The Tempest LitChart PDF

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Lit Chart for the Tempest - Has summaries and Character Analysis as well as Symbols and Themes...

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The Tempest Background Info Author Bio

Historical and Literary Context

Full Name: William Shakespeare

When Written: 1610-1611

Date of Birth: 1564 Place of Birth: Stratford-upon-Avon, England Date of Death: 1616

Where Written: England When Published: 1623 Literary Period: T he Renaissance (1500-1660)

Brief Life Story: Shakespeare’s father was a glove-maker, and Shakespeare received no more than a grammar school education. He married Anne Hathaway in 1582, but left his family behind around 1590 and moved to London, where

Related Literary Works: The Tempest is different from many of Shakespeare’s plays in t hat it does not derive from one clear source. T he play does, however, draw on many of the motifs common to Shakespeare’s works. T hese include the

he became an actor and playwright. He was an immediat e success: Shakespeare soon became the most popular playwright of t he day as well as a part-owner of the Globe

painful parting of a father wit h his daug hter, jealousy and hat red bet ween brothers, the usurpation of a legitimate ruler, the play-within-a-play, and the experiences of courtiers

Theat er. His theat er troupe was adopted by King James as the King ’s Men in 1603. Shakespeare ret ired as a rich and prominent man to Stratford-upon-Avon in 1613, and died

transplant ed to a new environment. It is commonly classified wit h Pericles , The Winter’s Tale, and Cymbeline in a small group of plays called “romances.” T hese plays cont ain

three years later.

elements of comedy and, to a lesser ext ent , tragedy, but do not wholly belong t o either categ ory. Common elements in Shakespearean romances include experiences of loss and

Key Facts Full Title: The Tempest Genre: Romance Setting: An unnamed island in the Mediterranean Sea Climax: Ariel appears as a harpy before Antonio, Alonso, and Sebastian and condemns t hem for stealing Prospero’s kingdom Protagonist: Prospero Antagonists: Antonio, Alonso, Sebastian, and Caliban

recovery, as well as imag inat ive realms in which magic can play an import ant role. Historical Context: English people in the Renaissance period were aware of t he effort s by their government (and that of other European government s) to explore and colonize

America. People were fascinat ed by report s of indigenous cult ures and human survival in wild places, while philosophers such as Mont aigne pondered the nature of the relationshi bet ween colonizer and colonized peoples. Many scholars believe that the play was inspired in part by a manuscrip that circulated in London in 1610. It was writ t en by William Strachey and told of a hurricane that wrecked a ship full o colonist s bound for Jamestown in 1609. The ship ran ag round on a deserted island in the Bermudas. Everyone survived, but they strug gled t o adapt to the unfamiliar island environmen and to maint ain order and harmony as t hey built new ship and prepared t o sail once more for Jamestown.

Extra Credit Shakespeare or Not? T here are some who believe Shakespeare wasn’t educat ed enough to write the play att ributed to him. The most common anti-Shakespeare theor is that Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford, wrote the plays and used Shakespeare as a front man because aristocrat s were not supposed to write plays. Yet the evidence supportin Shakespeare’s aut horship far out weighs any evidence against. So until furt her not ice, Shakespeare is still the mos influential writer in the Eng lish language.

distant lands. When Shakespeare was writ ing The Te mpest, the Jamestown colony had just recent ly been est ablished in

Plot Summary A raging storm at sea threat ens a ship bearing Alonso, King of Naples, and his court on their voyage home from t he wedding of Alonso’s daug hter in Tunisia. Frustrated and afraid, the court iers and t he ship’s crew exchange insult s as t he ship goes down. From a nearby island, Prospero, the former Duke of Milan, and his daug ht er Miranda wat ch t he ship. Miranda worries about the ship’s passengers, suspect s t hat her father has created the storm using his magical powers, and begs him to calm the wat ers. Prospero t hen reveals to Miranda the det ails of t heir past, t elling how, 12 years ago, his brot her Antonio betrayed and overt hrew him. With the help of Alonso, Antonio arranged for Prospero and Miranda t o be kidnapped and set

to spy on t he shipwrecked courtiers. Prospero then awakens Miranda and summons his servant Caliban, the son of Sycorax. Caliban curses Prospero, and denies t hat he owes Prospero anything for educating him. To prove his point, he recounts how Prospero stripped him of his rulership of t he island. Meanwhile, Ariel, still invisible, leads Ferdinand , Alonso’s son, t o Prospero. Ferdinand and Miranda fall immediat ely in love, but Prospero put s a spell on Ferdinand and t akes him int o custody. Elsewhere, Alonso, Gonzalo (an advisor t o Alonso), Antonio, and Sebast ian (Alonso’s brother) awaken t o find t hemselves safely on shore. Alonso mourns, thinking that

