| In Act II, Scene I, Ariel lulls Gonzalo, Adrian and Alonso to sleep. Why not Antonio and Sebastian? | It is Prospero’s intention for Antonio and Sebastian to remain awake, because he anticipated that their true, sinister natures would show. When Sebastian and Antonio plot to murder Alonso in order to gain control of Naples, Prospero confirms his preconceptions about their character. |
| How does Act II, Scene I further character development for the audience? | At the onset of the scene, Alonso mourns the loss of his daughter to marriage and his son to the storm. Gonzalo does his best to comfort Alonso, but is interrupted and mocked by Sebastian and Antonio. The two also lay blame on Alonso for allowing his daughter to marry an African. This scene sharply contrasts the nature of Gonazlo, who is honorable and decent, with the nature of Sebastian and Antonio, who are cruel and gluttonous. The scene functions to define the characters and relationships. |
| How does Antonio persuade Sebastian to go along with the plan to assassinateAlonso and take over Naples? | Antonio explains how his usurpation of Prospero’s kingdom worked for him, but Sebastian worries that he will be plagued by his conscience. Antonio promises he will not be, but to further persuade Sebastian he offers to kill Alonso while Sebastian kills Gonzalo. |
| Alonso helped Antonio usurp Prospero’s throne. Why does Prospero have Ariel lull him to sleep? What does this scene say about Alonso’s character? | At the beginning of Act II, Scene I, the audience sees Alonso in a state of remorse and mourning, while Antonio and Sebastian mock him. This suggests that Alonso is a compassionate and apologetic character and that he is victimized by Antonio in the same way that Prospero was victimized. Alonso’s compassion also foreshadows the remorse he feels at the end of the play for taking part in Prospero’s exile. |
| What does Ariel do when Antonio and Sebastian draw their swords and why? | Ariel sings to Gonzalo who wakes up and then wakes Alonso and Adrian. Gonzalo has proven that he is a trusted character and will do the right thing in any given situation. |
| How is Prospero similar to both Antonio and Gonzalo? | At the beginning of the play, Prospero projects characteristics similar to those of Antonio: he is vengeful, hateful, malicious. However, as the play progresses, a number of factors help to teach Prospero about compassion and forgiveness, allowing him to transcend his flawed nature and be more like Gonzalo |
| In Act II, Scene II, why does Caliban drop to the ground when Trinculo appears? | Caliban accuses Prospero of torturing him with spirits and believes Trinculo to be one of them. He drops to the ground attempting to hide from him. |
| What is Trinculo’s plan for Caliban when he sees that he is actually a man? | Trinculo believes that if he took Caliban back to Naples, he could make a fortune because of his deformed looks. |
| What does the drunken Stephano think he sees when he happens upon Caliban andTrinculo? | Caliban and Trinculo hide underneath Caliban’s robes when they hear thunder and other sounds of an impending storm. Stephano, drunk from wine he procured from the ship, thinks Caliban is a four legged monster with two voices. |
| When Caliban starts babbling to Stephano and Trinculo about what he can showthem on the island, what is Trinculo’s initial thought? | Trinculo wonders how he could have been afraid of such a weak creature. |
| What function in the play is served by Act II, Scene II with Trinculo, Stephano, andCaliban? | The scene functions as another subplot with its own “tempest” brewing, but also serves as comic relief from the other dramatic subplots. |
| How does Caliban parallel some of Prospero’s characteristics in Act II, Scene II? | At the beginning of the play, Prospero is bent on revenge and displays characteristics similar to those of Caliban, who is bitter towards Prospero for enslaving him. Caliban sees Trinculo and Stephano as his way out of servitude and also a way of carrying out revenge. |
| dolor | grief; sorrow |
| subtle | slight; difficult to detect |
| enmity | deep hatred |
| omit | leave out |
| prate | chatter |
| scurvy | contemptible |
The Tempest
July 6, 2019