By William Shakespeare  Alonso- King of Naples  Sebastian- Alonso’s brother  Prospero- the rightful Duke of Milan  Antonio- Prospero’s brother, the usurping Duke of Milan  Ferdinand- son of King Alonso  Gonzalo- an honest, old counselor  Adrian and Francisco-lords  Miranda-daughter of Prospero  Caliban-a savage and deformed slave  Ariel-an airy spirit  Trinculo-a jester  Stephano-a drunken butler  Master-of a ship  Boatswain and Mariners of the ship  Iris, Ceres, Juno, Nymphs, Reapers-spirits  An Italian word meaning favorable or propitious  He is the legitimate Duke of Milan.  His books give him power (magic)—only effective on the island (or in the theater)— cause of banishment, but also source of power to overcome banishment.

 Clues from the play:  Alonso’s ship is bound for Naples in Italy when it wrecks on an island.  Scholars have speculated that this Mediterranean island could be Pantalaira (Theodor Elze, 1889) or Corfu (William Bell, 1861)  Shakespeare had access to documents about the exploration of the new world, which may have been possible influence for the play:  “A True Repertory of the Wreck and Redemption of Sir Thomas Gates, Knight” (William Strachey, 1610) and “Discovery of the Bermudas otherwise Called the ‘Isle of Devils’” (Silvester Jourdain, 1610)  If Shakespeare was influenced by these sources, then the Island may have been Bermuda.  Shakespeare would have known of the various accounts of the shipwreck of the Sea Venture on the coast of Bermuda in July 1609:  Nautical language at the beginning of the play—dramatic storm with shipwreck off the coast of an “uninhabited island”  Geographical references in the play place the island in both the Mediterranean and Atlantic—course followed by King Alonso after the celebration of his daughter Claribel’s wedding to the King of Tunis is back across the Mediterranean toward Naples  Ariel refers to Bermuda; Caliban mentions “Setebos,” which comes from Patagonia.  A word derived from the Latin verb miror, meaning “she who is to be wondered at or admired.”  She is next in line to Prospero’s dukedom.  The only men she has ever seen, until the shipwreck, are Prospero and Caliban.  Often considered an anagram of “cannibal”  Was brought to the island by his deceased mother, the Algerian witch Sycorax  Attempted to rape Miranda  Confined to a rock and forced to gather fuel for Prospero’s fire  Enigmatic appearance:  Described as “earth,” “tortoise,” “hag-seed,” “fish,” “monster,” “moon-calf,” “puppy-headed,” “misshapen,” and a “thing of darkness.”  Despite these descriptions, he speaks some of the most beautiful lines in the play and in several scenes is acknowledged as having human features, feelings, and aspirations.  Hatches a conspiracy with Trinculo and Stephano to take control from Prospero by killing him, burning his books, and taking Miranda as their queen.  In his essay "On Cannibals," Montaigne continually asserts that what is natural is synonymous with what is good, and that Nature herself ought to be the light by which human action is guided.  Presents an idealized characterization of the natives of the New World; perceives "cannibals” as men who live the way Nature intends them to live, unadorned and unfettered by modern civilization.  Boldly asserts that in the character of these people, all of "the true, most useful, and natural virtues and properties are alive and vigorous" (O’Toole).  Montaigne’s essay is thought to have inspired Shakespeare’s characterization of both Caliban and Ariel.  Both authors explore the relationship between human nature and modern civilization.  Contrast: Montaigne idealizes the natives; Shakespeare characterizes Caliban as brutish.  Is Shakespeare attacking Montaigne’s view in the essay? The characterization of Ariel makes this confusing.  Both characters are “oppressed” or “colonized” by Prospero.  A word glossed in the Geneva Bible as “lion of God,” but which probably just denotes “airiness.”  In the service of Prospero who freed him from the tree where he was imprisoned by Sycorax  Prospero promises him freedom (return to the elements ) if he performs all of Prospero’s magical commands.  Often interpreted as hermaphroditic  A name probably derived from the Italian trincare, to drink.  A jester—a fool employed by the royal house for entertainment  Part of a mock- conspiracy (Caliban) with Stephano (the butler)to overtake Prospero, but he is more interested in the alcohol that has been saved with the ship  Earliest recorded performance was at court before King James I on “Hallomas nyght” (Nov. 1, 1611).  May 20th 1613: play was performed again for the King during marriage festivities for his daughter.  The King’s Men (acting troupe under King James) probably performed for a wider public at Blackfriars Theatre or The Globe.  First appearance in print was seven years after Shakespeare’s death— published as the opening title in the First Folio of 1623.  Because of its placement, the play is considered Shakespeare’s swan song.  Besides The Comedy of Errors, it is Shakespeare’s shortest play.  Considered both a crowning and inaugural work:  Placement in the First Folio  Last play Shakespeare writes alone (writes Henry VIII and The Two Noble Kinsmen after this in collaboration with other playwrights)  Identifications between Prospero and Shakespeare (some scholars disagree)  Offers some of Shakespeare’s most profound meditations on the cycles of life, a sense of ending and beginning, death and regeneration, and bondage and release.  The play was originally placed in the comedy category, but many modern readers do not agree with the placement.  Comedic traits: otherworldly setting, romantic playfulness, moves toward reconciliation and marriage  Tragic traits: seriousness of tone, suffering of all characters, exile, enslavement, and morality  Labeled “tragicomedy” or “romance”  Origins:  Shakespeare began writing his Romances about the same time that his acting company (The King’s Men) acquired Blackfriars Theater (1608)—risky business!  He wrote with Blackfriars in mind:  Best playwright of the company  Knew the actors  Incorporated more musical numbers (masques)- previous acting troupe was an all boy choir  “Romance” was not a term used to classify a play in Shakespeare’s time:  Modern term “romance”- a hybrid play of comic and tragic elements (developed and popularized by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher between 1607 and 1613).  Shakespearean Romances:  Pericles (1607-1608)- not included in SH’s works until 1664  Cymbeline (1609-1610)- originally published as tragedy  The Winter’s Tale (1610-1611)- originally published as comedy  The Tempest (1611)- originally published as a comedy  Similar to comedy:  Includes a love-intrigue  Culminates in a happy ending

