Narrative Events

Act 1 , Scene 1

 

The play begins with the storm, magically created by Prospero with the help of Ariel, which disrupts the journey of the royal party (Alonso, Ferdinand, Sebastian, Antonio, Gonzalo, Stephano, and Trinculo) who are returning from Claribel's, Alonso's daughter, wedding in Africa.
The men aboard begin to argue during the distress of the storm - the Boatswain orders the royals to go below deck which causes Gonzalo to gently reprimand the worker for forgetting the power of the king, and Sebastian and Antonio begin to insult the Boatswain whilst he attempts to save the ship. The sailors enter, with thoughts that they are going to be killed by the storm, and the royal party all go below deck to pray for their survival.

 

Act 1, Scene 2

 

This scene shows Prospero and Miranda watching the storm from an island and Miranda begs her father to end the storm and save the men aboard.
Prospero tells Miranda the story of her heritage and how they both came to inhabit the island. He informs her that he was the Duke of Milan and that his brother, Antonio usurped his power because Prospero had begun to neglect his royal duties by spending too much time with his books and learning magic. Prospero narrates how he and Miranda were sent away on a dangerous boat, but that Gonzalo took pity on them and provided them with necessities such as Prospero's books.
After telling Miranda this story Prospero puts her into a magical sleep and summons his spirit servant, Ariel. Ariel informs Prospero that he has separated members of the royal party onto different parts of the island and that the ship's crew is in a magical sleep under the deck of the ship.
As Ariel has carried out Prospero's demands, the spirit asks Prospero to provide the freedom that he has promised Ariel but Prospero refuses and argues that he must continue Ariel's enslavement for a few days longer.
Ariel leaves angrily, Prospero then awakens Miranda and summons Caliban, another of his servants. Prospero and Caliban argue as Caliban rebels against Prospero's control as he believes the island to be his property as Caliban was born on the island, and Prospero has to resort to controlling Caliban through magic. Prospero threatens Caliban, and claims that Caliban is corrupt as Caliban had previously tried to rape Miranda. Caliban's presence scares Miranda and Prospero demands that Caliban leaves.

Ariel re-enters the scene with Ferdinand and he and Miranda fall in love immediately. As part of his plan to marry Miranda and Ferdinand, Prospero pretends to be suspicious of Ferdinand and imprisons him, and secretly thanks Ariel for the spirit's help in his scheme.

Act 2, Scene 1

 

The royals are gathered on the island discussing their situation. Gonzalo gives a speech, celebrating their survival but Alonso is despairing at the loss of his son, as he believes Ferdinand to be drowned. Antonio and Sebastian distance themselves and mock both Gonzalo's optimism and Alonso's anguish. Antonio and Sebastian then begin to tell Alonso that he should not have allowed his daughter to marry and African and that if he had not then they would never have been in the storm which causes Gonzalo to chastise the pair for being so insensitive.
Ariel enters the scene, invisible, and puts Gonzalo and Alonso into a magical sleep. As the pair sleep Antonio and Sebastian plot to murder them, so that Sebastian can become king. Sebastian shows some signs of apprehension but agrees to attempt the plot after Antonio convinces his and they both draw their swords on Alonso and Gonzalo but Ariel awakens Gonzalo so that their  plan is foiled. Sebastian creates a story to excuse their behavior, suggesting that they heard a dangerous noise and were protecting the king and Alonso accepts this explanation. They royal entourage then leave to continue their search for Ferdinand.

Act 2, Scene 2

 

Caliban begins the scene, cursing Prospero and his imprisonment. He hears the noise of somebody approaching and assuming it to be Prospero lies on the ground, throws a cloak over his body and hides, showing only his feet.
Trinculo enters and seeing Caliban believes him to be monster made of half of a man and half of a fish. Inspecting the unknown being, Trinculo wonders if he would be able to sell the beast back in civilisation and touches him but discovers that he is an inhabitant of the island not a monster. Seeing that a storm is approaching, Trinculo decides to take shelter under the cloak with Caliban.
Stephano, drunk, enters and seeing the covered Caliban and Trinculo, initially believes it to be a monster, and ponders its financial possibilities whilst examining Caliban. This scares Caliban and Stephano makes Caliban drink his wine to calm him down. During this Trinculo has recognised Stephano's voice and emerges to drink wine with Stephano and Caliban.
Caliban, being drunk, believes Stephano to be a God and swears to worship him and become his slave, promising to show Stephano the most prosperous parts of the island.

Act 3, Scene 1

 

Ferdinand enters carrying a log, a task that Prospero has demanded of him as a punishment. He claims that he does not mind the work, as thoughts of Miranda make it worthwhile and he wants to serve Miranda.
Miranda enters, having disobeyed he father by coming to see Ferdinand, but Prospero is secretly watching the couple, and offers to carry out Ferdinand's work for him so that he can rest but he refuses.

 

Miranda tells Ferdinand her name, something that her father had forbidden and Miranda becomes worried. The couple confess their love for each other, Ferdinand telling Miranda that he has never seen anyone so perfect, and Miranda telling Ferdinand that she has never seen another man, except her father, and that she has no wish to. Miranda asks Ferdinand if he loves her and begins to cry when he says that he does. She tells Ferdinand that she loves him, and is willing to be his wife, mistress, or slave as she believes herself unworthy of him but Ferdinand agrees to marry her and Prospero is pleased by this, as it benefits his plan.

