SparkNotes: The Tempest: Character List Character List Plot Overview Analysis of Major Characters Prospero - The play’s protagonist, and father of Miranda. Twelve years before the events of the play, Prospero was the duke of Milan. His brother, Antonio, in concert with Alonso, king of Naples, usurped him, forcing him to flee in a boat with his daughter. The honest lord Gonzalo aided Prospero in his escape. Prospero has spent his twelve years on the island refining the magic that gives him the power he needs to punish and forgive his enemies. Read an in-depth analysis of Prospero. Miranda - The daughter of Prospero, Miranda was brought to the island at an early age and has never seen any men other than her father and Caliban, though she dimly remembers being cared for by female servants as an infant. Because she has been sealed off from the world for so long, Miranda’s perceptions of other people tend to be naïve and non-judgmental. She is compassionate, generous, and loyal to her father. Read an in-depth analysis of Miranda. Ariel - Prospero’s spirit helper.

Ariel is referred to throughout this SparkNote and in most criticism as “he,” but his gender and physical form are ambiguous. Rescued by Prospero from a long imprisonment at the hands of the witch Sycorax, Ariel is Prospero’s servant until Prospero decides to release him. He is mischievous and ubiquitous, able to traverse the length of the island in an instant and to change shapes at will. He carries out virtually every task that Prospero needs accomplished in the play. Caliban - Another of Prospero’s servants. Caliban, the son of the now-deceased witch Sycorax, acquainted Prospero with the island when Prospero arrived. Caliban believes that the island rightfully belongs to him and has been stolen by Prospero. His speech and behavior is sometimes coarse and brutal, as in his drunken scenes with Stephano and Trinculo (II.ii, IV.i), and sometimes eloquent and sensitive, as in his rebukes of Prospero in Act I, scene ii, and in his description of the eerie beauty of the island in Act III, scene ii (III.ii.130-138). Read an in-depth analysis of Caliban.

Ferdinand - Son and heir of Alonso. Ferdinand seems in some ways to be as pure and naïve as Miranda. He falls in love with her upon first sight and happily submits to servitude in order to win her father’s approval. Alonso - King of Naples and father of Ferdinand. Alonso aided Antonio in unseating Prospero as Duke of Milan twelve years before. As he appears in the play, however, he is acutely aware of the consequences of all his actions. He blames his decision to marry his daughter to the Prince of Tunis on the apparent death of his son. In addition, after the magical banquet, he regrets his role in the usurping of Prospero. Antonio - Prospero’s brother. Antonio quickly demonstrates that he is power-hungry and foolish. In Act II, scene i, he persuades Sebastian to kill the sleeping Alonso. He then goes along with Sebastian’s absurd story about fending off lions when Gonzalo wakes up and catches Antonio and Sebastian with their swords drawn. Sebastian - Alonso’s brother. Like Antonio, he is both aggressive and cowardly.

He is easily persuaded to kill his brother in Act II, scene i, and he initiates the ridiculous story about lions when Gonzalo catches him with his sword drawn. Gonzalo - An old, honest lord, Gonzalo helped Prospero and Miranda to escape after Antonio usurped Prospero’s title. Gonzalo’s speeches provide an important commentary on the events of the play, as he remarks on the beauty of the island when the stranded party first lands, then on the desperation of Alonso after the magic banquet, and on the miracle of the reconciliation in Act V, scene i. Trinculo & Stephano - Trinculo, a jester, and Stephano, a drunken butler, are two minor members of the shipwrecked party. They provide a comic foil to the other, more powerful pairs of Prospero and Alonso and Antonio and Sebastian. Their drunken boasting and petty greed reflect and deflate the quarrels and power struggles of Prospero and the other noblemen. Boatswain - Appearing only in the first and last scenes, the Boatswain is vigorously good-natured. He seems competent and almost cheerful in the shipwreck scene, demanding practical help rather than weeping and praying.

