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The Tempest
Although scholars have guessed that Shakespeare wrote parts of The
Tempest at an earlier stage in his career, most literary historians
believe that the entire play was written in 1610 or 1611, while Shakespeare
may have had a hand in The Two Noble Kinsman. The Tempest is
generally regarded as Shakespeare’s last stage piece. It is the fourth,
final, and the finest of Shakespeare’s great and/or late romances. Along
with Pericles, Cymbeline, and The Winter’s Tale, The
Tempest belongs to the Elizabethan romance plays.
A storm attacks a ship. In that ship, there are Alonso,
Ferdinand, Sebastian, Antonio, Gonzalo, Stefano, and Trinculo, who come to
Italy after coming from the wedding of Alonso’s daughter, Claribel, to the
prince of Tunis in Africa.
The next scene is that Miranda and Prospero stand on the shore. The
storm is caused by Prospero’s spirit Ariel. Prospero used to be a duke of
Milan until his brother Antonio, working with Alonso, the King of Naples,
took his position. Now he thinks that it is time to revenge. So he orders
Ariel to make a storm.
The Island. Before the cell of PROSPERO
PROSPERO: I pray thee, mark me.
I thus neglecting
worldly ends, all dedicated 105
To closeness and
the bettering of my mind
With that, which,
but by being so retir'd,
O'er-priz'd all
popular rate, in my false brother
Awak'd an evil
nature; and my trust,
Like a good
parent, did beget of him 110
A falsehood, in its
contrary as great
As my trust was;
which had indeed no limit,
A confidence sans
bound. He being thus lorded,
Not only with what
my revenue yielded,
But what my power
might else exact,—like one 115
Who having, into
truth, by telling of it,
Made such a sinner
of his memory,
To credit his own
lie,—he did believe
He was indeed the
Duke; out o' the substitution,
And executing th'
outward face of royalty,
With all
prerogative.—Hence his ambition growing—
Dost thou
hear?
MIRANDA: Your tale, sir, would cure deafness.
PROSPERO: To have no screen between this part he play'd
And him he
play'd it for, he needs will be
Absolute
Milan. Me, poor man—my library
Was dukedom large
enough: of temporal royalties
He thinks me now
incapable; confederates,—
So dry he was
for sway,—wi' th' King of Naples
To give him annual
tribute, do him homage;
Subject his coronet
to his crown, and bend
The dukedom, yet
unbow'd—alas, poor Milan!—
To most ignoble
stooping.
MIRANDA: O the heavens!
PROSPERO: Mark his condition, and the event; then tell me
If this might be a
brother.
(Act I, Scene ii.)
Prospero charms Miranda to sleep. He talks with Ariel
about the event and Ariel’s story. Miranda awakens from her sleep, and she
and Prospero visit Caliban. By Prospero’s effort, Miranda and Ferdinand fall
in love with each other quickly. But Prospero doesn’t want the lovers to get
close too quickly. So he prisons Ferdinand and sends Ariel another mission.
On another part of the island, Ariel makes all other
survivors sleep except Sebastian and Antonio. Antonio persuades Sebastian to
kill the rest of the people, because in that way Sebastian would be the
ruler of Naples if Alonso is dead. Ariel drives Gonzalo to wake with a shout
and others awake at once. Sebastian and Antonio lie to them that they try to
protect them from lions.
Caliban is getting wood for Prospero, and Trinculo
later joins him and moments later Stefano comes to join them too. They all
drinks liquor and get drunk. Prospero puts Ferdinand to work. Ferdinand
finds his labor pleasant because it is for Miranda. Miranda, thinking that
her father is asleep, tells Ferdinand to take a break. The two flirt with
one another. Miranda proposes marriage, and Ferdinand accepts. Prospero
knows everything without being noticed by the two lovers.
Stefano, Trinculo, and Caliban are now drunk
enough so they start to boast. Under the invisible spell of Ariel, they even
think about killing the sleeping Prospero.
Alonso, Gonzalo, Sebastian, and Antonio get tired in
the traveling. So they rest for a while. Prospero makes a dinner for them by
magic, but Ariel appears and destroys the dinner telling them that the
dinner is for Prospero and they try to steal it from Prospero. As a
punishment, Ferdinand is taken away. Prospero is softened about Ferdinand
and Miranda, and decides to take Ferdinand as his son-in-law. But he orders
Ferdinand that he shall not make love to Miranda until they are officially
married. Meanwhile, Prospero is told by Ariel that Stefano, Trinculo, and
Caliban try to kill Prospero so that Prospero and Ariel set up a trap and
get the three of them.
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