Context

The Tempest was probably written in 16101611, and was first performed by the Kings Men in

the fall of 1611.

The Tempest is most likely the last play written entirely by Shakespeare, and it is remarkable for

being one of only two plays by

Shakespeare

whose plot is entirely original.

Because of its theme of a great magician giving up his art, some scholars believe that The
Tempest is Shakespeares farewell to the stage.

Major Characters
Prospero The plays protagonist, and father of Miranda. Prospero was the Duke of Milan

twelve years before the events of the play.

Miranda The 15-year old daughter of Prospero, Miranda is nave and passive, and absolutely
loyal to her father.
Ariel Prosperos airy and mischievous spirit helper of ambiguous gender and identity.
Caliban Another one of Prosperos servants, Caliban is a dark monster-like slave borne of a
witch-hag. He is the only authentic native of the island.

Minor Characters
Alonso King of Naples and father of Ferdinand.

Ferdinand Only son and heir of Alonso, a brave and handsome prince.
Sebastian Alonsos treacherous brother.
Antonio Prosperos younger brother, the plays main villain.
Minor Characters
Gonzalo An old lord loyal to Prospero and Miranda.
Trinculo & Stefano A jester and butler duo that serve as comic foils.
Boatswain An gruff sailor in charge of the ships crew.
Iris, Ceres, Juno Prosperos spirit helpers.

Minor Character Contrasts

Categorizing The Tempest

While The Tempest was originally listed as a Comedy by Shakespeare, recent scholars have

chosen to give it the more adequate label of Tragicomedy.

Tragicomedy refers to works that blend aspects of the both tragedy and comedy into one hybrid
genre.

In a typical tragicomedy, the action moves towards catastrophe like a tragedy, but fortunate
events or actions intervene to bring about a happy ending.

Form & Structure

The ancient Greek Laws of Drama, the three unities, were the Law of Time, Place, and Action.

Law of Time: the four hours on stage should correspond to the length of time in actual action.
Law of Place: all events must occur in one place.
Law of Action: nothing must be presented to take attention away from the subject presented,
such as secondary plots.
Unlike many of Shakespeares other works, The Tempest is unique in the fact that it does follow
these rules: the entire play occurs in one day, in one location, with focus on one major plot line.

The Tempests Setting

Almost all of The Tempest takes place on a remote magical island where Prospero and Miranda

have lived for the past twelve years.

Prospero, once Duke of Milan, was overthrown by his younger brother Antonio. Antonio then
cast Prospero and Miranda out to sea, which brought them to this island by providence divine.

A Tempest in Bermuda
It is believed that The Tempest was inspired by a series of pamphlets concerning the survival of

some mariners in the Bermuda Islands after a tempest in 1609.

The Bermudas were popularly thought to be inhabited by demons and fairies, and this sparked
Shakespeares imagination for the creation of the play.

Message in a Bottle
Literature written since The Tempest that also use the deserted island setting include Robinson

Crusoe, The Swiss Family Robinson, and Lord of the Flies.

Also, the theme of being stranded on a deserted island has inspired films, such as Cast Away, and
TV series, like Lost and the comedy Gilligans Island. It is also the driving force behind reality

show originator Survivor.

Real Castaways
Within a span of a few years, real-life castaways were reduced to an extremely primitive

condition of living, and sometime lost the knowledge of speech.

After two years of solitude on Mauritius (an island nation off the coast of Africa), one Frenchman

survived on a diet of nothing but raw turtles.

Left alone on the island of Saint Helena (an island of volcanic origin and a in the South Atlantic
Ocean) as punishment, a Dutch seaman fell into such despair that he dug up the body of a buried

comrade and set out to sea in the coffin.

Another castaway, the Spaniard Pedro Serrano, was rescued after seven years of solitude.

If you were stranded on a deserted island, what 3 items would you bring with you?
Topics/ Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work
Nature and Civilization

Forgiveness and Repentance

Chastity and Desire
Knowledge and Order

Motifs
Motifs are recurring structures and contrasts that help develop the texts major themes.
Masters and Servants
Water and Drowning
Mysterious Noises
Symbols
Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas.
The Tempest (storm)
The Game of Chess
Prosperos Books