And he seems surprised but not stunned when he awakens from a long sleep at the end of the play. More Help Character List Character List Bookmark this page Manage My Reading List Prospero The rightful duke of Milan. After his brother, Antonio, seized his title and property, Prospero was exiled with his daughter and eventually found refuge on an island. Miranda Prospero's daughter. She has been on the island with her father for 12 years — since she was 3 years old. Antonio Prospero's younger brother, who is now the duke of Milan. He had plotted against Prospero years earlier and now convinces Sebastian to murder his brother, the king of Naples. Ariel A spirit of the air, he assists Prospero in seeking retribution over his enemies. Caliban The offspring of the witch Sycorax and the devil. Prospero has made Caliban his servant or slave, and in response, Caliban plots to murder Prospero. Ferdinand The son of the king of Naples. During the storm, he was separated from the rest of the king's party, met Miranda, and fell in love with her. Alonso The king of Naples.

He believes his son has died and is overjoyed to later find him. Alonso is repentant for the pain he caused Prospero in the past. Sebastian Alonso's brother. He is easily led into planning his own brother's (the king's) murder. Gonzalo An elderly counselor who saves Prospero's and Miranda's lives when they are exiled. He provides a sense of hope and optimism when Ferdinand is lost. Stefano The king's butler. He arrives on the island drunk and quickly becomes involved in a plot to murder Prospero. Trinculo The king's jester. When Stefano arrives with wine, Trinculo joins him in drinking and then agrees to a plot to murder Prospero. Francisco and Adrian Two of the king's lords. They try to offer hope and protection to Alonso. Boatswain The ship's petty officer. He is in charge of the deck crew, the rigging, and the anchor. He must try to keep the boat afloat during the storm, even when the king's party makes demands upon his time.

The Tempest Characters The Tempest Characters Mariners Mariners try to keep the ship afloat during the storm, but soon realize that all is lost and that their only hope is in prayer. They spend some time under strange hatches, haunted by odd sounds, but then awake to discover that their ship has not been wrecked after all. Miranda Miranda is Prospero’s daughter. Though she has some vague memories of her time at court when she was a toddler, in the main she has no recollection of a life other than being isolated on an island with no company but her father and Caliban. The Tempest by William Shakespeare - Overview Buy Direct The Tempest, by William Shakespeare , was his final play. The Tempest is considered one of Shakespeare's greatest works. Neither tragedy, nor comedy, the play is sometimes classified as a romance because of its concentration on family, reconciliation, and the divine power of mercy to end conflict. This famous drama is highly poetic and far more spiritual than many of Shakespeare's earlier works. The Tempest is rooted firmly in the human characters that walk across the stage of Shakespeare's fantasy world. Overview: The Tempest The play begins with the tempest that gives it its title.

A ship has blown off course and a number of noblemen have washed up on the shore of a mysterious island. What they do not know is that the master of the island is Prospero, the man whom they deposed from the Dukedom of Milan many years before. Alone on the island for many years, Prospero had learnt many magical powers, and he conjured the storm that brought his enemies under his power. continue reading below our video Test Your General Science Knowledge We follow the progress of the marooned occupants of the ship as they make their ways around the island and finally come to meet Prospero in the play's final scenes. Ferdinand, the son of the King of Naples, is separated from his father and meets Prospero's daughter, Miranda. The pair fall in love at first sight, but Prospero makes Ferdinand prove his worth before letting him marry Miranda. The King of Naples (on another part of the island) is with two of his noblemen, his brother and the current Duke of Milan. These men are led about the island by Prospero's airy spirit, Arial, before being made to see the error of their ways.

Then, in a comic subplot, Caliban allies himself with the King's footmen and drunken butler; and they attempt to kill Prospero and take over the island. Prospero and his cohorts repent. In the final scene, Prospero renounces his magical powers and determines to return to Milan. Farewell on Stage: The Tempest Because of the valedictory tone of the play, and the fact that Prospero (the master magician) says he wishes to return home and give up his powers, many have seen The Tempest as Shakespeare's farewell to the stage. This may or may not be true, but what certainly is the case is that The Tempest explicitly links the power of magic to the magic created by a playwright and his actors in the theatre. Shakespeare brilliantly captures the nature of a man who is ready and content to bring a life of work to a satisfactory conclusion. Magic and Sorcery: The Tempest In The Tempest, Shakespeare offers up his most protracted and interesting use of magic and sorcery. By making Prospero a powerful wizard, he enables the central character to show a control of events that is unusual and which orders the rest of the play's action.

