Act 5 scene 1

At this point, we see another problem with an exclusively Christian interpretation of the play: Prospero seems readily to forgive others but reluctant to forgive his flesh and blood brother - which Christianity enjoins one to do. Moreover, Prospero later addresses his brother with a range of insults

'For you must wicked sir, whom to call brother Would even infect my mouth, I do forgive Thy rankest fault-all of them- and require My dukedom of thee, which perforce, I know, Thou must restore'

When Prospero renounces his magic in Lines 54-7 he is perhaps acknowledging the limitations of his power:

'I'll break my staff, Bury it certain fandom in the earth and deeper than did ever plummet sound I'll drown my book'

At the beginning of the scene, we see the theme of magic when Prospero reminds the audience of his powers, stating that his plans are coming to fruition. He uses the vocabulary of alchemy, an occult science, which involved early chemists attempting to turn base metal into gold

'Now does my project (plan or experiment) gather to a head (come to the boil) My charms crack (fail) not, my spirits obey'

There is humour when Miranda, seeing those assembled on stage, exclaims with dramatic irony:

'O Wonder! How many goodly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world That has must people in't!

After Prospero forgives Alonso and he embraces his 'noble friend' Gonzalo, we learn through his aside to Sebastian and Antonion that forgiveness is not so quickly forthcoming. Prospero uses hunting imagery when he speaks:

'but you, my brace of lord, were i so minded, I here could pluck his highness' frown upon you and justify you traitors. At this time I will tell no tales' - hunting imagery

Calian's wiser attitude to his pending freedom through his 'desire to seek grace' illustartes a seriousness of purpose, which seemingly contrasts with the flightiness (literally!) and hedonism of Ariel's freeom song

'where the bee sucks, there suck I In a cowslip's bell I lie There I couch when owls do cry On the bat's back i do fly After summer merrily Merrily, merrily, shall i live now under the blossoms that hangs on the bough

The first part of Prospero's speech is all one sentence. In it, Prospero evoke all the spirits that have helped him perform his magic. He lists :

- Nature spirits - elves - spirits of the seashore that follow the tides - night spirits that make fairy rings in the grass - spirits that make mushrooms sprout at the 'witching hour' (the 'solemn curfew' is tge church clock striking midnight)

Summary

- the last scene is again played in front of Prospero's dwelling - the play ends with hope for future, with forgiveness for earlier wrong, with freedom for Ariel, and with Caliban again in control of his island

Prospero invites Alonso and his retinue to his cell for the night and promises to tell them his story

Affectionately calling Ariel his 'chick', he gives him one last task - to give Alonso and his friends fair winds to enable their ship to catch up with the rest of the fleet. This said, he releases Ariel

Prospero's plans are now reaching fulfilment, so he sends Ariel to bring royal part to his cell

Alonso, Sebastian and Antonio have been kept in a distracted state by one of Prospero's spells. Prospero reveals himself to the party, rebukes Alonso, Antonio and Sebastian for the evil they have done, then forgives them all and thanks Gonzalo for his kindness. Alonso still believes that his son is dead but Prospero shows him the young couple playing chess. Alonso rejoices in their happiness and adds his blessing to their proposed marriage

This time, his dialogues are structured in the expected order: Prospero converses with each character, starting with the king and working his way down

Although Alonso is quick to apologies ('pardon my wrongs') and return Prospero's dukedom, we do wonder whether Antonio should have done this. Despite what the audience has heard about Alonso's past conduct towards Prospero, on stage we have only seen an easily led, easily confused, grieving father who, once attention has been drawn to his misdeeds, shows contrition for his past treatment of prospero

The denouement continues with the entrance of the boatswain and mariners, followed shortly after by the trio of low-status characters, Stephano, Trinculo and Caliban

At this moment in the play, prospero's dukedom has been restored to him, his plans have come to fruition and he will soon be leaving the island. Prospero tells Caliban to 'trim' (tidy) his cell, which is a relatively light punishment compared to the tortures Caliban described earlier in the play.

Prospero's power is symbolised through the game of chess when he reveals Ferdinand and Miranda.

