The Tempest Act 2
Summary of Scene 1
-Alonso, Sebastian, Antonio, Gonzalo, and others search for Ferdinand on the island. -The others can tell that Alonso is in a bad mood so Gonzalo tries to cheer him up though Sebastian and Antonio mock him. -When Alonso finally says that he regrets marrying his daughter off as now he has lost both of his heirs Francisco mentions how he thinks Ferdinand is alive as he say him swim to shore. -Sebastian then goes to say how it's all Alonso's fault that he lost both of his children, leading Gonzalo to tell him to be more gentle. -Gonzalo then tries to change the subject by saying that if he were to colonize the island he would make a perfect society. -Then Ariel comes playing solemn music causing everyone but Antonio and Sebastian to fall asleep. -Antonio seeing his chance convinces Sebastian that he should be King and that they should kill Alonso and the others while they sleep. -Ariel wakes up Gonzalo by whispering a warning in his ear and when he wakes he yells "Preserve the King!" -This makes the rest wake up as well and Sebastian and Antonio have to come up with a lie that they heard lions and that is the reason they have their swords out.
Characters mentioned
-Alonso: the King of Naples, depressed about what happened to his kids -Sebastian: brother of Alonso, gets convinced to kill him and take his place as King -Antonio: Prospero's brother, Duke of Milan, convinces Sebastian to take Alonso's place as King -Gonzalo: noble advisor to the King, good-hearted and optimistic out of the group -Adrian: another lord, also tries to be appreciative of the island alongside Gonzalo -Francisco: another lord, attempts to comfort Alonso and say that Ferdinand is still alive -Ariel: still helping Prospero, this time just puts everyone to sleep and wakes them up, and gives Gonzalo the warning -Claribel: daughter of Alonso, just got married in Africa and is now the queen of Tunis -Ferdinand: son of Alonso, thought to be dead though some think he is alive, all searching for him on the island -Caliban: still hates Prospero, seen bringing wood again, shows fear for Prospero, switches allegiances to Stephano at the end of the Act -Trinculo: court jester, thinks Caliban is a fish -Stephano: butler, drinks a lot of wine, gets Caliban as a servant
Summary of Scene 2
-Caliban enters carrying a pile of wood cursing Prospero's name but worrying that he will hear him and set his spirits on him. -Then he sees Trinculo and thinks it's one of Prospero's spirits so he gets under his cloak as to hide from him. -Trinculo having nowhere to hide from the incoming rain gets under the cloak as well after thinking that Caliban is a fish because of his stench but then realizes he's a man. -Then Stephano enters drinking wine and is drunkenly singing. -When he hears Caliban beg Trinculo to not torment him he thinks he saw a four legged monster with two voices. -The gives wine to Caliban as an attempt to heal him and then also attempts to give some to Trinculo as well but Trinculo recognizes him and convinces Stephano that it really is him. -Stephano believes him when he pulls him from underneath the cloak by his legs, recognizing how wimpy they look. -They then discuss how the survived and came to shore while continuing to get Caliban to drink. -Because of the liquor Caliban thinks that Stephano is a god and swears allegiance to him. -But the two of them take advantage of Caliban being drunk, calling him a monster and allowing him to become their servant, all while Caliban promises to show them all parts of the island.
What does Alonso fear, and what do Sebastian and Gonzalo say to cheer him up?
Alonso fears that not only did he lose his daughter due to her getting married in Africa, he also lost his son as he is thought to have drowned (though the audience knows that everyone that was on the ship is alive, showing dramatic irony). Sebastian is no help, saying that it is Alonso's fault all because he married his daughter off to an African king rather than an European. But Gonzalo does attempt to cheer him up by continuing to be optimistic, saying things like if the King is sad then they are all sad, and also telling Sebastian to be more gentle when speaking to Alonso.
What is Antonio and Sebastian's reaction to the island? Why? How does their reaction indirectly characterize them?
Antonio and Sebastian's reaction are the exact opposite of Gonzalos. When Gonzalo shows optimism they mock and laugh at him. Sebastian specifically sees everything as the fault of King Alonso and blames all their misfortune on him. They also both whisper amongst themselves and depreciate Alonsos grief for him children and Gonzalos optimism. This indirectly characterizes them as the rude one of the group and may foreshadow them to become the antagonists in the story in different ways than what may be seen now.
Who or what does Caliban think that Trinculo and Stephano are, and what is ironic about his reaction? How is his reaction similar to how Miranda and Ferdinant first reacted to each other?
At first Caliban thinks that they are spirits sent by Prospero to torment him for cursing him. He trembles and begs to to not torment him even though the audience knows that they are just humans and not sent by Prospero. But after trying the alcohol Caliban immediately switches up and sees them as gods. It's kind of similar to Miranda and Ferdinand because they are both ready to anger Prospero and not be apart from one another. In Caliban's case be servant to someone else and in Miranda's, Prospero was just acting like he didn't like the relationship but Miranda didn't know that and still showed that they wanted to be with Ferdinand.
What character archetypes do Trinculo and Stephano exemplify, especially in costume and action? Why?
Both Trinculo and Stephano encompass the character archetype of "The Joker". They are brought in as the comedic relief after a serious scene of an attempted murder. Trinculo's position is literally a jester, which means it is his job to make the King and the rest of the court laugh. So he has to wear funny looking clothes and a hat. And Stephano is just the boisterous and drunk butler, and the fact that he is drinking which effects the way he carries himself makes the audience laugh.
