The Tempest Act 3

What is Ariel likely going to do to Antonio and Sebastian next because of their reaction?

Ariel will most likely continue to torture them in different ways than what was already done until they feel remorse as Alonso did. Because Alonso showed regret Ariel will most likely leave him alone and treat him the same way that Gonzalo is being treated.

How is Ferdinand indirectly characterized when he talks with Miranda? Why do Ferdinand and Miranda shake hands rather than kiss? What does their handshake symbolize? Why?

Ferdinand is indirectly characterized as very romantic and loving when he talks with Miranda. This is seem with him speaking on how all the other women he has been with are nothing compared to Miranda, as not only is she prettier but also has a better personality. In his eyes Miranda is perfect. Ferdinand and Miranda shake hands rather than kiss because physically they are taking the relationship slow, though not mentally. Their handshake symbolizes the purity of their love and how they are essentially handing each other their hearts. Being more intimate with their handshake shows that they are not just in it for physical pleasure, which kissing would have shown.

Summary of Scene 3

-After searching for Ferdinand on the island the royal party loses hope and just stops looking. -During this Antonio and Sebastian see as they aren't in good shape it would be the perfect opportunity to kill them that night. -Then shapes pop up from Ariel's magic making a banquet for them. -The royal party goes to eat but Ariel shows up as a harpy making the food disappear. -Ariel confronts them for what they have done and blame them for Ferdinand "dying". -Alonso feels remorse and runs off to go kill himself while Sebastian and Antonio just threaten to fight them all. -The whole party ends up running off. -Prospero was hidden watching everything the whole time.

Summary of Scene 2

-Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo continue to wander the island drinking, and Stephano keeps referring to Caliban as a "servant monster". -The three of them just continue to jest and irritate one another. -Caliban asks Stephano to go through with his plan of killing Prospero during his afternoon nap so Stephano can become King and have Miranda as his queen. -Then Caliban starts speaking on what Prospero is like and Ariel enters mimicking Trinculo's voice to call Caliban a liar. -Stephano and Caliban threaten Trinculo because they think that he is the one speaking but Trinculo knows he isn't so he continuously has to walk farther and farther away from them. -Ariel then begins to play music and the three of them follow the music.

Summary of Scene 1

-Ferdinand taking over Caliban's job of carrying wood. -Speaks about how he loves Miranda and will continue doing it for her. -Miranda enters along with Prospero, but Prospero is hidden, and she tries to help Ferdinand but he doesn't let her. -They speak about how they love each other and Miranda proposes to him. -They continue talking about their love and depart by handshake instead of kiss. -Prospero is happy that everything is going to to plan and mentions how he still has more to his plan that will be carried out soon.

What is Alonso's reaction to the vision Ariel creates? Does he pass Prospero's test? Why or why not?

Alonso is very shameful of what he has done to both Prospero and his son Ferdinand. He states that what the harpy has said gave him a realization so deep that he had to end up leaving, as to go drown himself which is what he thinks happened to Ferdinand, Prospero, and Miranda. He wants to condemn himself to the same fate because of how much he blames himself. He does pass Prospero's test because he does not show any ill intent towards Prospero. Prospero's whole test was to see if there would be a better chance for Alonso to allow him to become duke again and since Alonso showed remorse for what he did it shows that there is a chance for Prospero's wish to come true.

How is Alonso's reaction a foil to Antonio and Sebastian's reaction? What is ironic about what the men try to do with their swords to fight Ariel's magic?

Alonso's reaction is a foil to Antonio and Sebastian's because he actually shows regret and remorse for what he did. So strongly to the point that he leaves to go commit suicide. Antonio and Sebastian only get defensive and speak on an attempt to attack Ariel for saying those things to them. This ties into Antonio previously in another part of the book saying that he doesn't have a consciousness, if he did he would have had the same reaction as Alonso. It is ironic that the men try to use their swords to fight against Ariel's magic because the magic would easily be able to overpower the swords and render them useless, proven by Ariel using magic to make them feel heavy.

