The Tempest

• The Tempest


  A romantic comedy written by William Shakespeare, first performed in 1611
• Protagonist


  Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan
• The Tempest is set on an isolated island, under the watchful eye of the omnipotent Prospero, where characters attempt to survive and thrive in a small, repressed community
• The Tempest's light-hearted presentation of true love, magical spells and supernatural characters bring levity to the play, which concludes that drama, as well as life, is a fleeting illusion
• Act I


  1. The play begins on board a ship at sea struggling against a storm

  2. Prospero tells Miranda why he began the storm: his brother Antonio overthrew him as Duke of Milan, and Alonso, King of Naples, captured Prospero and Miranda and set them adrift at sea

  3. Prospero puts Miranda to sleep with a magic spell and calls to his servant spirit Ariel

  4. Prospero wakes Miranda and takes her to see Caliban, his other slave
• Act II


  1. The noblemen are washed up on the island

  2. Ariel casts a spell to put Alonso and the other men to sleep, except for Antonio and Sebastian

  3. Antonio suggests to Sebastian that they take this moment to betray Alonso just as they betrayed Prospero years before

  4. Caliban meets Trinculo and Stephano, who are drunk, and tells them he believes them to be gods and will be their slave
• Act III


  1. Ferdinand and Miranda express their love and make plans to marry, unaware that Prospero is watching and overhearing them

  2. Caliban convinces Stephano to kill Prospero so he can make Miranda his wife

  3. Alonso, Sebastian, Antonio and Gonzalo are desperate in their search for Ferdinand, and Sebastian and Antonio plot to reattempt to kill Alonso
• Act IV


  1. Prospero decides to set Ferdinand free and bless his marriage to Miranda

  2. Prospero remembers Caliban's conspiracy with Stephano and sends Ariel to distract the men with fancy clothing
• Act V


  1. Prospero, in a passionate soliloquy, reflects on his success, yet reveals his tricks are unsatisfying

  2. Prospero decides to give up magic and relinquish control

  3. Prospero reveals himself as the former duke of Milan and forgives Alonso

  4. Prospero sends Ariel to release Caliban, Stephano and Trinculo and invites the noblemen to spend the night before they return to Milan

  5. Prospero asks Ariel to do one more task for him, to see them safely to Italy

  6. The play ends with Prospero's direct address to the audience, in which he says their applause will set him free