Prospero | Former duke of milan, now is magician on the mediterranean island |
Miranda | Prospero’s daughter |
Ariel | Servant to Prospero, a spirit |
Caliban | Servant to Prospero |
Ferdinand | Prince of Naples, son of Alonso |
Alonso | King of Naples |
Antonio | Duke of Milan and Prospero’s brother |
Sebastian | Alonso’s brother |
Trinculo | court jester, Alonso’s servant |
Stephano | Alonso’s butler |
Gonzalo | Counsilor to Alonso and friend to Prospero |
Tempest | violent storm |
What was significant about the Tempest | it was the last play Shakespeare ever wrote |
who was the play 1st performed to | King James 1 in 1611 |
what was the story based off of | 1609 shipwreck of an English ship off the coast of Bermuda |
Romance | An imaginative story in prose in poetry, in which the plot is the most important element |
Setting | The age of exploration 17th century |
Blank Verse | Unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter |
Iambic Pentameter | A line of poetry that contains five iambic feet |
Prose | Ordinary form of written language |
Sycorax | Evil witch who used to rule the island and is mother to Caliban |
Act 1, scene 1 | There’s a storm the mariners try to control the boat during it. The ship splits(metaphor) |
How did prospero and Miranda get to the island | Prospero was once king until his brother got power hungry and joined forces with King Alonso to banish him from the island |
Who saved Prospero | Gonzalo did by giving him food and books before they were sent away |
How long have they been on the island? | 12 years |
How does Ariel become prospero’s servant | After Ariel stopped serving Sycorax she put him in a tree stump she later died but when Prospero came to the island he freed him |
What did Caliban do to cause Prospero to turn on him | He tried to rape Miranda |
What does Ferdinand believe | He was the only survivor of the shipwreck |
How does Ferdinand fit into Prospero’s plan? | He wants Miranda and Ferdinand to meet and fall in love |
What is Shakespeare trying to say about the current set up of society? | That it’s corrupt and based solely on greed and power |
What is Antonio and Sebastian’s plan? | To kill Gonzalo and Alonso so Sebastian can become King |
Who plants the seed for the plan? | Antonio |
What happens that stalls S&Ant. Plan to happen | Ariel sings and wakes up the men |
What do S& Ant say why their swords are drawn? | That they heard lions |
What does Trinculo believe Caliban is when he first sees him? | A fish |
What does Stephano show Caliban | Alcohol |
What does Caliban agree to do while drunk | To be Stephano’s servant and show him around the island |
What does Caliban tell the men about what they should do | He wants them to kill Prospero so stephano can be king and kidnap Miranda to be his queen |
What happens when Ariel becomes the harpie | The food disappears and he tells the 3 men that this is all revenge for what they did to Prospero and Ferdinand’s “death” was all caused by Alonso |
What does Alonso says he’s gonna do after hearing he is responsible for killing Ferd. | To drown himself |
How long does the plan go on for | A few hours |
What does Ariel tell Prospero about the men | That if he were human he would feel pity for them |
When Ariel tells Prospero he feels pity for the men what does he decide | To release and forgive the men |
What does Prospero say he and Alonso have in common | They both lost their children in the storm |
How did Prospero actually lose her? | To marriage |
What are Miranda and Ferdinand doing while all the men are talking | Playing chess |
Do Prospero and Caliban reconcile their issues? | Yes they both forgive each other |
What does Caliban say he learned from this? | To be more careful who he trusts |
What happens to Ariel in the end of Act 5 | Prospero frees him |
What does Prospero do to his magic | He’s going to get rid of it and no longer use his power |
Why does he stop using magic | Because it’s what got him here in the first place |
What does Prospero ask the audience to do in the Epilogue | To applaud |
How does the Epilogue relate to Shakespeare’s life | It was his last play. When Prospero is saying goodbye so is Shakespeare |
The Tempest: Study Guide
July 28, 2019