 Different than comedy:  Muted tone of happiness (joy mixed with sorrow), rather than exuberance  Marriage--focus on healing rifts within the total human community—not about the happiness of the bride and groom  Focus on middle-aged and older protagonists rather than just youth  Similar to tragedy:  Serious plot line (betrayals, tyrants, usurpers of thrones)  Serious themes  Darker in tone than comedy

 Different than tragedy:  Time seems to be reversible (second chances and fresh starts), rather than permanently tragic  Sense of destiny from Divine Providence rather than Fate  Reconciliation and restoration rather than alienation and destruction  Concerned with forgiveness rather than revenge  Characters respond to situations and events rather than provoking them  Emphasis of the cycle of life and death  Focus on the archetypal character and human experience  May seem shallow and one-dimensional  Not meant to be psychologically credible  Experiences are symbolic beyond their own lives  Emphasis on Nature rather than individual human nature  Larger than life characters  Supernatural elements  Romance is unrealistic  Illogical plots (cause and effect ignored)  Action seems to be leading to tragic catastrophe until a “trick” brings the conflict to a harmonious resolution.  Ending may seem contrived (similar to deus ex machina)  Realism is not the point—Romance requires us to accept the unrealistic nature of the plot.  “While tragedy emphasizes evil, and comedy minimizes it, romance acknowledges evil—the reality of human suffering” (Schwartz)  An enveloping conflict that may cover a large time span and is resolved at the end of the play  Happy endings to potentially tragic situations  Themes of transgression, redemption, villains who are forgiven rather than punished  Improbable plots  Characters of high social class  Rural and court settings  Love a virtuous hero and heroine  “pure” and “gross” loves often contrasted  Most of Shakespeare’s plays have been adapted from historical or literary texts, but not The Tempest.  Possible influences:  Virgil’s Aeneid  Ovid’s Metamorphoses  Montaigne’s “Of the Cannibals” (“On Cannibals”)  Contemporary accounts of the shipwreck of the Sea Venture  Antonio Pigafetta’s account of Magellan’s circumnavigation of the world  The Bible (Isaiah XXIX)  Earlier plays featuring magicians (Friar Bacon and Doctor Faustus)  Histories of Renaissance Italy  Prose romances from Italy, France, and Spain (often featured shipwrecks, sorcerers, monsters, and long- deferred marriages between knights and maidens)  Father and daughter  Husband and wife  Older brother and younger brother  King and subject  Master and servant  Colonizer and colonized  Both feared and scorned in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance  The magician was estranged from the populace by passion for learning  Support for numerology, alchemy and astrology was found in the words of ancient texts  Briefly seen as intellectual pursuit  Seen as a tool that was no longer needed (Prospero gives up his magic/exile at the end of the play)  Where is the island on which the play is set?  How are we supposed to feel toward Caliban?  What are we to make of the absence of women?  How does the balance of power change with the ship’s return to Milan?  What is the source of Prospero’s power?  Study of liberal arts and books?  Magical book, robe, staff, and Ariel (spirits)?  Ability to enchant with words and images?  Tyrannical control over those he has placed in position of weakness?  Is the unnatural behavior of various characters reflective of a symbolic argument about human nature?  Are the characters of comic relief serving as foils to the protagonists?  Is marriage a metaphor?  Does Caliban represent colonial powers? Ariel?