What trick does Ariel perform to divide and create tension among Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo?

Ariel changes the sound of his voice so he sounds like Trinculo. Using Trinculo's voice he calls Caliban a liar when he is telling the story of what happened with Prospero. This irritates Caliban causing him to ask his master, Stephano, to get Trinculo to stop accusing him of lying when he knows he isn't. This causes Stephano to also get angry at Trinculo, along with Trinculo getting annoyed because he knows he isn't saying anything and thinks that Stephano and Caliban are getting mad at him for no reason.

What appearance does Ariel take? Why? What does he tell all the men? Why?

Ariel takes the appearance of a harpy, which in mythology is a monster that has the face and chest of a woman but wings and talons of a bird. Ariel takes this position as to scare the men, except for Gonzalo, in a form that they have never seen before and confront them for all their sins. Ariel tells all the men that they drove Prospero from Milan and left Ferdinand to die at sea and that they should feel very guilty for all the things that they have done. Ariel does this to see how they will react and if they will feel different from how they have felt in the past.

Why does Ariel torture and trick the court party? What theme is he teaching on behalf of Prospero?

Ariel tortures and tricks the court party to make them have a change of heart if they need to and to also get them to give a reaction. He is teaching that anything you do in life will come back to you in the future so people should always make sure they do the right and moral thing so they receive goodness back in the future.

How else does Ariel torture the men? What does he tell them about Ferdinand? Why? What does Alonso hear in thunder? Why?

Ariel tortures the men by telling them they aren't worthy or brave enough to live. That everything negative that has happened in their lives is their own fault. They won't have anything in mind except for their hearts' sorrows that will lead them to live an innocent life from then on. Ariel tells them that the water has taken revenge against Alonso who cast Miranda and Prospero to sea for them to drown by taking the life of his son. He only does this to get a reaction and have him understand the harm of what he had done. Alonso hears in the thunder Prospero's name. He says he heard Ariel's whole speech through the wind, sky, and thunder. It seems this way to him because it symbolizes the realization of what he had done and how feels like he was there but not really there at the same time. It really gave the impression of what he had done.

How does Caliban suggest that Stephano usurp Prospero? How do these strategies characterize Caliban?

Caliban comes up with the plan to have Stephano go and kill Prospero during his afternoon nap. But before he kills him he needs to make sure to burn all of his books so Prospero won't be able to use any magic against them. This strategy shows that Caliban has been thinking of the plan for a while because he knew that he should have the books burn so Prospero wouldn't be able to fight back. It also characterizes Caliban as a more intelligent character compared to what is usually thought of him. Most of the time as he is described as a monster so people think of him to be dumb but based on his strategy it shows that he is actually able to clearly think things through and come up with a good plan that should work in most cases.

Characters mentioned

Ferdinand: King Alonso's son, serving Prospero now, fiance to Miranda Miranda: Prospero's daughter, wants to marry Ferdinand and proposes to him Prospero: Leader of the island, plotting to get his place as Duke back Stephano: Drunken butler who is now master to Caliban Trinculo: Court jester who keep getting in fights with Caliban and Stephano Caliban: now serves Stephano, plotting to kill Prospero to become free alongside the help of Stephano Ariel: servant to Prospero trying to gain freedom, continuously uses magic throughout the whole act Alonso: King of Naples, loses hope on Ferdinand, feels remorse for what he did to Prospero Sebastian: still plotting to kill Alonso to become King, doesn't feel remorse for Prospero Antonio: Still plotting to kill Alonso, doesn't feel any remorse at all Gonzalo: Advisor to Alonso, just caught in the crossfire, Prospero likes him, optimistic one of the group Adrian: One of the lords, is mentioned during stage directions but has no speaking parts in this act Francisco: Another lord, only says one line on how the spirits "vanished strangely"

What idioms are similar to the subtext of when Ferdinand says, "There be some sport are painful, and their labor / Delight in them sets off; some kinds of baseness / Are nobly undergone, and most poor matters / Point to rich ends"?

