the tempest

• this was one of shakespears last plays
• it was written in 1611
• the play was performed in november 1611 at the court of king james
• it countains courtley elements such as masque and the banquet
• it is called the tempest because of the storm in it metortorical of conflict
• storms and tempests appear in many folk tales
• shakespear uses storms in many plays as it displaces chracters and allows them to re examine themselves
• it resembles a german play called comedia von der schonen sidea written by jacob ayrer before 1605
• in jacobs play a magician prince has a spirit attendant and his daughter falls in love with the son of her fathers enemy which is similar and where he took the play from
• there could be biblical references in the play such as cain and abel where one brother overthrows the other, eden where a magical garden contains both good and evil and the rainbow is the masque (iris)reminds us of the forgivness in the noah story some people see prospero as being like god , hes also like the director of the play.

• another sources is a 1609 pamphlet called " a discovery of the bermudas" which describes a voyage where a company of ships went to make a journey to vinrginia . there was a storm and the boat started to sink but they could see an island . they belives the island to be full of witches and devils but they landed there . they found no people but many beautiful fruits and they mended their ships and returned home. .
• prospers island is in the mediterranean .
• skakespeare read a book in 1601 about a man called shirley who travelled to a greek island that was very beautiful..
• shakespeare also read montaignes essay about cannibals .
• the tempest also explores idead of drama and the stage

• like a theartre director he stages the tempest
• are all the other characters are like his actors
• he may be viewed as well intentioned or harsh
• prospero is latin for " i cause to sucseed , make happy and fortunate" the way he treats people compared to the end
• once he was a duke of milan
• has a child called miranda
• he seems to be a kind loving decoted father
• he is on the stage more than any other character
• contols fate of all others
• his magic can control nature
• we wonder if he uses his powers wisely
• he failed to recognise brothers ambition- leaves antonio to be duke of man
• he neglected governing milan
• he became too engrossed in his studies
• he used his books to learn magic.
• he enslaved caliban when he reached the island

• he freed ariel from a tree
• he created the illusion of the tempest
• he has lost his trust in others since being cast to sea
• he tests ferdinands love for miranda
• he seems sometimes cruel sometimes kind to ariel
• he feels love and gratitude towards gonzalo
• he forgives those that have behaived in a evil way
• he seems harsh towards caliban - caliban tried to **** miranda
• when he returns to milan will he govern well?

• is a spirit of the air
• has been played by men and women
• is swift and delicate
• can take on a diffenrent forms e.g. light in the storm , ceres in the masque , a harpy at the banquet and a nymph of the sea
• provides the music in the play
• his meloodies have a magical control over characters
• once was servant to sycorax
• was iimprisoned by sycorax in a tree
• was saved from the tree by prospero
• helps prospero create the tempest
• has magical abillities and can do near impossibe tasks
• wants total freedom but is willing to serve prospero
• prospero often speaks to him with affection
• prospero calls ariel "bird" "chick" " my fine spirit "
• ariel shows some pity for the humans
• his character contasts caliban

• his character may have less depth than calibams
• he is obeident to prospero
• he shows a childlike eagerness to please
• some people think that he represents prosperos imagination which can infer to ariel been made up in his mind like a fantasy
• some people think he is like a secret policeman
• is freed at the end of the play

• handsome corageous and honourable
• miranda thinks he is wonderful "thing divine "
• he was brave when he jumped into the raging sea
• he is also brave when prospero imprisons him
• he greives for his father
• his love for miranda is instant
• he says he will give up his throne for miranda
• he is touched when she offers to share his work
• he will not let her help and suffer

• she is the only woman in the play .
• her name means the wonderful one .
• her name symbolised her beauty innocence and modesty
• almost fifteen
• she has lived on the island for 12 years
• ferdinand thinks that she must be a goddess
• miranda feels sympathy for suffering of others - only women
• her first words are of concern for those in shipwreck
• dislikes calibam because he attempted to **** her
• she tries to avoid seeing caliban
• miranda falls in love at first sight
• she wants to marry ferdinand almost as soon as they meet
• she is direct and open in her expressions of admiration
• her love is immediate but it seems as if it will endure
• her love is a generous love
• she wants to help ferdinand carry logs
• beautiful sypathetic and without blemish
• she is the idea of a womanhood