Rather than being an ordinary drama (in which events come into conflict with what the characters wants or needs) The Tempest is a pageant where Prospero's desires are played out. And, in the end, Prospero's central aim is reconciliation--as he forgives his enemies. In this way, Shakespeare shows his support for the natural order. The Tempest is a play of extraordinary power--with some of the most beautiful poetry that Shakespeare has written. Even Caliban, who is supposed to be the villain, speaks in praise of the beautiful island that gives him a certain dignity. His final work, and one in which he shows that his power for drama was undiminished by age, The Tempest is a truly beautiful tale, woven by the English language's greatest proponent. The Tempest Play: Overview & Resources for Shakespeare's Tempest Read The Tempest in simple, modern English Main characters in The Tempest: Prospero, the Duke of Milan, overthrown by his brother, Antonio, lives on the island with his Daughter, Miranda after having been put into a boat and pushed out to sea 12 years before. During that time he has studied magic and now controls the island through that art.

Prospero causes a shipwreck as his brother, Antonio, with a party of other dignitaries is returning from a wedding in Tunis. Alonso, the King of Naples, helped Antonio to depose Prospero. With him is his villainous brother, Sebastian and his son, Ferdinand, who falls in love with Miranda the moment he sets eyes on her. The other members of the party are Gonzalo, an old courtier of Milan, the man who tried to help Prospero and Miranda after the coup and two of Alonso’s courtiers, Adrian and Francisco. Prospero has two servants: Ariel, a delicate and bird-like spirit who is invisible, except to his master and he performs magical tasks for him, and Caliban, a misshapen monster, the son of the wicked witch Sycorax, who died before Prospero arrived on the island. Trinculo, Alonso’s jester and Stephano, his butler, have also survived the wreck. There are three goddesses who make an appearance on the island – Iris, Ceres and Juno. See a full list of characters in The Tempest .

The Tempest themes: The play is about forgiveness and reconciliation as Prospero forgives all those who have wronged him and his daughter, and returns to resume his Dukedom in Milan. In a more postmodern fashion the play is concerned with itself as a play. With its theatrical illusions and disguises, and the action directed by the main character, Prospero, it explores theatrical production. Magic was a taboo subject in Shakespeare’s time, with withces and other occultists routinely burnt at the stake. Shakespeare is exploring the potential of magic for good rather than evil. Other themes are civilization versus nature; authority, and, as usual in Shakespeare, appearance and reality. The Tempest Play Resources: Shakespeare's The Tempest: Summary, Characters & Analysis - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com Shakespeare's The Tempest: Summary, Characters & Analysis Watch short & fun videos Start Your Free Trial Today An error occurred trying to load this video. Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. You must create an account to continue watching Register for a free trial Are you a student or a teacher?

I am a student Start Your Free Trial To Continue Watching As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you succeed. Coming up next: Thane of Cawdor: Meaning in Macbeth & Overview You're on a roll. Keep up the good work! Your next lesson will play in 10 seconds 0:00 Summary of ''The Tempest'' 1:11 Characters Add to Add to Add to Want to watch this again later? Log in or sign up to add this lesson to a Custom Course. Custom Courses are courses that you create from Study.com lessons. Use them just like other courses to track progress, access quizzes and exams, and share content. Teachers Organize and share selected lessons with your class. Make planning easier by creating your own custom course. Students Create a new course from any lesson page or your dashboard. From any lesson page: Click "Add to" located below the video player and follow the prompts to name your course and save your lesson. From your dashboard: Click on the "Custom Courses" tab, then click "Create course".

Next, go to any lesson page and begin adding lessons. Edit your Custom Course directly from your dashboard. Personalize: Name your Custom Course and add an optional description or learning objective. Organize: Create chapters to group lesson within your course. Remove and reorder chapters and lessons at any time. Share your Custom Course or assign lessons and chapters. Teacher Edition: Share or assign lessons and chapters by clicking the "Teacher" tab on the lesson or chapter page you want to assign. Students' quiz scores and video views will be trackable in your "Teacher" tab. Premium Edition: You can share your Custom Course by copying and pasting the course URL. Only Study.com members will be able to access the entire course. Create an account to start this course today Try it free for 5 days! Lesson Transcript Instructor: Ryan Bing The Tempest is a tale of magic, deception, revenge, and marriage. Learn what happens as Prospero, the deposed Duke of Milan, plots revenge against his foes on a remote island. Then, examine some critical analyses of the play. Summary of The Tempest The Tempest is a play that was written by William Shakespeare in the early 1600s.

