The Tempest by Shakespeare

The beginning of The Tempest introduces five of the major characters of the play: Alonso, the King of Naples; Ferdinand, his son; Sebastian, Alonso’s brother; Antonio, the Duke of Milan; and finally Gonzalo, Alonso’s counselor. The first scene is situated on a ship in uncharted waters during a wild and destructive storm. During this, Alonso and Ferdinand are praying for their safety. Meanwhile, Antonio and Sebastian curse the ship’s crew for their inability to hold things together during the storm. The maelstrom splits the ship apart and everyone is dropped into the waters off an island which is later revealed to be Prospero’s island.

Scene two introduces the main character of the play, Prospero, Antonio’s brother and the former Duke of Milan. Also introduced is Miranda, Prospero’s fifteen-year-old daughter. At this point in the play, Miranda has already witnessed the shipwreck and the storm. She knows that Prospero’s magic caused the disaster and is greatly disturbed by the horrid result.

Prospero is a master magician and governs over all of the fanciful creatures of the island. Such denizens include the airy sprite Ariel, and the deformed monster Caliban. The

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I had to go back over it a second time to fully understand how the play was resolved.

One thing that I did not like about The Tempest was that it was extremely hard to follow at some parts. He arranges for Ariel to bring them to his cell and to place some regal garments in their path. In most ways, this makes the play more interesting than regular tragedies. Alonso, at this point and time, has decided that the time has come to reckon with his brother and his accomplices, but has not told anyone but her about his plans.

At this point and time, Ariel has been sent out by his master to make Alonso and Golanzo to sleep.

Alonso's grief over Ferdinand comes to an end when Prospero reveals the young man with Miranda and their wedding plans are announced. Caliban, who has been enslaved for trying to violate Miranda, is sent by Prospero to gather wood.

Subsequent to this, Prospero explains to her why he caused the storm and informs her about their past. Another factor of this test that works against Ferdinand is that Prospero has told Miranda that he is not as manly as he appears. After hearing a loud thunderclap, a frightened Trinculo hides beneath Caliban’s cloak.

These plays have a much more storybook quality than his earlier tragedies, Romeo and Juliet and King Lear for example. However, they also include suggestions of a tragic ending, usually because the villain’s evil, but latent, doings are discovered, and finally overcome the outcome of the play. He sheds his sorcerer's robes and dons his Duke's noble attire. y, along with Prospero, convince Miranda that those who have suffered through the wreck are now safe on the island.

Approximate Word count = 1881
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)

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