One idiom that is similar is "a blessing in disguise." The negative event, serving another person in the case of Ferdinand, leads to positive things, getting to be with Miranda. Another idiom in Portuguese is "he who doesn't have a dog, hunts with cats." Which just goes to show that you are making the most of what you have been given. In these quotes specifically sports being painful but delightful, lowly activities are done for noble reasons, and poor things can lead to rich results.

What does Prospero believe that Ferdinand and Miranda's relationship will fix or heal? Why?

Prospero believes that Ferdinand and Miranda's relationship will fix his own relationship with King Alonso. He thinks this because their two children are in love with each other, and because Alonso deeply cares for his son he will be more inclined to get along with Prospero since Ferdinand really wants to marry Miranda and nothing will change his mind, including his own father.

What does Shakespeare imply as a theme in The Tempest about daughters and their effect on fathers with Prospero and Miranda?

Shakespeare implies that daughters and fathers are both very dependent on one another. In the Tempest they are both the only thing the other has. Miranda doesn't even have any knowledge on anything else in life except from what her father has told her and has no idea what other daughters relations are with their fathers, which makes her ignorant and naive on the way the world works. But with Prospero and Miranda it's a different story. They mutually depend and care for one another which isn't really seen in Shakespeare's other books.

Why do Stephano and Trinculo fight with one another? What does Caliban continue to motivate Stephano to do? Why? What does Caliban benefit from this?

Stephano and Trinculo fight with each other because Trinculo and Caliban keep butting heads. Caliban not liking how Trinculo is mocking him gets Stephano on his side. So Stephano tells Trinculo to stop saying bad things to his servant, leading to Trinculo to get angry as Stephano is essentially choosing Caliban over him even though they have been friends for a long time. And when Ariel begins to speak using Trinculo's voice that leads to Stephano beating Trinculo not knowing that it isn't actually Trinculo speaking as he doesn't know of the existence of Ariel. Caliban just continues motivating Stephano to kill Prospero so he can become king of the island and take Miranda as his wife. Caliban benefits from this because he will no longer have to fear Prospero and will be free of him, and instead serve Stephano who is much nicer to him compared to Prospero.

What does the court party imagine that it sees? Why? How is this mirage more difficult for them to experience given how all feel?

The court party imagines that it sees strange figures bringing in a banquet while dancing. This is just a trick played on them by Prospero/Ariel. It is difficult for them to experience because they are all already in a sullen mood (except for maybe Sebastian and Antonio as when they see that they are not in the best condition plot to kill Alonso and Gonzalo that very night with no more interruptions) because they gave up hope on Ferdinand being alive. And because they have never experienced anything to do with magic before the island it is a foreign concept to them which is a contributing factor into why they are not experiencing it or perceiving it more easily.

How is Ferdinand a foil to Caliban? How does Ferdinand approach his chores that Prospero gives him? Why? What does Prospero want Ferdinand to prove or showcase? Why?

The differences between Ferdinand and Caliban are firstly seen with the way the are introduced. Caliban is introduced as some sort of a monstrous slave, whereas Ferdinand is introduced as royalty, more specifically a prince. A difference is also seen in their separate relations with Miranda. Caliban only wishes to force Miranda to have his children as to gain power back on the island and have others that also have a resemblance to him, but Ferdinand is doing the common ceremonies from that time period to court her and shows her that he loves her and actually want to be with her for her, not just to use her. One last difference is seen in the way they treat Prospero. Caliban absolutely hates Prospero and want him dead, while, Ferdinand respects him enough to do as he asks. This is seen with him completing the chores that Prospero gives him. Sure, he doesn't like that he has to serve Prospero but because of Miranda he is willing to do it. And whereas another person would have let Miranda help as to gain some rest Ferdinand refuses her to help him and does his own work himself. He does all this because he loves Miranda. Prospero wants Ferdinand to prove/showcase that he actually loves Miranda and that his feelings are not just a temporary thing and is going to last for the rest of their lives. Prospero doesn't want him to see her as some type of chase, but as an actual wife to him that he will always fight to stay with.