Being a game of complex strategy, chess might represent the grand master Prospero using the aristocratic pair as pawns in his plan. The young couple are, unlike couples such as Romeo and Juliet, not central to the plot. Perhaps this makes the game ironic because Ferdinand and Miranda think that they are playing a game of strategy, but in fact they are not. This has the effect of accentuating their position as pawns

The scene builds a powerful sense of transformation

Even the guiltless Gonzalo has had a mind-altering experience. When he prays that 'some heavenly power' will guide them 'out of this fearful country' on one level he is referring to the island, but on a deeper one he means the mental realm into which they have plunged

Confusions begin to be unravelled

Ferdinand tells Alonso about Miranda. Gonzalo blesses the young couple. The master and Boatswain wander in, and Gonzalo laughingly remembers prophesying that the Boatswain would be hanged, not drowned

Shakespeare injects realism into the happy ending by introducing the Master and Boatswain

Gonzalo's recollection of his prophecy for the Boatswain makes a link with the beginning of the play. In addition, after so much weighty accusation, forgiveness and wonder, the entrance of Caliban, Stephano and Trinculo offers the company welcome light relief, especially when Trinculo admits that he has been 'in such a pickle' since he last saw Alonso that he will 'not fear fly-blowing' because the alcohol will prevent him from rotting

prospero's speech to the 'charmed' courtiers enables him to share his thoughts and feelings with the audiences about each character in the 'circle'

He addresses Gonzalo first, probably because he esteems him the most highly. Prospero compares Gonzalo to a saint, calling him '(h)oly Gonzalo, honourable man'. The adjective '(h)oly' and 'honourable' illustrate that Prospero prioritises there virtues, which align with the christian religion (and other religious as well)

Now that Prospero is considering forgiveness, he uses declarative sentences to state his intention to relinquish magic

He asserts 'I'll break my staff' and 'i'll drown my book'; the rhythm is regular suggesting a sense of inevitability that will destroy his magical symbols. Perhaps he is aware that magic does not sit well with Christian ethos. After all, a contemporary audience would have strongly associated magic with the devil, and we are reminded that Dr John Dee, highly regarded in Queen Elizabeth 1's time as a practitioner of white magic, had been thrown in prison by her predecessor Queen Mary for casting horoscopes to predict her death (later this was expended to treason). In a time when people believed in witches, fairies and demons, magic was mistrusted. If Prospero it to truly redeem himself, he must relinquish his magic. Alternatively, Prospero might have decided to relinquish his magic because, becoming wiser, perhaps he realises that his power has limitations. For example, he can control Caliban by magical torture and punishments, but he cannot control his defiance. He cannot therefore change people's hearts. Perhaps this knowledge will make him return to the outside world a better person than before his usurpation

In the same sentence, Prospero lists what these spirits have helped him do

He has dimmed the sun, summoned winds and storms, split oaks with lightning, shaken mountains, uprooted trees and raised the dead. This last feat is the climax of his achievements. Shakespearean here roughly translates a passage from the Roman poet Ovid, originally spoken by the witch Medea. Most audience members would recognise this as proof that Prospero should indeed give up magic: raising the dead was black magic. It is also relevant that James 1, who would have seen the play, was opposed to all magic - but especially black magic. If we take Prospero's claim literally, this must refer to a time before coming to the island (where there were no dead to raise!)

As for Caliban, he is given the chance to earn Prospero's forgiveness

He promises to 'be wise hereafter/ and seek for grace'. Two of Prospero's lines referring to him have often been given great significance. 'This thing of darkness I/ Acknowledge mine' Prospero may simply be acknowledging that Caliban is his slave. But he may be acknowledging some responsibility for Caliban's depravity. Some critics suggested that Prospero is acknowledging a deep connection between himself and Caliban, or that Caliban is part of Prospero's psyche

Like Antonio, Sebastian does not apologies; instead, he attempts to deflect attention away from his own crimes by accusing Prospero of association with the 'devil'

He tries to discredit Prospero's accusation of treachery '(t)he devil speaks in him!'. At first glance, this shows his astonishment that Prospero knows about the attempted regicide. however, King James was kneely interested in witchcraft and he wrote a book on the subject. We therefore see the ruthlessness of Sebastian's character with his decision to counter-attack instead of apologising because he knows that if he is successful, Prospero could stand trial

Prospero first speaks to Alonso, as the highest-ranking person present

He welcomes and embraces him. Alonso resigns Prospero's dukedom -giving up his control of Milan. He also asks to be forgiven. Nonetheless he can hardly believe that this really is Prospero. Prospero then embraces Gonzalo, who, like Alonso, is incredulous. Sebastian suspects that Prospero is a devil. He then addresses Antonio, whom he will not even call 'brother.' Despite this, Prospero forgives him before demanding his dukedom

In Prospero's second long speech, he calls on the music to restore the nobles' sense; at present, their brains are 'useless boiled' in their heads