Act 3, Scene 2

 

The scene returns to Stephano, Trinculo and Caliban on the island, drunk, plotting to kill Prospero. Caliban has informed Stephano and Trinculo that Prospero rules the island and that if the men help him to kill Prospero they can control the island.
Ariel arrives and overhears their plan to burn Prospero's books so that he does not have any magical power, and Stephano's plan to marry Miranda and Ariel resolves to inform Prospero of these schemes.

 

The drunken men begin to sing and Ariel scares them by making music to accompany them, but Caliban reassures Stephano and Trinculo that the island is full of magical noises that should not always be feared.

Act 3, Scene 3

 

After exhausting themselves searching for Ferdinand the royal party collapse onto a beach, unknowingly being watched by Prospero. Prospero summons many spirits which provide the royal entourage with a banquet and music and after inviting the men to eat the spirits vanish.
The men are wary but are also very hungry and begin the feast but Ariel arrives, disguised in the form of a harpy and ruins the banquet, turning the atmosphere of celebration into one of defeat. He accuses the men of committing sins against Prospero and magically immobilises the men so that they cannot draw their swords.

After Ariel's speech, the men are terrified and flee the beach, becoming separated from each other, Gonzalo and Alonso in one group, and Antonio and Sebastian in another, but Gonzalo has sent Adrian and Francisco to keep an eye on them.

Act 4, Scene 1

 

This scene sees Prospero admitting that he has treated Ferdinand unfairly. Prospero suggests that the tasks he made Ferdinand complete whilst imprisoned proved that he would be a worthy husband to Miranda and Prospero offers Miranda to Ferdinand as a wife, but warns Ferdinand that he cannot sleep with Miranda until their wedding night.

Prospero then calls Ariel to summon the spirits of the island so that there can be a masque to celebrate the upcoming marriage.

The masque takes place, with the blessing of the goddesses Iris, Juno and Ceres who sanctify the marriage.

 

This is disrupted by Prospero who remembers that Stephano, Trinculo and Caliban are plotting to murder him and he ends the masque.
He summons Ariel, who reports that the men are drunk and that Ariel has managed to lead them through a briar patch and into a filthy pond. Prospero is pleased and tells Ariel to place extravagant clothing in the path of the men to distract them from their task.

Stephano, Trinculo and Caliban appear, wet, smelling and complaining about the loss of their alcohol but are distracted, just as Prospero had planned, by the fancy clothes hung up nearby.
Caliban attempts to convince the men to leave the clothes and complete their plot but Stephano and Trinculo ignore Caliban's pleas and warning that Prospero will find them and Prospero and Ariel enter with spirits disguised as hunting hounds. Stephano, Trinculo and Caliban flee, being chased by the hounds.
Prospero is extremely pleased by these events and realising that he holds power all of his enemies he decides to promise Ariel freedom.

 

Act 5, Scene 1



Ariel informs Prospero that Alonso, Antonio and Sebastian are worried, desperate and remorseful and Prospero assures Ariel that he will he compassionate when dealing with the royal entourage and asks Ariel to bring them to him.

While waiting for the men to arrive Prospero gives a soliloquy about how he achieved many great things through his magic and then he promises to give up his knowledge of magic, to bury his staff and drown his books.

Ariel re-enters with the royal party who are in a sort of trance, and places them within Prospero's magical circle and removes the spell on the men.

Prospero appears, dressed in the clothes of the Duke of Milan, assumes his rightful place and embraces Alonso as a gesture of reconciliation. Prospero also embraces Gonzalo, who he does not chastise because he helped Prospero when he was banished, and Prospero tells Antonio and Sebastian that he will not treat them as traitors this time and he forgives Antonio - who is required to give his dukedom back to Prospero.

 

Prospero informs Alonso that Ferdinand is not dead, after Alonso continues to mourn, telling him Ferdinand has agreed to marry Miranda and reveals to Alonso Miranda and Ferdinand playing chess. Alonso welcomes Miranda as his daughter and Gonzalo, as the sight of this reconciliation, begins to cry at the miracle the island has brought to them.

Ariel enters with the Boatswain who, along with the other royals, is puzzled by how they came to be on the island and Prospero tells the men not the worry about such things as they have solved all of their problems.

Ariel then leads Stephano, Trinculo and Caliban into the scene, all still drunk, and Prospero explains to the rest of the characters the plot that these men attempted against him. Immediately, Caliban repents and promises to seek forgiveness from Prospero and Stephano and Trinculo are sent to decorate Prospero's cell.

Prospero invites the men to spend the night with him, and that he will tell them the adventures of the last twelve years of his life.

Prospero asks one last thing of Ariel before he grants the spirit total freedom - to ensure that the men have calm seas to sail home on.

 

Prospero, alone on the stage, asks the audience to free him as he has now given up his magic, freed his slaves, and forgiven those who have wronged him in the past. He asks to be returned to Naples as the island has been his prison and suggests that the audience's applause will show that they have freed him. He also suggests that forgiveness is what all men desire and during the audience's applause Prospero leaves the stage.