When the play begins, Prospero, the deposed Duke of Milan, and his teenage daughter, Miranda, live on a remote island where they have been stranded for the past twelve years. Their only companions are Ariel, a magical spirit enslaved by Prospero, and Caliban, a native of the island who is also enslaved by Prospero. Prospero was originally Duke of Milan, but his position was usurped by his brother Antonio, possibly with the consent of King Alonso of Naples and Alonso's brother Sebastian. The play opens with Antonio, Alonso, and several of their retainers on a ship in a great storm, the titular tempest. Unbeknownst to them, the storm is the work of Prospero, who aims to shipwreck them on his island. Once they are washed ashore, Prospero plans to take revenge on his foes and regain his position as Duke of Milan. Eventually, through magic, intimidation, and trickery, Prospero succeeds in his plans. Prospero is restored to his dukedom, brings about the revelation of Antonio's betrayal, and secures the marriage of Miranda to King Alonso's son, Prince Ferdinand.

Characters Let's take a look at the characters in this play: Prospero is the former Duke of Milan, treacherously overthrown by his brother Antonio. Prospero and his daughter, Miranda, narrowly escaped death during the coup with the help of Gonzalo. Now stranded on a remote island, Prospero is a great sorcerer who draws his powers from his books and from the enslaved spirit Ariel. Prospero plots revenge on his enemies, and this drives much of the action in the play. Miranda is Prospero's teenage daughter, who has been stranded on the island with Prospero for the past twelve years. By the end of the play, Miranda has fallen in love with Ferdinand and the two are engaged to be married, much to Prospero's delight. Ariel is a magical spirit enslaved by Prospero. Ariel as well as Ariel's magic play a key role in Prospero's deceptions and powers. At the end of the play, Prospero agrees to free Ariel as a reward for Ariel's service. Caliban is the son of Sycorax. Caliban and Sycorax inhabited the island when Prospero and Miranda arrived.

When the play starts, Sycorax has died and Prospero has enslaved Caliban. Over the course of the play, Caliban rebels against Prospero, but at the end of the play, Caliban agrees to obey Prospero again. Sycorax is an earlier inhabitant of the island and Caliban's mother. Sycorax has died by the time the play starts, but she is mentioned several times by Prospero and Caliban. Alonso is the king of Naples. Prospero believes Alonso was complicit in Antonio's betrayal of Prospero, but by the end of the play, Alonso restores Prospero to his dukedom and agrees that Alonso's son, Prince Ferdinand, should marry Prospero's daughter, Miranda. Sebastian is Alonso's treacherous brother. Over the course of the play, Sebastian plots unsuccessfully to kill Alonso and Ferdinand in order to place himself on the throne. At the end of the play, Sebastian's treachery is revealed and forgiven. Antonio is Prospero's brother, who usurped Prospero's position as Duke of Milan. While on the island, Antonio and Sebastian plot, without success, to kill Alonso and his family.

At the end of the play, Prospero begrudgingly forgives Antonio after Prospero is restored to his dukedom. Ferdinand is Alonso's son and Prince of Naples. With help from Prospero's magic and manipulation, Ferdinand falls in love with Miranda over the course of the play. By the end of the play, the two are engaged to be married. Gonzalo is a Neapolitan courtier who provided Miranda and Prospero with water, food, and books when they were at sea. Trinculo is the King's jester. He is also a friend of Stephano. Trinculo and Stephano's misadventures on the island are a large part of the comic relief in the play. Stephano is the king's steward and friend of Trinculo. Stephano unsuccessfully attempts to help Caliban overthrow Prospero. Analysis Now that we've covered the plot and characters of the play, let's take a moment to analyze the play. × SparkNotes: The Tempest: Act I, scene ii Act I, scene ii Act I, scene ii, page 2 page 1 of 2 Due to its length, Act I, scene ii is treated in two sections.

