The Tempest Study Guide

"I'll swear upon that bottle to be thy true subject, for the liqour is not earthly.

(2.2.129-130) Caliban shows the influence of liqour and it's power over people

"Their great guilt, like poision given to work a great time after

(3.3.126-7) Gonzalo He begins to see the effects of the three men's sins on them. It is a delayed reaction, like that of poison.

"Let it alone, thou fool. It is but trash"

(4.1.250) Caliban shows the little vaule that material things have to offer compared to things of nature. this is also a negitive reflection on society of our need for status, symbols of power, and general materialistic attitude

"And look how well my garments sit upon me, much feater than before" (2.1 313-314)

-Antonio- saying his clothes/life are better since he got rid of Prospero-trying to convince Sebastian to kill Alonso

"My strong imagination sees a crown dropping upon my head" (2.1 230-236)

-Antonio- trying to see if Sebastian wants to kill Alonso by showing reward, and using greed and power

"You are three men of sin whom destiny" (3.3 70)

-Ariel- Refering to Stebastian, Antonio, and Alonso as they approach table with food

"Mine would, sir, were I human" (5.1 26)

-Ariel- talking about how if he had feelings/compassion he would feel bad for the people Prospero is torturing-this makes Prospero have a change of heart

"I'll show thee every fertile inch o'th island, and I will kiss thy foot" (2.2 154-155)

-Caliban- After drinking wine Caliban becomes vurneable, looks to Steohano as god and wants to become servant

"The island's mine by Sycorax, my mother which thou tak'st from me"(1.2 396-397)

-Caliban- Caliban is native to island and believes he has a right to the island and resents them "civilizing" him

"Thou shalt be lord of it and will serve thee" (3.2 65)

-Caliban- Caliban wants revenge on Prospero and wants to kill him

"Be not affeared the isle is full of noises sounds and sweet airs that give delight and hurt not" (3.2 148-149)

-Caliban- the island is a safe place without harm. this quote shows that Caliban has the ability to despite his primal side, enjoy sophisticated things.

"How beauteous mankind is! O, brave new world that has such people in't!" (5.1 216-217)

-Miranda- shows Miranda's naivity- sees all of them as beautiful even though they are all theives, traders, or murders

"Oh I have suffered with those that I saw suffer" (1.2 5-6)

-Miranda- shows her compassion, empathy, naivety, wants Prospero to stop storm, doesn't know the people on the boat or their story

"At this hour lies at my mercy all mine enemies" (4.1 191)

-Prospero- climax-everything has fallen into place dramatic tension in the play and could go two ways, redemption or revenge' Prospero is the puppet master in the play, and is supposed to closely represent Shakespeare himself

"This thing of darkness I acknowledge mine" (5.1 3301-331)

-Prospero- darkness is Caliban-treated Caliban like a son and his own darkness rubbed off on Calibam-Prospero confronting that he was in the darkness

"Yet with nobler reason 'gainst my furry do I take part. The rarer action is invirtue that in veneagnce" (5.1 34-36)

-Prospero- decides to take the high road and side with reason and forgive rather than letting his emotions get to him

"We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with sleep" (4.1 173-175)

-Prospero- reflextion on temporary art and how it'll disappear

"They are both in either's power, but this swift business I must uneasy make lest too light winning make the prize light"(1.2 542-546)

-Prospero- Aside shows Prospero is gonna manipulate Miranda and Ferdinand to fall in love so he can regain power. He is going to make them work for their relationship so that it lasts. It also shows that Prospero is not willingly going to give up Miranda to marriage.

"Poor worm thou art infected" (3.1 37)

-Prospero- Aside talking about Mirranda and how her love with Ferdinand has caused her to disobey him. Prospero believes that love weakens humanity because people allow it to change themselves completley.

"Thy case dear friend, shall be my precedent, as thou got'st Milan" (2.1 332-333)

-Sebastian- Commits to killing Alonso, shows power/greed take over, Antonio no longer has pay yealy fee

"Trinculo, the king and all our company else being drowned we will inherit here: (2.2 180-181)

-Stephano- Stephano thinks he is no longer a butler and wants power

Act 2 Scene 1

Antonio and Sebastian are the villains in the play, and Antonio uses verbal manipulation to plant the seed for a murder plan that would not have been there without his words. The two plan to kill Gonzalo and Alonso while they are asleep.

Act 3 Scene 3

Ariel presents the royal court with a banquet, representing Alonso, Sebastian and Antonio's greed and what they are willing to do to get what they want, but he quickly takes it away stating that they have to begin to feel guilty for their sins or they will lead miserable lives. (this scene is very similar to Adam and Eve) Alonso recognizes that he has done something sinful.

Act 5 Scene 1

Ariel tells Prospero that the spell he everyone under would make a normal human feel pity for them, desptite their actions. At this point, Prospero has a change in heart, and the play turns to redemption. He realizes that he has playes the role of god with his powers and is not giving them up to help redeem himself. Ferdinand and Midanda are revealed playing chess, which may symbolize many things about how they are going to run their kingdom. Prospero and Alonso begin to unite despite their history and make plans to share each other's life stories. Alonso and Prospero went through the process of redemption and forgave those around them who they have faulted.

Act 2 Scene 2

Drunkeness is another altered for of reality -lack of self awareness -abandonment of logic -more confident Stephano and Trinculo stumble upon Caliban, who at first glance, they try to figure out ways to exploit him for his appearance.Trinculo, Stephano and Caliban plan to take over the island and make themselves the rulers of it, but they are very drunk while doing this. Once Stephano tastes a small ounce of power, he begins to abuse it, especially on Caliban.

Act 3 Scene 1

Love makes Miranda disobey her father, and in accordance with Elizabethian times, their marriage would have been considered proper.

Act 3 Scene 2

Once other people begin to see Stephano as the leader of their group, he begins to corrupt his power, and beat and abuse Trinculo. They all agree to violently kill Prospero for revenge (Caliban) and to get more power (Stephano).

Epilougue

Shakespeare, through the character of Prospero askes for freedom from his art and the audiences he has entertained, and apoligizes for if his art was ever manipulitive.

Act 1 Scene 2

We get a background of why Prospero and Miranda are on the island; Antonio (Prospero's brother) took over Prospero's duke powers while he was studying magic, and he went so far with his power that he kidnapped Prospero and sent him to an island. They only survived because of the help that Gonzolo gave them behind the backs of others. Play shows the corruption of power. Ferdinand is under Prospero's love spell of Miranda, which shows us one altered form of reality and the motif of love.

Act 4 Scene 1

We see that Prospero did not put Ferdinand through the struggles he went through not only for power, but also for the love of his daughter. This is the climax of the play, and all of the characters are exactly where Prospero, the puppet master, wants them. There is dramatic tension because the ending could go on the route of either redemption or revenge.

Act 1 Scene 1

We see who is loyal to the King (Gonzolo) and who isn't (Sebastian), and also begin to see the motif of power and servitude between the royals on the boat and the boat workers during the storm

Soliloquy

character speaks to himself/herself on stage alone, and is meant to be the character's thoughts.

groundlings

peasants who stood on the ground during the play

gentry

upper class who sat in teirs

sticamithia

when one character finishes another's iambic pentameter

Aside

when one character speaks directly to the audience, and it is meant to be a secret, or ususally tells us about the character's motives.

Dramatic Irony

when the audience knows more than some characters, which creates suspense and allows us to see how the characters behave