt to rape Miranda. Caliban represents the struggle for power and colonization in the play.

Antonio and Sebastian

Antonio is the brother of Prospero and Sebastian is the brother of Alonso, the king of Naples. Both are conspirators who have usurped their respective brothers for power.

Miranda

Miranda is Prospero's young daughter. Raised on the island, she is a pure and innocent figure who knows nothing about the outside world. Her beauty and kindness fascinate the young shipwrecked Ferdinand, and the two fall in love with her.

Ariel

Ariel is an aerial spirit controlled by Prospero through his power. His magic is central to many of the play's events.

Alonso

Alonso is the king of Naples and Ferdinand's father. He is afflicted by the loss of his son and his remorse for Prospero's betrayal makes him a complex character.

Prospero

Prospero is the protagonist of the play and the Duke of Milan. He is a powerful wizard who has been exiled to a desert island with his daughter Miranda for years. Prospero is a complex character who uses magic to manipulate events on the island and plan his revenge against those who betrayed him.

Ferdinand

Ferdinand is the prince of Naples and is shipwrecked on the island. He immediately falls in love with Miranda and the two plan to get married. Ferdinand is a kind and honest character, and his love for Miranda symbolizes the strength of true love.

Gonzalo

Gonzalo is a noble man from Naples who helped Prospero and Miranda when they were exiled. He is a benevolent and compassionate character who tries to bring good into every situation.