Beginning through Miranda’s awakening (I.ii.1–308) Summary Prospero and Miranda stand on the shore of the island, having just witnessed the shipwreck. Miranda entreats her father to see that no one on-board comes to any harm. Prospero assures her that no one was harmed and tells her that it’s time she learned who she is and where she comes from. Miranda seems curious, noting that Prospero has often started to tell her about herself but always stopped. However, once Prospero begins telling his tale, he asks her three times if she is listening to him. He tells her that he was once Duke of Milan and famous for his great intelligence. Prospero explains that he gradually grew uninterested in politics, however, and turned his attention more and more to his studies, neglecting his duties as duke. This gave his brother Antonio an opportunity to act on his ambition. Working in concert with the King of Naples, Antonio usurped Prospero of his dukedom. Antonio arranged for the King of Naples to pay him an annual tribute and do him homage as duke. Later, the King of Naples helped Antonio raise an army to march on Milan, driving Prospero out.

Prospero tells how he and Miranda escaped from death at the hands of the army in a barely-seaworthy boat prepared for them by his loyal subjects. Gonzalo, an honest Neapolitan, provided them with food and clothing, as well as books from Prospero’s library. Having brought Miranda up to date on how she arrived at their current home, Prospero explains that sheer good luck has brought his former enemies to the island. Miranda suddenly grows very sleepy, perhaps because Prospero charms her with his magic. When she is asleep, Prospero calls forth his spirit, Ariel. In his conversation with Ariel, we learn that Prospero and the spirit were responsible for the storm of Act I, scene i. Flying about the ship, Ariel acted as the wind, the thunder, and the lightning. When everyone except the crew had abandoned the ship, Ariel made sure, as Prospero had requested, that all were brought safely to shore but dispersed around the island. Ariel reports that the king’s son is alone. He also tells Prospero that the mariners and Boatswain have been charmed to sleep in the ship, which has been brought safely to harbor.

The rest of the fleet that was with the ship, believing it to have been destroyed by the storm, has headed safely back to Naples. Prospero thanks Ariel for his service, and Ariel takes this moment to remind Prospero of his promise to take one year off of his agreed time of servitude if Ariel performs his services without complaint. Prospero does not take well to being reminded of his promises, and he chastises Ariel for his impudence. He reminds Ariel of where he came from and how Prospero rescued him. Ariel had been a servant of Sycorax, a witch banished from Algiers (Algeria) and sent to the island long ago. Ariel was too delicate a spirit to perform her horrible commands, so she imprisoned him in a “cloven pine” (I.ii.279). She did not free him before she died, and he might have remained imprisoned forever had not Prospero arrived and rescued him. Reminding Ariel of this, Prospero threatens to imprison him for twelve years if he does not stop complaining. Ariel promises to be more polite.

Prospero then gives him a new command: he must go make himself like a nymph of the sea and be invisible to all but Prospero. Ariel goes to do so, and Prospero, turning to Miranda’s sleeping form, calls upon his daughter to awaken. She opens her eyes and, not realizing that she has been enchanted, says that the “strangeness” of Prospero’s story caused her to fall asleep. Analysis Act I, scene ii opens with the revelation that it was Prospero’s magic, and not simply a hostile nature, that raised the storm that caused the shipwreck. From there, the scene moves into a long sequence devoted largely to telling the play’s background story while introducing the major characters on the island. The first part of the scene is devoted to two long histories, both told by Prospero, one to Miranda and one to Ariel. If The Tempest is a play about power in various forms (as we observed in the previous scene, when the power of the storm disrupted the power relations between nobles and servants), then Prospero is the center of power, controlling events throughout the play through magic and manipulation.

Prospero’s retellings of past events to Miranda and Ariel do more than simply fill the audience in on the story so far. They also illustrate how Prospero maintains his power, exploring the old man’s meticulous methods of controlling those around him through magic, charisma, and rhetoric. Prospero’s rhetoric is particularly important to observe in this section, especially in his confrontation with Ariel. Of all the characters in the play, Prospero alone seems to understand that controlling history enables one to control the present—that is, that one can control others by controlling how they understand the past. Prospero thus tells his story with a highly rhetorical emphasis on his own good deeds, the bad deeds of others toward him, and the ingratitude of those he has protected from the evils of others. For example, when he speaks to Miranda, he calls his brother “perfidious,” then immediately says that he loved his brother better than anyone in the world except Miranda (I.ii.68). He repeatedly asks Miranda, “Dost thou attend me?” Through his questioning, he commands her attention almost hypnotically as he tells her his one-sided version of the story. Prospero himself does not seem blameless.

