Although Caliban once tried to ravish Miranda, Prospero trains him to talk and perform menial chores, using magic to keep the beast-man's baser instincts in check. When King Alonso and his company arrive on the island, his son Ferdinand is separated from the others. Alonso thinks Ferdinand has drowned, and vice versa, and both mourn their losses. He also sends Caliban to bring wood. When Ferdinand arrives, Miranda awakens and falls immediately in love with him.
Love smites Ferdinand as well.
Ferdinand is a spy and takes him prisoner. Elsewhere on the island, King Alonso and most of his company fall asleep after Ariel sings a soothing song. But just as they draw their swords, King Alonso and Gonzalo awaken. Caliban, after all, was the ruler of the island before Prospero arrived. Stephano, the king's butler, also shows up, drunk.