His accusation of the sinners is similar to the scene in Henry 5, Act 2 scene 2, when Henry accuses the traitors

Ariel looks forward to the future and thinks about all the fun he will have

His song is full of carefree nature imagery while Caliban considers a new purpose in life 'grace'. being wiser, Caliban has learnt the errors of his ways. Perhaps Shakespeare is suggesting that such hard-won wisdom is better than the thoughtless ease of sucking nectar

Any leftover questions mysteries or secrets are then solved in the denouement

In the first part of the denouement, Alonso realises that his son Ferdinand is alive and that he is going to sanctify his hand-fasting to Miranda with a church wedding. The second part of the denouement in the epilogue.

'Though with their high wrongs I am struck to the quick, Yet with my nobler reason 'gainst my fury Do I take part. The rarer action is In virtue than in vengeance'

In the quotation, we see highly personalised language to reflect the pain of Prospero's wrongs. he is 'struck to the quick' about his 'high wrongs', illustrating that it is not east to forgive his enemies, The noun 'fury' and 'vengeance' illustrate the depth and ferocity of his anger as well as his desire to punish those who hurt him. The negative semantic field (group of vocabulary) is balanced by comparative adjectives with positive connotations: 'nobler' and 'rarer' imply that the abstract noun 'virtue' has a higher status than the alternative 'vengeance'. We therefore see that forgiveness is not easy

Prospero does not let Aloonso know yet that Ferdinand is alive

Instead, he claims that he has suffered a similar loss - of his daughter. Then, in a dramatic disclosure, he reveals Ferdinand and Miranda playing chess. When they notice Alonso and the courtiers, Ferdinand kneels to his father and Miranda expresses her astonishment at all

Prospero's speech renouncing magic is a rhetoric masterpiece

Its majestic tone reflects the enormity of what Prospero is doing. For many years, even before coming to this island, he has been devoted to magic. It is the means by which he has controlled everyone. Now, as he approaches the fulfilment of his plans, he is vowing to give it up. He will break his magician's staff and bury it, and 'drown' his magical book. This vow shows how Prospero acknowledge his humanity, and that there is a higher power. This power is represented by the 'heavenly music' that he calls on in to complete the penitence of Antonio and his accomplices

'the trio enter, still drunk

Sebastian and Antonio speculate about selling them, like slaves or 'indians'. Prospero briefly tells Caliban's history and reveals how the three plotted to murder him. Sebastian must put his arm round Stephano, because the latter cries out and complains that he has been so addicted with cramps that he has become one. As for Caliban, he is given the chance to earn Prospero's forgiveness by tidying and decorating his cell. Caliban promises to 'be wise hereafter/ and seek for grace'

It is a touching moment when Prospero release Ariel

Some critics have suggested that, as this may have been Shakespeare's last play (apart from some he co-wrote with John Fletcher) the role of Prospero may reflect his own as a playwright. Prospero's renunciation of magic then becomes Shakespeare's renunciation of the theatre. Prospero's farewell to Ariel would then be Shakespeare's farewell to his inspiration or nurse

He next addresses the highest-ranking character, berating Alonso for treating him (Prospero) most 'cruelly' and accusing the next highest ranking character Sebastian of being 'a furtherer in the act'

The adverb 'cruelly' suggests Alonso deliberately intended to wound and implies also that Prospero is still suffering. Although Prospero announced earlier that he would forgive his enemies, his private thoughts at this moment in the play reveal that this is not easy

by the end of act 5 all the sub-plots are integrated; tragedy has been averted; love and reconciliation are stressed

The audience might subsequently wonder why Antonio and Sebastian are treated so much more leniently than Caliban was, but the play ends on a note of hope

We can see a contrast in attitude when Sebastian and Antonio have not apologised to Prospero, but Caliban admits his errors: 'I will be wise hereafter/ And seek for grace'

The fact that Caliban is penitent elevates him above Sebastian and Antonio, adding nobility to his character. It could be argued that Caliban, knowing that Prospero will leave the island soon, is more willing to co-operate. Nevertheless, forgiveness and reconciliation is an important theme in this scene, so it is more likely that Caliban's reflection (whilst self-interested) is genuine

Finally, Ariel leads in Trinculo, Stephano and Caliban.