A bit later, Antonio and Sebastian resume their plot agains Alonso, but Ariel again disrupts it. Appearing as a harpy, he accuses t hem and Alonso of overthrowing Prospero and says that only sincere repentance can save t hem now. Alonso immediat ely repent s. Ant onio and Sebastian pledge t o fight back but Prospero soon enchants and t raps them all. Back at Prospero’s cave, Prospero gives his blessing to Miranda and Ferdinand’s marriage. He summons spirits to perform an elaborate masque (dramatic performance) for the couple. Suddenly, Prospero remembers Caliban’s plot t o mur-

Ferdinand has drowned in the storm. Ariel enters and plays solemn music that put s Gonzalo and Alonso to sleep. While

der him. He abruptly ends the masque and, with Ariel’s help tricks and then chases off t he t hree would-be murderers. In t he play’s final scene, Prospero, wit h Ariel’s counsel, de-

adrift at sea. Now, Prospero says, circumst ances allow him to take reveng e on his enemies, and for t his reason he has conjured the storm.

they sleep, Antonio persuades Sebastian to t ry t o murder Alonso and become king of Naples. Ariel wakes t he sleeping men just in t ime to prevent the deed.

cides that rat her than taking revenge he will instead give up h magic and forgive his enemies. He present s himself t o them in the robes he wore as Duke of Milan. T he court iers are ast ound

Prospero charms Miranda, and she falls asleep. He then summons his spirit-servant Ariel, who creat ed t he storm. Ariel says that he has made sure everyone made it t o the island

On still anot her part of t he island, Caliban encount ers Alonso’s butler Stephano and jester Trinculo . He mist akes t hem for gods because they g ive him wine and get him drunk. Wit h

ed. Alonso apologizes and relinquishes control of Milan, t hough Antonio remains silent. Alonso and Ferdinand are reunit ed and Alonso gives his blessing t o the marriage of Miranda and

alive, but scat tered separat ely, then mentions t hat Prospero promised to free him from servit ude early in return for g ood service. Prospero ang rily reminds the spirit that he saved him from t he prison in which the witch Sycorax put him. (Sycorax was the previous ruler of t he island.) Ariel apologizes and follows Prospero’s orders—he makes himself invisible and goes

Ariel list ening in, Caliban persuades t hem to help him murder Prospero with t he promise that he will serve them as lords of the island.

Ferdinand. Prospero summons Stephano, Trinculo, and Caliban and exposes them to general scorn. Caliban curses himself for mist aking them for gods. Prospero t hen charges Ariel t o ensure

While Ferdinand does hard labor for Prospero, he encounters Miranda. They express their affection for each other. Wit h

a safe voyage back to Italy for all, and then grants Ariel his free dom. T he play ends with Prospero’s epilogue, in which he asks

Prospero secret ly looking on, t hey agree t o marry.

the audience to applaud and set him free.

Prospero – The right ful Duke of Milan who was overt hrown

in a play, Prospero controls the actions of the people on the

to g rant someday. In the meant ime, Ariel serves Prospero

and exiled by his brot her Antonio and Alonso, t he King of Naples. Prospero has lived for 12 years with his daughter Mira n-

island. Prospero is domineering, and expects gratit ude and loyally, and seems to enjoy the mischievous tricks he pulls on devotion from both his daug hter and his servant s. Yet he is Prospero’s enemies. At the play’s end, Ariel’s compassion for not bloodt hirst y, and at t he end of t he play, rat her t han tak- those enemies moves Prospero to release and forg ive them.

Characters da on a desert ed island, where he has become a powerful enchanter and t he master of t he spirit Ariel and t he “monst er” Caliban. Prospero has become a powerful enchanter, and his magical skill gives him almost complete control over everyone on t he island. He’s not shy about using his enchantment s either, whether on his enemies or on his daughter, t o manipulat e events t o his liking . In fact , Prospero’s power on t he island is so complete t hat many critics compare him t o an aut hor of a play—just as an aut hor controls the actions of t he charact ers

ing reveng e on those who wronged him when he has t hem at his mercy, he inst ead choose t o g ive up his mag ic power and reconcile with his enemies.