• one of the most intesting character in the play.
• a savage and deformed slave with a comic aspect .
• in shakespeares time savage meant wild and uncivilised
• in shakesoeares time u civilised people were thpught to be further from god than civilised people .
• shakespeares may be questioning the values of civilsed people
• calibans name may be connected to the word cannibal
• his name could also relate to the carib indians
• caliban is deformed we dont know exactly how
• in the play he is called a tortoise a fish, a snake , a monkey, and a beast . he was once played as a tortoise
• he is closely connected to nature
• prospero calls him " the misshapen nave"
• prospero is predudiced against him as he tried to **** miranda
• caliban is about 24
• he had lived on the island 12 years before prospero came
• at first caliban was prosperos friend
• he does not regret trying to **** miranda .

• he thinks the island is his and prospero has taken it
• he plots with stephano and triculo to kill prospero
• caliban seems intelligent and has learned prosperos language
• he wants his island back but they just want power and wealth
• caliban knows the island is beautiful
• he says " the island is full of noises ,sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.

• king of naples
• he treated prosperos badl
• antonio inspired his crime
• he was weak in succumbing to antonio
• he has a keen desire to repent
• he was cruel to allow prospero and miranda to put in the sea
• he has a number of redeeming qualities
• he loves his son deeply
• though he is tired he searches the island for ferdinand
• alonso inspires the devotion of gonzalo
• gonzalo defends him against sebastians criticism
• when ariel speaks of his crime against prospero and miranda he is very upset
• he thinks about commiting suicide
• antonio and sebastian claim that  he married his daughter just to make an alliance we dp not now id this is true
• he cant believe his eyes when he sees prospero

• a noble neapolitan who helped prospero and miranda
• an old man with good intentions
• he is talkative and comments on the plot
• sebastian and antonio make fun of his chatter
• he is cheerful even in the middle of disaster
• his sense of justice persuaded him to be kind to prosperp
• he provided prospero and miranda with foods water garments and books this shows kind nature
• prospero praises gonzalos loyalty
• he calls him my true preserver

• prosperos brother
• prospero loved and trusted him
• antonio proved false
• he made an arrangement with alonso to deprive prospero of his dukedom
• he paid a yearly levy to the kind - a debt for his help
• he wanted to kill prospero and miranda
• he has lived well since prospero left
• he is on good terms with the king
• he was invited to the wedding of alonsos daughter h
• he doesnot feel guilty about what he has done
• he tempts sebastian to kill alonso- he is an antaganist
• he offers to kill alonso himself
• he thinks men will follow those in power no matter how they got int
• he is aware that gonzalo is loyal to prospero and alonso
• he advises sebastian to kill gonzalo
• he mocks gonzalo

• he mocks gonzalo
• he has cruel humour
• his is frightened by the spirits but is prepared to fight them
• he shows no sign of repenting for his crimes
• prospero forgives him but he does not thank him for this
• he does not comment on th loss of the dukedom
• it is a hard punishment for an ambitious man
• he loses the power he fought so hard to gain .

• alonsos brother
• friend of antonio
• similar character to antonio
• he mocks gonzalo
• does not seem to be involved in prosperos banishment
• ariel criticies him with alosnso and antonio
• ariel says you are 3 men of sin
• he agrees with antonios temptation to kill alonso
• he promised antonio a reward
• he is prepared to fight the spirits
• he has some courage
• like antonio he does not seem to repent
• he is included in prosperos forgiveness
• he seems to rejoice when ferdinand is founds
• perhaps his evil is triggered by antonio raher than by his nature