While his brother did betray him, he also failed in his responsibilities as a ruler by giving up control of the government so that he could study. He contrasts his popularity as a leader—“the love my people bore me” (I.ii.141)—with his brother’s “evil nature” (I.ii.). 1 The Tempest | Literawiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Act I Miranda - The Tempest, 19th century painting by John Wiliam Waterhouse. King Alonso of Naples is returning home from his daughter's wedding in Tunis. The ship in which he is traveling, along with his son Ferdinand, his broher Sebastian, Duke Antonio of Milan and other courtiers, is caught in a violent storm and is broken in two. On the nearby island, Miranda watches the shipwreck and is worried about the people on board. Her father Prospero tells her that nobody will be harmed in the storm which he has magically caused. He goes on to explain that he is the rightful Duke of Milan and that his brother Antonio, with help from King Alonso, robbed him of his dukedom. After twelve years of exile on the island, Prospero finally has the opportunity to settle the score with his enemies.

Prospero summons his slave, the spirit Ariel. He tells Ariel to make himself invisible to everyone except for Prospero himself and adds that, if everything goes according to plan, Ariel will soon be released from his service. Caliban, Prospero's other slave, is summoned. Caliban complains that he was once ruler of the entire island and that he is now being mistreared by Prospero, who was once kind to him. Prospero says that he made Caliban his slave because of the ingratitude that he showed after he attempted to befriend and educate him and because Caliban attempted to rape Miranda. Caliban says that the only good he got from Prospero's education was learning how to swear. He is then sent off to gather firewood. All of the people on board the ship have survived but, through magic, have been scattered around the island. King Alonso's son Ferdinand is alone and thinks that he is the only survivor of the shipwreck. The invisible Ariel, singing a taunting song about a drowned father, leads Ferdinand to Miranda and Prospero. Miranda and Ferdinand immediately fall in love with each other at first sight, which was exactly what Prospero intended.

Miranda is then extremely upset when Prospero declares that Ferdinand is now his prisoner. Act II 1905 photograph of the Russian actor Fyodor Paramonov as Caliban. Elsewhere on the island, King Alonso believes that his son Ferdinand has drowned. The kindly courtier Gonzalo tries to comfort him but the king's brother Sebastian says that King Alonso was advised not to travel to Tunis and is ultimately responsible for their misfortune by making the journey. The invisible Ariel uses magic to put everyone to sleep, except for Sebastian and Duke Antonio of Milan. Antonio tells Sebastian to kill Alonso so that he can become the next King of Naples. Sebastian agrees but, as they draw their swords, Ariel makes King Alonso wake up again. Antonio and Sebastian assure the king that they were trying to protect him from a wild animal which they heard. A clap of thunder sounds, just as Caliban finishes chopping firewood. Trinculo, King Alonso's jester, arrives looking for somewhere to shelter from the coming storm. Caliban assumes that Trinculo is a spirit sent by Prospero to spy on him and, hoping that the spirit will not notice him, lies down on the ground.

Trinculo sees Caliban and comments that if he were in England he could charge people to see Caliban as a freak of nature. As the storm gets closer, Trinculo decides that the only place to take shelter is under Caliban's cloak. Stephano the butler arrives. He has come to the island on a barrel of wine and, after having swallowed most of the barrel's contents, he is now very drunk. He sees Caliban and Trinculo lying together and mistakes them for a monster with two heads and four legs. In order to appease the monster, he gives Caliban some of the little wine that he has left. Caliban cries out, still thinking that Stephano and Trinculo are spirits sent to torment him. Trinculo gets up and he and Stephano are delighted to be reunited with each other. Caliban, who has never tasted alcohol before, has become drunk from the little wine that Stephano has given him and declares that from now on he will be Stephano's slave. Stephano gladly accepts his offer. Act III Scene with Miranda and Ferdinand, 1782 painting by Angelica Kauffman. As Prospero's prisoner, Ferdinand is forced to do physical labor.

