| What does Prospero instruct Ariel to do in this scene? | Prospero tells Ariel to hang his royal wardrobe on the lime tree outside his cell |
| What does Prospero call Caliban in this scene? | Prospero calls Caliban a “born devil” |
| Why does Prospero feel he has treated Caliban humanely? | Prospero has taken Caliban into his own cell and taught him language |
| How do Stephano and Trinculo react to Prospero’s expensive wardrobe? | Stephano and Trinculo are distracted, forgetting about their conspiracy to murder Prospero |
| How does Caliban react to Prospero’s finery? | Caliban thinks Prospero’s robes are nothing but “trash” |
| What have Stephano and Trinculo lost in the “fifty-mantled pool”? | Stephano and Trinculo have lost their bottle of wine in the “filthy-mantled pool” |
| Who carries the stolen clothing? Why? | Caliban is told that he must carry the stolen clothes or Stephano will turn him out of his kingdom |
| What finally happens to the thieving trio? | The thieving trio is driven out by Prospero’s spirits in the shape of dogs |
| In what way is Shakespeare observing the Aristotelian unity of time? | The action of the play takes place within the timespan of one day |
| Where has Ariel left the members of the royal party? | Ariel has left the royal party imprisoned in a grove of trees next to Prospero’s cell |
| What is the emotional condition of the king and his followers? | Alonso, Sebastian, and Antonio are distraught and the others are mourning for them |
| What does Prospero decide to do about the royal party? | Prospero intends to forgive the “three men of sin” if they are are penitent |
| What does Prospero intend to do with his magic staff and book? | Prospero will break his staff and throw his book into the sea |
| Why does Prospero give up his magic? | Prospero’s magic has accomplished its purpose of bringing his enemies to repentance and regaining his dukedom in Milan |
| Why do the king and his royal party stand in a circle? | Prospero’s magic circle keeps the king and his royal party spellbound |
| What does Prospero tell Alonso, Sebastian, and Antonio after the magic spell wears off? | Prospero tells the three men that they are forgiven for all their evil deeds |
| What does Prospero do with his magic robe after he forgives his enemies? | Prospero removes his magic robe to present himself as the former Duke of Milan |
| Why does Prospero vow to destroy his staff and book? | Prospero vows to destroy his book and staff because he believes political power is more important than magical power |
| How does Gonzalo’s speech about coincidence and fate contradict the real circumstances on the island? | Gonzalo’s speech is false because what happened on the island was not a coincidence, it was Prospero’s doing |
| How is Ariel almost more human than Prospero? | Ariel is more human than Prospero because he is more compassionate than Prospero |
| What is significant about Prospero’s acknowledging Caliban as “his”? | It is significant that Prospero claims Prospero as “his” because that is dehumanizing him and claiming him as property |
| How long has the action of the play taken? How do you know? | The action of the play is four hours long |
| When will Ariel be free? | Ariel will set Caliban free when he has served Prospero faithfully and at the end of the play |
| What is the purpose of the epilogue? | The purpose of the epilogue is Prospero giving a speech asking to be freed and people believe that the speech doubles as Shakespeare’s farewell to the theater |
| Prospero tells Ferdinand that he has given him a third of his own life, which refers to Miranda. Explain what the other two thirds of Prospero’s life would be. | The other two thirds of Prospero’s life would be Milan and Prospero’s art |
| Describe the political consequences of Miranda’s marrying Ferdinand. | The political consequences of Ferdinand and Miranda getting married is that it benefits Prospero because he wants to be Duke and Ferdinand’s father is Alonso |
| Identify the goddesses who appear in the masque? | The goddesses who appear in the masque Juno, Iris, and Ceres |
| What issue exists between Ceres and Venus so that Ceres has foresworn Venus’ company? | The issue between Ceres and Venus is that when Venus and her “evil” son planned a way to for the god of the underworld to steal Ceres daughter away from her for half a year |
| What does Prospero mean by his famous line “We are such stuff / As dreams are made on, and our little life / is rounded with a sleep.” | What Prospero means in this quote is that people dream of being the people that they are |
| What is significant about the circumstances under which Prospero ends the masque? | Prospero ends the masque because he remembers that Caliban tried to kill him |
| Why is Prospero so positive that Caliban cannot be reformed? What two themes are being explored here? | Prospero is positive that Caliban cannot be reformed because he believes Caliban is the born devil |
| What is significant about the way Ariel foils the assassination plot? | The significance of the way Ariel foils the assassination plot was to humiliate their enemies and expose their grief |
| What is significant about the last five lines of Act IV, Scene I? What is Prospero promising Ariel? | The last five lines of Act 4 are significant because it sets the stage for Prospero’s confrontation with enemies and the restoration of peace |
The Tempest Act 4 and 5 Study Guide
July 13, 2019