The jester and the butler are reprimanded by Alonso. Caliban admits that he was foolish to regard Stephano as a god as he promises : i'll be wise hereafter/ and seek for grace'

Notice that the elements feature strongly in this speech - as they did in magic

The speech includes: brooks, lakes and the sea (water); mushrooms, and the dead, coming out of the ground (earth); lightning (fire); and winds (air). Prospero's staff will be buried in earth, and his book will be drowned in water - a powerful image echoes the talk of drowning throughout the play. Alliteration lends the closing lines of the speech finality and solemnity, using 'b' and 'd' sounds: 'break...'bury' and 'deeper...did...down'

Throughout the play, music has been used to emphasise the magical and other-worldly atmosphere of the island

The stage direction, 'solemn music' which plays when the 'charmed' countries are inside the magic 'circle' echoes the 'solemn music' from the spirits' appearance with the banquet. The music therefore lends gravitas to Prospero's monologue in which he issues judgement to each character in turn

'Now does my project (plan or experiment) gather to a head (come to the boil) My charms crack (fail) not, my spirits obey'

The successful competition of his 'project' is imminent: Prospero, the chess grand master, has plotted every move and will soon win the game. The noun 'charms' reminds us of the role of magic in his plan; the onomatopoeia 'crack' emphasises his satisfaction. We have a pun (a play on words) with 'spirits', meaning both his magical spirits as well as the liquid spirits in an experiment. Unlike the alchemists who attempted the impossible task of turning base metals into gold, Prospero - with the spirit Ariel's help-has achieved the equally unlikely goals of guiding his enemies to the island, engineering a relationship between Ferdinand and Miranda, and finally being able to leave the island to resume his role as Duke of Milan

'For you must wicked sir, whom to call brother Would even infect my mouth, I do forgive Thy rankest fault-all of them- and require My dukedom of thee, which perforce, I know, Thou must restore'

The superlative 'most wicked' and 'rankest fault' imply that Antonio himself is the real devil. We also have imagery of disease and foul smells with 'infect' and 'rankest' , which emphasises his distaste at having to call Antonio his 'brother'. The pause shown by the caesurae before and after 'all of them' with the stress on the three monosyllabic words imply tat, although Prospero appears to forgive, he will not forget, leading the audience to question whether this forgiveness is indeed genuine. Finally, the imperative '(t)hou must restore' when talking about his 'dukedom' has a line to itself. Comprised of just 4 syllables, this breaks the pattern of blank verse and emphasises the importance nt only of this moment but also of Antonio's complete vulnerability. The audience mistrusts the sincerity of Prospero's forgiveness of Antonio, and we wonder just how much forgiveness and reconciliation are at the heart of the play. Interestingly, Antonio says nothing in reply to Prospero: he does not apologise, and he hardly speaks to the rest of the play except to note Caliban's marketability. We there forth receive the impression that Antonio is equally reluctant to be reconciled with his brother

the repeated references to the time create a sense of urgency and remind us that the play observes the unity of time

There may also be a magical factor involved, since magic was closely tied to astrology, which is based on time. Prospero may want his masterstroke to coincide with a particular confiurates of the planets

Solemn music summons all the nobles, with Alonso appearing mad or distressed

They enter Prospero's magic circle, and he begins a second long speech. He praises Gonzalo;s magic circle, and he begins a second long speech. He praises Gonzalo as his 'preserver', accuses Alonso, Sebastian and Antonio, and refers to the attempt o Alonso's life. But he also says he forgives them. Ariel is light-hearted at the thought of freedom. Prospero says that he will miss him, then sends him to fetch the mariners

We normally use a 'brace' to describe a pair of birds that have ben hunted and killed; for example, ducks, grouse or pheasants

This imagery implies that Prospero has Sebastian and Antonio completely at his mercy. His absolute power over them can be seen with the verb 'pluck': we pluck feathers from dead birds, and this emphasises Prospero's threat. The caesura (full stop) after the noun 'traitors' followed by the monosyllabic '(at this time' hanging at the end of the line is a threat, implying that this might change in the future. This once more makes the reader wonder whether christian forgiveness is really at work

'O Wonder! How many goodly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world That has must people in't!