He comforts himself with the thought that Miranda feels sorry for him. Prospero and Miranda enter but Prospero steps aside to leave Miranda and Ferdinand alone. Miranda offers to take the logs which Ferdinand has been ordered to carry but Ferdinand will not allow her to do so. The two declare their love for each other and say that they want to get married as soon as possible. Prospero is pleased to hear this. Caliban tells Stephano that together they should kill Prospero and take possession of his magic books and Miranda. Stephano likes the idea of making Miranda his wife and becoming ruler of the island but Ariel overhears their plans and warns Prospero. King Alonso and his courtiers are searching the island for Ferdinand. Magical creatures suddenly appear carrying food which the hungry men run towards. Ariel makes himself visible to them in an ugly form. He tells the men that they are being punished for their sinful lives and that the torment will continue until they change their ways. The magical creatures reappear with the food but King Alonso tells the men to continue to search for Ferdinand. Act IV Prospero and Ariel, 1797 painting by William Hamilton.

Prospero has agreed to the marriage of Miranda and Ferdinand and arranges for spirits to put on an entertainment for them, in which some spirits take on the forms of the goddesses Iris, Ceres and Juno. The entertainment comes to an abrupt end and the spirits all disappear when a noise is heard outside. The noise is made by Caliban, Stephano and Trinculo, all drunk and preparing to kill Prospero. Ariel is ordered to fetch all of Prospero's possessions, because Prospero knows that Stephano and Trinculo will be distracted by them. Caliban, Stephano and Trinculo enter and, against Caliban's pleadings, Stephano and Trinculo try on Prospero's fine clothes. They are then chased away by spirits which Prospero has made take on the form of viscious dogs. Prospero tells Ariel that all of his enemies are now at his mercy and he will soon be able to leave the island. Act V Eric Gill's sculpture of Prospero and Ariel on the BBC's Broadcasting House in London. It has been three days since the storm that brought King Alonso and his men to the island.

Ariel tells Prospero that Alonso, Sebastian and Antonio have gone mad and that Gonzalo is extremely distressed. Prospero decides to show his enemies the mercy that they did not show him twelve years earlier. He tells Ariel to bring the men to him, he will restore their sanity and then renounce magic forever. Prospero breaks the spell that the men are under and tells Ariel that he is now free. Prospero identifies himself to King Alonso and his men. King Alonso regrets his mistreatment of Prospero, he is reunited with Ferdinand and the two fathers are reconciled over the upcoming marriage of their children. Against Sebastian and Antonio's wishes, Prospero is made Duke of Milan once more. Prospero forgives Antonio but the two brothers are not fully reconciled. Some crewmen enter with the amazing news that their ship has been magically restored and it is ready to set sail. Caliban, Stephano and Trinculo, all still drunk, are brought before Prospero by Ariel. Caliban says that he regrets choosing the foolish Stephano as his master. Prospero tells Caliban that he will soon be master of the whole island again.

Ariel's final task for Prospero is to ensure that there is good sailing weather to safely guide the ship back to Italy. The Tempest Characters | GradeSaver Buy Study Guide Prospero The rightful Duke of Milan, though his kingdom and title were usurped by his brother Antonio. Prospero was able to survive a plot on his life, and he and his daughter Miranda were set aboard a wrecked craft, but managed to land safely on the island. Prospero is able to gain control of the spirits of the island, and uses his vast knowledge and control over the spirits to direct acts of magic as he pleases. He is ruler of the island, after taking control of it from its rightful heir, Caliban, and he makes sure that Alonso's ship wrecks on the island, so he can get his revenge on his brothers for their wrongdoing. Alonso, King of Naples Was involved in a plot to overthrow Prospero, and gave Prospero's dukedom to Antonio. Has a son, Ferdinand, who is also heir to the kingdom.

Alonso may have been corrupt in his dealings with his brothers, but he does not prove to be an evil-natured man; he is a flawed politician, but is a highly regarded king and is not a villain. Sebastian Brother to Alonso, Sebastian is easily infected by a plot for the crown made by Antonio, and impressed upon him by the magic of the spirit Ariel. He is also not evil, but has a flawed nature. Antonio Usurped the dukedom of Milan from his brother Prospero, while Prospero was absorbed in study. Antonio is probably the least scrupulous character in the play, and he is the originator of another plot to take the throne from Alonso through more murdersthough this plot is engineered by Prospero, and made possible by Ariel's magical powers. He is typically sarcastic and remote, and unrepentant of his crimes. Miranda Prospero's only daughter, and so young that she cannot remember anyone she knew before she came to the island. She is intelligent and headstrong, having learned a lot from her father; but, when under Ariel's enchantment, she follows her father's plan, and falls in love with Ferdinand willingly.