Caliban – Prospero’s unwilling slave. As t he son of th

Ariel – A spirit and Prospero’s servant . Prospero rescued

prior to Prospero’s arrival, Caliban believes t hat he should be mast er of the island. When Prospero initially came to the island, Caliban showed him friendship, and in ret urn Prospero

Ariel from a prison in which he was placed by the dead wit ch Sycorax. Now Ariel uses magic to carry out Prospero’s commands Ariel wants his freedom which Prospero has promised

wit ch Sycorax, who ruled the island before she died years

educated Caliban. But Caliban eventually came t o realize tha Prospero would never view him as more t han an educat ed

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Gonzalo – Alonso ’s advisor. Gonzalo was charged with car-

Stephano – Alonso’s but ler. Stephano is a comical character

of Prospero. Caliban’s name is a near anagram for t he world “cannibal,” and in many ways he is a symbol of the natives

rying out t he kidnapping of Prospero and Miranda. A kind soul, he pitied the pair and arrang ed for t hem to have provisions for survival in exile. Gonzalo makes t he best of every

that European explorers encount ered. Throug h Caliban, and his relationship t o Prospero, Shakespeare explores the themes of colonization and the relationship between the colonizer and

sit uat ion, while others seem to tire of his unfailing ly posit ive at titude. Thoug h he is an obj ect of Antonio and Sebastian’s ridicule, he always maint ains his dig nit y.

who spends t he whole play drunk. When Caliban mistakes him for a g od because he gives Caliban wine and gets him drunk, Stephano begins to fancy himself a king. Caliban’s plot to murder Prospero is therefore very appealing to him, as are the showy garments Prospero and Ariel lay out to trap him.

savage. Thoug h capable of sensit ivit y and eloquence, Caliban is furious and bitter and wants nothing more than to rid himself

the colonized.

Alonso – T he king of Naples. Alonso plot t ed with Antonio to Miranda – Prospero’s daught er, the rightful princess of Milan. Miranda knows nothing of her past until Prospero fills her in during the second scene of the play. Miranda is a compassionate, dutiful daught er, and her only harsh words in the play are directed at Caliban , who t ried to rape her at one time. Completely isolated from other people except her father,

overt hrow Prospero, but he expresses genuine remorse when confronted with his crimes. Alonso also shows a sincere love for his son Ferdinand and is distraug ht for much of t he play, believing t hat Ferdinand has drowned in the tempest.

Miranda is amazed when she sees other humans, and immediately falls in love with Ferdinand , even thoug h he is only the third man she can remember meeting in her life.

Miranda. T heir union seals the reconciliat ion bet ween Alonso of Naples and Prospero of Milan. Ferdinand is kind, court eous, and dutiful. His love for and loyalt y t o his father (who he

Antonio – Prospero’s brot her. Ant onio once plot ted to

thinks is dead for most of the play) is sincere, as is his love for Miranda.

overt hrow Prospero and later encourages Sebastian to do the same to Alonso . He is a power-hungry and conniving character, and never shows remorse for his cruel schemes or t heir consequences. Antonio is noticeably silent in response to his brother’s offer of forgiveness at the end of the play.

Trinculo – T he king’s jester. Trinculo is another comical char acter, and like St ephano, he is drunk for much of t he play. Trin culo is less charismatic and more cowardly t han Stephano He resents Caliban ’s worship of St ephano but readily follows along wit h the plot to murder Prospero.

Boatswain – A member of t he ship’s crew. T he boat swain Ferdinand – Alonso ’s son. Ferdinand finds love with

speaks commanding ly to t he courtiers in the first scene. His assert ion of his aut horit y angers the court iers, especially An tonio and Sebastian.

Sycorax – A vicious witch, and Caliban’s mother. Sycorax ruled t he island, imprisoned Ariel when he refused to do her nast y bidding , and died before Prospero’s arrival.

Sebastian – Alonso ’s brother. Sebastian is easily persuaded by Antonio to try to murder his brother so t hat he can become king. It is lat er revealed that he also played a part in the overthrow of Prospero. T hough Sebastian does inquire of Antonio whether his conscience bothers him, he never expresses remorse for his plans.

Adrian – A minor lord in the king’s court. Francisco – A minor lord in the king’s court.