What does Caliban fear that Prosper will do to him? What does thunder foreshadow to Caliban? Why?
Caliban fears that Prospero will set spirits and the animals of the island on him. They are said to pinch, bite, and prick him when Prospero hears him bad-mouthing him when he is doing work, such as bringing wood, for him. The thunder foreshadows that he is about to get tormented because that is Prospero's way of warning Caliban on what is about to come.
Why does Caliban worship Stephano, and what is ironic about this worship? Why?
Caliban sees Stephano as a god because he gave him alcohol which Stephano said would heal him of his shakes. It is ironic that alcohol actual just causes harm and doesn't really heal anything. Also that in reality Stephano is just a butler with an alcohol problem, he is no where near being a person of power.
Why doesn't Gonzalo confront Antonio and Sebastian for what they almost did? Why doesn't he call them liars? How is he indirectly characterized by his reaction?
Gonzalo does not confront them or call them liars because it is not in his nature to be confrontational and that he has no evidence. The only reason he knows is because Ariel whispered it in his ear and that is not a very compelling argument. So all he can do i s try his best to keep the King safe on his own. Also the worlds of Antonio and Sebastian would be better believed as they are in higher positions than him and can overrule him. This shows that Gonzalo is very thoughtful and is intelligent enough to understand what could happen as a result of his actions.
How does Gonzalo react to Antonio and Sebastian's plan? How does he imply that they are lying without explicitly stating that they are lying?
Gonzalo reacts to Antonio and Sebastian's plan by yelling, "Preserve the King!" as to awaken the rest of the group. He does not mention anything about the plan though. But he does act suspicious around them by trying to see what their answer is going to be when he asks them what is wrong. He also then goes to say that there was certainly a noise but does not agree on them being lions or not. All he says after is that they should all draw their weapons, not sleep, and leave the area.
What is Gonzalo's reaction to the island? Why? How does his reaction indirectly characterize him?
Gonzalo says that the island is a good place, and that they are just lucky to have survived. He also mentions for a long bit during the conversation that their clothes seem to be in better condition compared to before. This indirectly characterizes him as the optimistic one as everyone else i pretty much disagreeing with him and only showing negative emotions seen through the way they speak and hold themselves.
How are Prospero and Antonio foils?
Prospero and Antonio are foils as Prospero is the protagonist and Antonio is the antagonist. Prospero shows compassion for others and helps the people who helped him, seen with Gonzalo. But Antonio does not care, he will partake in as much bloodshed as he can to get as much power as possible, seen when he thinks he successfully killed his brother and niece, and Alonso who helped him become Duke. Antonio also specifically says that he has no conscience when it come to these things while Prospero's action show that he does.
How and why does Prospero test Antonio and Sebastian?
Prospero tests them by putting everyone else to sleep through Ariel. He does this so Antonio and Sebastian will have the moment they needed to plot to kill Alonso so Sebastian will have his place as King. Then when Antonio finally convinces Sebastian to do it Prospero has Ariel wake them up so they can see how treacherous they are and be more inclined to give Prospero his position has Duke back when they meet on the island later on in the book.
How can this scene be viewed as a satire of religion? What themes can be implied in the scene?
Stephano is seen to mock some religious saying when he is drunk which can be viewed as a satire of religion. He says "Amen" when Caliban takes a drink of wine, which could be seen as disrespectful. He also says "Kiss the book" to get Trinculo to take a drink as well, which is an allusion to the practice of kissing the Bible before taking an oath. The theme would just be about any secular ideals.
How will the effect of alcohol likely affect Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo? What humor is created in this scene?
The alcohol will most likely cause the 3 of them to experience a lapse of judgement. We might see them do something embarrassing or come up with a horrible decision. Especially as this is Caliban's first time drinking wine. Humor is created by the way the hold themselves, continuously taking random swigs, and randomly beginning to sing songs.
What diction do Antonio and Sebastian use to describe Gonzalo? What is their plan? Why?
The diction Antonio and Sebastian use can most accurately be described as mocking. They think it's idiotic of him to look the the bright side of things. This is seen when Sebastian says, "Look, he's winding up the watch of his wit./by and by it will strike" (2.1.14-15). their plan is to kill Gonzalo and Alonso. they want Sebastian to be Kind and the only way that will happen is if Alonso dies. And they also have to kill Gonzalo as to not leave any witnesses.
How is Caliban indirectly characterized by speaking in verse rather than prose?
This shows that Caliban does not entirely hate Prospero/Miranda. He was taught to speak in verse by the two of them when they first arrived at the island and only speaks that way when he is alone, when he is around others he speaks in prose. This seems to be an attempt by Shakespeare to show the audience that even though Caliban is shown to be a monster, he still has some humanity in him and that he can be inclined to be given some sympathy as speaking in verse reflects how he truly feels and not the front he may put on.
What can alcohol symbolize to Caliban? Why? What can alcohol symbolize to the audience? Why?
To Caliban alcohol symbolizes acceptance. So far in the book this is the first thing that has been shared with him since Prospero taught him his culture. And people don't just share things, especially something expensive (as alcohol was) with someone they don't see as their own, at least that is what is going on in Caliban's mind, you don't really know if Stephano actually sees him as his own. To the audience the alcohol symbolizes colonialism. This white man comes to a land foreign to him, gives something of his to someone seen as lesser to him, and ends up just gaining a servant.