• " my brave spirit " = ariel
• "my master" = prospero
• "king of naples " = alonso
• "moody" = ariel
• "the foul witch " = sycorax
• " a freckled whelp " = caliban
• " nymph of the sea " = ariel
• " awake ,dear heart"= miranda
• "thou tortoise "= caliban
• "thou poisonous slave " =caliban
• " my true preserver " = gonzalo
• " sometimes milan " = prospero
• "the wronged duke of milan "= prospero
• " my brace of lords "= sebastian and antonio
• " most wicked sir" = antonio

• in shakespeares time there was widespread beleif in magic
• there are many transformations in the tempest
• people used to find mystery and magic in the church
• priests were seen as almost supernatural
• they could change bread and wine to jesus
• the reformed church removed muc of magic from religion
• people missed the magic of religion
• they looked for magic in people like witches and magicians
• other shakespeares plays like macbeth use magic
• the items and trappings mattered like cloaks
• prospero mentions the power of his wand
• he also attributes power to his books
• when he gives up his powers he says he will break his staff
• he also says he will drown his books
• the island itself is connected to magic
• calibans mother , sycroax a wicth was bannished there
• ariel and other spirits belong to the island

• prosperos powers developed on the island
• prospero uses spells through the play
• the plot is removed from real life and reality
• magic is a central theme in the play
• it holds the plot together
• prospero commands so much power due to magic
• he creates the tempest with magic
• eventually he brings his eneimees to be reconciled
• prospero is willing to give up his magical powers at the end of the play .

antonio and sebastian desire power prospero seems powerless when he is cast to seaprosperos magic gives him great power he cant change the nature of caliban or ariel with his power sycorax had power over ariel through magic prospero gives up his magical power to resume power in milan power over daughter puts her to sleep

does prospero represent god?

is this a version of cain and able (antonio being cain)

are there religious messages in the play - the rainbow- iris

the end is about forgiveness

many of the characters suffer to reach forgivness

parents and children love each other

ferdinsnd and miranda fall in love

antonio is  not a loving brother

ariel is a loving slave but caliban isnt

gonzalo shows devotion to the king

calibans love for the island

prosperos attempt to nurture caliban failed

nurture was meant to control caliban

caliban truly understands nature

prospero values education

education did not help prospero to keep his dukedom

we debate whether the educated people behave worse than the uncivilised

the island and magic have transformed prospero

he tries to change caliban

ariel tries to seek freedom - changing roles

ariel can take on many forms and images

alonso repents and changes

antonio and sebastian do not seem to change

the island seems to change those who come to it

magic can be used to transform things

the storm changes to  a calm sea symbolising peace

alonsos despair turns to joy

the masque is about changing seasosn

alonso thinks ferdinand is dead

prospero doesnt trust what he sees

the play begins with an illusion

many characters cant trust their eyes

nothng is what it seems

alonso cant belive it when he sees prospero

there are sources for this play that suggest colonialism

a man called shirley wrote of travels to greek islands

a pmphlet was produced about discovery of bermudas

travellers told tales of a new world

some travellers thought that the native people could be treated like slaves . caliban may be such a example

shakespeare may be exploring these themes and values

prospero sends miranda to sleep

ariel makes alonso and gonzalo sleep

the sailors sleep all the play

caliban has wonderful dreams

the characters expreiemces are like dreams

the masque is dream like

gonzalo dreams of perfect commonwealth

prospero is like a theatre director

he controls the action on his island stage

he manipulates people like puppets

he stages the storm like a theatrical illusion

he brings the action to a close

it is not clear what prospero intends to do to his enemies

does he desire revenge ?

does he desire reconciliation ?

iris in the masque may mean mercy

iris is the goddess of the rainbow

rainbow is the sign of a new start

like the noahs story ?

the tempest ends in forgivenss

this comes after great suffering

prospero and miranda are exiled

caliban is enslaved

ariel is imprisoned by sycorax

ariel has to serve prospero

ferdinand is forced to carry logs

people are tormented by spirits

sailors are confined below deck

caliban takes stephano as a master

prospero sets ariel free

prosperos last words are " set me free "