She and Ferdinand end up together, bound by their mutual infatuation. Ferdinand Alonso's son, and heir to the kingdom of Naples. Prospero arranges, through his magic, for Ferdinand to fall in love with Prospero's daughter, Miranda; Prospero's plot to have Miranda and Ferdinand married is his key to reclaiming his power in Italy. For the brief span of the play, Ferdinand is completely lovelorn and presumed dead by his father because they are separated during the shipwreck; out of his infatuation with Miranda, he agrees to become Prospero's servant for a span. Prospero finally declares him worthy, and the engagement is at last approved by both Prospero and Alonso. Ariel A spirit of the island, over whom Prospero becomes master after ousting Sycorax. He is the source of Prospero's magical powers, causing the tempest and many of the conspiracies in the play, and works for Prospero somewhat against his will. He is an intelligent, capable servant, and is finally freed by Prospero for his devoted service.

Gonzalo The councilor to the king, and an honest man as well; he is the one who helps Prospero and Miranda survive Antonio's plot to have them murdered. Gonzalo is optimistic, good-tempered, and loyal; he is one of the unquestionably good characters in the play, with no apparent dark side in him. Adrian and Francisco Noblemen, and companions of Alonso who are shipwrecked with the rest. Adrian tries his best to console Alonso when Alonso believes that his son is dead; and Francisco also tries to be helpful to the king. Neither play a very important role within the play, but they do appear to be good-tempered men, and Adrian at least is taunted by the very sarcastic pair of Antonio and Sebastian. Caliban A native of the island on which Prospero lands, and the one from whom Prospero steals control of the island. He becomes Prospero's only subject, doing all of his dirty work; Caliban tries to rape Miranda, and is shunned by both Miranda and Prospero because of this. All who encounter Caliban regard him as sub-human, or reprehensible, because of his different looks and strange ways.

However, Caliban has a capacity for poetry and understanding beauty, as shown by a speech in Act III, which is one of the most poetic, beautiful, and descriptive of the play. Gonzalo is the only one within the play who even tries to evaluate Caliban and his kind fairly; the others, blinded by prejudice, mistreat him to various extents. Trinculo A consistently drunken jester, who is a servant of Alonso's, and brought ashore in the shipwreck. He is a dull fool mostly, not capable of any real action, and providing a good deal of comic relief. When Caliban meets him, he immediately dislikes him and his inebriated insults; but, Trinculo does become a part of Caliban's plan to murder Prospero and take over the island, though Trinculo proves completely ineffective in this. Stephano Trinculo's friend, a consistently drunken butler. He is jolly, inebriated, and somehow Caliban takes him on as a new master, thinking that he has some magical powers. He agrees to Caliban's plot to make him ruler of the island, and gain him the favors of Miranda.

However, like Trinculo, he is not cunning, and is completely incapable of carrying out the plan. Master of a Ship, Mariners Appear only in Act 1, scene 1. The master tries to hearten the sailors, and get them to sail the boat through the storm; but, one of Ariel's spells makes them lose heart and abandon ship. They are whisked safely away, and will take the party back to Italy at the play's end. Boatswain Right hand to the ship master, in control of the workings of the ship. Antonio and Sebastian try their best to pick a fight with him in the first act, and basically keep him from doing his job. The boatswain reappears in the last act, and tells about what happened to the ship's crew after the tempest. Iris, Ceres, Juno, Nymphs, Reapers Figures that appear in Prospero's betrothal masque for Miranda and Ferdinand in Act IV. Iris, Ceres, and Juno are goddesses from Roman myth; Iris is goddess of the rainbow, Ceres presides over agriculture, and Juno is queen of the gods.

The parts are all performed by spirits, with Ariel performing the part of Ceres.

Question: In Shakespeare's play, "The Tempest", which character has the title, "Duke of Milan"?
Answer: PROSPERO