The Tempest
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Summary
Twelve
years after being cast upon an island and defeating the sorceress who lives
there, the former duke of Milan, Prospero finally got the chance to get revenge
on those who had wronged him. He sends a tempest to destroy the ship of the King
Alonso, and he and his company (including Prospero’s brother Antonio) wash up
on Prospero’s Island.
Prospero’s
daughter, Miranda, disturbed by the storm asks her father why he sent the storm.
Prospero tells her of their life before the island. He had once been the duke of
Milan, but his brother wanted his place, so he and the king conspired to send
Prospero and his three-year-old daughter out to sea in a leaky old boat.
Luckily for Prospero and Miranda a friend of Prospero, Gonzalo stored the
boat with food water and precious books of Prospero’s. Prospero took over the
island they washed up on, enslaved the son of the sorceress, learned magic, and
got the help of a sprite named Ariel. After his story Prospero put Miranda into
an enchanted sleep and called Ariel to him.
Ariel
reports that Alonso, his brother Sebastian, Prospero’s brother Antonio, and
Gonzalo have washed up on one part of the island and the king’s son Ferdinand
on another. Prospero tells Ariel to bring Ferdinand to him and awakes Miranda.
Together they visit Prospero’s slave, Caliban. Prospero threatens him that if
he doesn’t work harder then he would be tortured and Caliban went away.
Ferdinand came upon Miranda and Prospero being led by an invisible Ariel singing
a song. As soon as Ferdinand and Miranda see one another they fall in love.
Prospero is delighted by the young peoples’ love, but pretends to be angry
with Ferdinand and made him prove himself by taking up Caliban’s abandoned
woodpile.
Meanwhile
the king Alonso and his company search for Ferdinand, who all supposed dead, but
Gonzalo tries to cheer up Alonso by saying that they would find Ferdinand. Ariel
happens by and sends all of the company asleep except for Antonio and Sebastian.
Antonio convinces Sebastian that they should kill all present and make Sebastian
the ruler of Naples. Ariel awakens Gonzalo before the two conspirers could carry
out their plan. They all continue on the search for Ferdinand.
On
yet another part of the island the king’s jester, Trinculo finds Caliban
hiding under a coat from the rain and crawls under it with him. The king’s
butler, Stephano who is very drunk finds them and offers his bottle with them.
The two other men befriend the disfigured Caliban who gives up his service to
Prospero and swears to be the subject of Stephano. Ariel, invisible, makes
trouble among them, but they are so intoxicated they didn’t dwell on it for
long. The three decide to kill Prospero and take over the island, where Stephano
would be king with Miranda as his wife, with Caliban and Trinculo as dukes.
Ariel leads them away with his strange music.
Spirits
of Prospero come to taunt the King’s party with a feast, and before they can
eat it everything disappears. Ariel swoops on them in the shape of a harpy and
accuses Alonso, Antonio and Sebastian of wronging the true Duke of Milan. He
threatens them with a fate worse than death, and leaves them scared and
dejected.
Miranda
seeks out Ferdinand when she thinks her father is not around and asks him to
stop his labors for a while. Prospero approaches them unseen and watches them
proclaim their love for one another. They join their hands, which was a part of
the marriage vows at the time. They part and Prospero lets some time go by
before he tells Ferdinand that he is free to go, and has won Miranda. Prospero
treats the new couple with a masque preformed by spirits in the direction of
Ariel. During the entertainment Prospero remembers what Ariel told him of the
plans of Caliban, Trinculo and Stephano. He sends the spirits (disguised as
dogs) in a wild case after the three.
Ariel leads the king and his company
into a charmed circle before Prospero. All of them were amazed to see him alive
and well. Prospero commanded Antonio to give him back his dukedom and warned
Sebastian not to conspire against the king. Finally he took the mournful king
into his cave and showed him Ferdinand and Miranda together. Ferdinand and his
father reunite and Ariel enters with the boats crew with news that the boat is
now fit again for voyage. Caliban, Stephano and Trinculo had the spell lifted
from them and were ordered to prepare food for the company.
Before returning to Naples Prospero set
his beloved sprite free and gave up his magic.
The island holds a magic of it’s own, those who are truthful, and good
see the island as a beautiful place. To those who are power driven and selfish
the island is dry and lifeless.
Character Development
Gonzalo – (2.1,
lines 55-58) “Gonzalo: How lush and lusty the grass looks! How green! Antonio:
The ground indeed is tawny. Sebastian: With an eye [touch] of green in
‘t.” – Gonzalo sees the beauty in the island even when others do not,
proving his good heart.
Antonio -
(2.1,
lines 55-58) “Gonzalo: How lush and lusty the grass looks! How green! Antonio:
The ground indeed is tawny. Sebastian: With an eye [touch] of green in
‘t.” – Antonio only sees the grass to be brown and unhealthy, proving his
purpose to be poor and self centered.
Sebastian -
(2.1,
lines 55-58) “Gonzalo: How lush and lusty the grass looks! How green! Antonio:
The ground indeed is tawny. Sebastian: With an eye [touch] of green in
‘t.” – Sebastian also only sees the island as a place on the way to
Naples; he doesn’t care for his surroundings and doesn’t take time to look
around.
Ferdinand – (4.1, lines 137-9) “Ferdinand: Let me live here forever. / So rare a wondered father and a wife / Makes this place paradise.” – Ferdinand is pure when he is with Miranda and Prospero, they make the island wonderful for him, he might have not found it beautiful before he met them; meaning he might have been starting a path like that of his father, uncle and Antonio.
Word Play
(2.1, lines 8-12) Gonzalo to Alonso “Then
wisely, good sir, weigh our sorrow with our comfort. Alonso: Prithee,
peace. Sebastian [aside to Antonio]: He receives comfort like cold
porridge.” – “Porridge” is “pease-porridge”, which is made from
peas, and is a pun on “peace”.
(2.1 lines 18-21) “Gonzalo: When every grief
is entertained [received] that’s offered, comes to th’ entertainer [the one
who recognizes it] – Sebastian: A dollar. Gonzalo: Dolor comes to him
indeed.” – Sebastian takes “entertainer” as someone who amuses others
and gets paid for it. Gonzalo turns the pun around on him; “dolor” meaning
“sorrow”.
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