This is dramatic irony because the audience knows what Miranda does not: most of the characters on stage are fear from 'goodly'. These exclamations therefore reveal Miranda's naivety and vulnerability

Ariel, as elsewhere, serves as Prospero's eyes and ears, reporting to him on the 'distracted' (disturbed) and mournful state of nobles

This is dramatically convenient, since it enables Shakespeare to keep the audience informed. Notably, kindly Gonzalo, who has nothing to regret and some reason to feel that Alonso, Antonio and Sebastian deserve to suffer, is full of comparison for them. Ariel uses a wonderful simile to describe his grief: 'His tears run down his beard like winter's drops/ from eaves of reeds'

One important issues in the scene is how far Prospero has changed, and in particular how far he has forgiven Antonio, whom he will not even call 'brother' because it would 'infect' his mouth

This is like saying that something would 'stick in your throat', but stronger. There is also the fact that Prospero toys with Alonso, not telling him at first that Ferdinand is still alive

The audience is reminded of the theme of colonisers and colonised when Sebastian and Antonio comments on Caliban's 'marketable' value (in other words, how much money they might make out of him)

This parallels Stephano and Trinculo's conversation in Act 2 scene 2 about exhibiting Caliban for money. We therefore see that the higher-status characters can have some exploitative attitudes to other races as lower-status characters

There is also a telling exchange between Prospero and Ariel, who tells Prospero that if he saw the nobles now, his 'affections/ would become tender'

When Prospero questions this, Ariel replies: 'Mine would, sir, were I human' prospero says that he will forgive them when they repent their crimes. However, his lengthy semi-rhetoric question ('and shall not myself...be kindlier moved than thou art?' suggests that he is unsure

Prospero tells us that the climax is coming

and Ariel reports on the nobles, saying that if Prosperos saw them now he would pity them. Prospero makes an important speech proclaiming the powers magic has given him, but ends by denouncing it

in act 5 scene 1 the audience finally sees all the characters on stage at the same time

and we have the resolution in which the main conflict is settled

The theme of forgiveness now develops when we see contrasting vocabulary to reflect Prospero's internal struggles

as he suppresses his rage and decides to forgive his enemies. he tells Ariel: 'Though with their high wrongs I am struck to the quick, Yet with my nobler reason 'gainst my fury Do I take part. The rarer action is In virtue than in vengeance'

he could control the elements but not change the hearts of Antonio or Sebastian

he could punish Caliban but not make him abandon his claims to the island or give up his worship of his own god, Setebos

The final character whom he addresses is his brother, Antonio

he might be last, because he has the lowest status after the King and his brother. He might also be last because Prospero judges him the most harshly. Prospero's words to Antonio are ambiguous, as he states that Antonio 'entertain'd ambition.' We are not sure whether Prospero is accusing him of having the treacherous ambition to usurp him as Duke of Milan or whether he is talking about his similarly treacherous attempt to kill the king. The first is implied when he states 'I do forgive thee/ Unnatural as thou art'. Forgiving Sebastian and insulting him immediately afterwards makes one wonder whether Prospero's forgiveness truly comes from the heart. The adjective 'unnatural' is a very powerful concept in the play and seems to suggest that Antonio has something of the monstrous about him - in other words, he is a moral equivalent of Caliban in some way. Moreover, 'unnatural' could apply either to Antonio's usurpation of Prospero or to his inept effort to murder Alonso in which he threatened what the audience perceived as God's natural order

After Prospero has lifted the spell, he done his 'hat and rapier' (sword) to show himself to the courtiers; there are symbols of authority and justice, which replace his magical clock, book and staff signalling his imminent return to the outside world

his 'hat', an object worn on the top of a head further symbolises his pending restoration to the high-status position of a duke, making plain his high status in a very deferential society. His ducal 'rapier' signifies his aristocratic right to carry a weapon, provides visual evidence of his status and implies that he has the courtiers at sword point, at his mercy

The way in which Shakespeare reveals Ferdinand, with Miranda, echoes other plays in which someone thought dead is revealed to be alive - noteably much ado about nothing and a winter's tale

probably in the Jacobean theatre Prospero would draw back a curtain to reveal Ferdinand and Miranda playing chess. Miranda's wonder at seeing the nobles is proof of her innocence: 'O, wonder! How many goodly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world, That has such people in't'

At the end of the scene, we see restoration of many of the characters: each of Prospero's slaves is restored to freedom; we can assume that the island will be returned to Caliban after the coloniers and shipwrecked court have left

prospero's dukedom has been restored; Ferdinand has been restored to King Alonso; peace has been restored to the house of Milan and Naples through the union of Miranda and Ferdinand; the ship and crew have been restored; and the natural order - where everyone is expected to know their place has been restored

Ariel next brings in the ship's captain and the Boatswain and they tell the company

that she ship is seaworthy and ready for the journey back to Italy

Prospero agrees to resume his dukedom in Milan but first he invites the royal party

to spend the night in his cell and listen to the story of the last 12 years. In keeping with his promise, he releases Ariel