Themes In Lit Chart s, each theme get s its own corresponding color,

is full of examples of power t aken by force, and in each case

Colonization

which you can use to t rack where t he themes occur in the work. There are t wo ways t o t rack themes:

these actions lead to political instability and further at tempts to gain power t hrough violence. Antonio and Alonso’s over-

During the t ime when The Tempest was writ ten and f irs performed, both Shakespeare and his audiences would have been very interested in the efforts of English and ot her Euro

throughout the Summary and Analysis sections.

throw of Prospero leads to Antonio and Sebastian’s plot to overt hrow Alonso, j ust as Prospero’s overt hrow and enslavement of Caliban leads Caliban to seek revenge. Ult imately, it is only when Prospero breaks the cycle of

pean set tlers to colonize distant lands around t he globe. Th Tempest explores the complex and problematic relationship bet ween the European colonizer and t he native colonized

where t he themes appear t hroughout the entire work.

violence by refusing t o t ake revenge on Alonso, Antonio, Sebastian, or Caliban t hat the political t ensions in t he play are

peoples throug h t he relationship bet ween Prospero and Caliban. Prospero views Caliban as a lesser being t han himself.

Loss and Restoration

calmed and reconciled. After Prospero’s merciful refusal to seek revenge, Alonso and Prospero quickly come to an understanding and unite their once warring cities through the

As such, Prospero believes t hat Caliban should be grateful to him for educating Caliban and lifting him out of “savagery.” I simply does not occur to Prospero that he has stolen rulership

marriag e of their children. The Tempest sug gest s that compromise and compassion are more effective political tools than violence, imprisonment, or even magic.

of t he island from Caliban, because Prospero can’t imag ine Caliban as being fit t o rule anyt hing . In contrast, Caliban soo realizes t hat Prospero views him as a second-class citizen fit

Magic, Illusion, and Prospero as Playwright

only to serve and t hat by giving up his rulership of the island i ret urn for his education, he has allowed himself to be robbed As a result, Caliban turns bit ter and violent, which only re

Prospero’s at t empt to recover his lost dukedom of Milan drives the plot of the Tempest. But Prospero isn’t the only character in t he play to experience loss. Ariel lost his freedom to Sycorax and now serves Prospero. Caliban, who considers himself the rig ht ful ruler of the island, was overthrown and enslaved by Prospero. By creating the tempest that shipwrecks Alonso and his court iers on t he island, Prospero strips t hem of their position and power, and also causes Alonso to believe

The Tempest is full of Prospero’s magic and illusions. The play

that he has lost his son t o t he sea. Throug h their reactions to these losses, the play’s characters reveal their true natures. Reduced to desperation and

begins wit h Prospero’s magic (the t empest), and ends with Prospero’s magic (his command that Ariel send the ship safely back t o It aly). In bet ween, the audience watches as Prospero

despair, Alonso recognizes his error in helping to overt hrow Prospero and gives up his claim to Milan, returning Prospero to

uses visual and aural illusions t o manipulate his enemies and expose their true selves. At nearly every point in the play,

power and restoring order between Milan and Naples. T hough he desperat ely wants t o be free, Ariel loyally serves his mast er Prospero. Prospero, meanwhile, gives up his mag ic rather than

Prospero’s magic g ives him total cont rol—he always seems to know what will happen next , or even to control what will happen next. At one point, Prospero even goes so far as to sug gest

seeking revenge and frees Ariel before ret urning to Milan. In cont rast to Alonso, Antonio and Sebastian never show remorse for overthrowing Prospero and prove t o be ambitious killers in their plot to murder and overt hrow Alonso. Stephano

that all of life is actually an illusion that vanishes with deat h: “We are such st uff as dreams are made on, and our lit tle life is rounded with a sleep” (4.1.156-158).

bastian criticizes Alonso for allowing his daughter to marr an African. Exploration and colonizat ion led directly to slavery

Many critics see Prospero’s magical powers as a metaphor for a playwright’s literary techniques. Just as Prospero uses mag ic to create illusions, control situations, and resolve con-

and the conquering of native peoples. For instance, Stephano and Trinculo both consider capturing Caliban to sell as a curi osit y back at home, while St ephano eventually begins to see

flicts, t he playwright does t he same using words. Throug hout the play, Prospero often lurks in the shadows behind a scene,

himself as a pot ent ial king of the island. At t he same time the expand...