The Tempest

Detailed Study : Act-I I I

ACT III, SCENE 1

The scene takes place outside Prospero's :::. Ferdinand enters c : ; = :

wood. Prospero has given this work to Ferdinand in order to make 1Ying a log ,
th
the genuine qualities to be the husband of his daughter. Miranda is surte at he ha
ex remely d
see Ferdinand working so hard. She wishes that lightning should "Burn sa t
. . Up those Jo
that he was asked to pile". She requests Ferdmand to rest but Ferdin d 1
. . ' an wantst
remmd her that he has to finish the task before the sun sets. Miranda want
. . stocan
the logs m his place so that he can take some rest, but Ferdinand declines the offe
PI:ospero had ordered Ferdinand to pile up the logs of wood also as a punishmer
for invading the island. But he is pleased to find the two young people fall in Jove wit
each other. This is exactly what he had planned and that was why he had ordere
Ariel to lure Ferdinand to his cell. Miranda thinks that Prospero is not present whe
she speaks to Ferdinand, but he is actually hidden close by. When Miranda want
to know whether Ferdinand loves her, he swears by heaven and earth that he doe:
When Miranda hears this she bursts out into tears. She tells Ferdinand that thou1
she is not worthy of him, she would be his wife if he want her. Ferdinand accepts h!
offer instantly, much to the pleasure of hidden Prospero.

I Hiilll f -ii?iation
. b n Miranda

j
Hurried Courtship: Shakespeare has kept the courtship etwee eople-1
Ferdinand short. He intends to portray idealised ,lqve between two you:; passiorl
prolonged duration of courtship would have necessitated the arousal p
which would have destroyed the innocent love between the couple.

Love at ftrllt sight ends

. ht· and Jove
In Shakespeare's c~medies characters fall in love at first sig ' Of Miranda
•alli in love po~
marriage. "The Tempest" is a comedy in a sense and ,, ng ugh a pr0
Ferdinand was immediately after they set their eyes on each other. T~to ..,as vitaJ_fro1
dd yet 1 w 1·ues
for marriage within ten minutes of first meeting may look O ' t""ree 1JI1
. · the "
Shakespeare's point of view. In this case, he wanted to maintain
 Ill

e.nd he could not introduce a prolonged period of courting and yet

:ot
' f time as well as of action. This is the reason why Ferdinand and
be developed as credible characters within the short time.
the menial task
the task of carrying logs of wood - something which Prospero had
ed Caliban to do. Ferdinand's first reaction to it is to resist; but this
to meek submission. This is done to show his love for Miranda. The
the throne of Naples, happily submits himself to the most menial of
·s love. It is necessary for Ferdinand to show discipline, hard work
his character traits to convince Prospero to give his daughter in

to relentless hard worker, his work remains unrewarded. He resists

unishedjust as relentlessly for it. His sole guiding factor is instinct,
suggestion of external control.
the main plot
forgiveness is developed in the subplot of the play. The main plot
's forgiveness of his enemies. The subplot of the love between
· and is vital for the main plot. "The Tempest" is about pardon and
sins and mistakes of one generation, through the second generation
e of the young generation. Such a theme is developed in "The
cess of reconciliation through sons and daughters naturally is slow
rings about reconciliation by unfolding of an old wrong, gathering
injured and those who caused injury. Then he transformed his
ess - all this was done in a short period of three hours.

s on slavery and colonisation are seen in "The Tempest". The

plains about it.
d's mine, by Sycorax my mother,
ou talc'st from me."
'a Claim on the island and it is left to us to establish whether or
right to control Caliban and his natural island. However, at the
ban is given undisturbed possession of the island. The situation
he undergone by millions of natives in their country due to the
· ·sts. The tribal people were no match for the cunning ways of
 1~12___________________T_..:.:_heTe~
.:.. Pest
--wo,~
the European invaders. Most of them succumbed to the Worthl h,,
· ·
on them by the colorualists. To a large extent more than half th ess bllrden . I'.
. e World 1. s 1ni I
to the materialism and consumensm of the colonialists.

--==~=.
s still P_olfj
'Vii'

1. .... tbe
- ··••li ~
I
folio-.,:
Ferdinand ...This my mean task
Would be as heavy to me as odious, but
The mistress which I serve quickens what's dead,
And makes my labours pleasures: 0, she is
Ten times more gentle than her father's crabbed-
And he's composed of harshness! I must remove
Some thousands of these logs and pile them up,
Upon a sore injunction: my sweet mistress
Weeps when she sees me work, and says, such baseness
Had never like executor. I forget:
But these sweet thoughts do even refresh my labours,
Most busy least, when I do it.
(i) What is meant by 'mean task'? Why was it heavy and odious? Why
such a task given to him?

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(ii) What is the attitude of his mistress to the work? How does
when he sees him. working?
,,, ..
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d
118 The~
--------------------:_· Pest-.\\!
or~b
ACT III, SCENE 2

On another part of the island the intoxicated group of Caliban St

, epha.n O
are talking among themselves. Trinculo makes fun of Caliban b <lrld l'n ,-
' Ut St n
him not to use his tongue in such an ugly manner. The drunk ephano ,..
. en Cal'b
1 w
lick the shoe of Stephano. He does not want to serve Trinculo b an Wishes
find him "valiant". · ' ecause he does .

Caliban tells Trinculo and Stephano that he is "subject to a tyrant _

that by his cunning hath cheated me of this island." He tells them to ' a sorcerl'i
murderPr
He tells them that Prospero normally sleeps in the afternoon, and that th ospe~
rid of him while he is asleep, provided they take away his magic books fi ey can i
rst. He te~
Stephano that he can then have Miranda as his wife after he murder p
s rospem
Stephano then proclaims that he would murder Prospero and become the kin of ._
island. He will make Miranda his queen and Trinculo and Caliban as his vice!oysl
Then the invisible Ariel plays a tune on a tabor and pipe. Stephano is surpris~
to hear the music. Trinculo says that it is a music "played by the picture of Nobodl
Stephano defies the person who is playing the music. Trinculo is frightened and as1
forgiveness from God for his sins. Caliban starts a discussion on the strange mui
that the island is full of. They decide that they will first find the source of the musi
and then kill Prospero.

tlon
. · d d Miranda. T&
This comic scene follows the romantic scene between Ferdman an el
d • this seen
subplot with Caliban, Trinculo and Stephano is further develope lil h JattJ
Caliban asks Stephano to murder Prospero. The proposal 1s . accep tdbyte
e arallel I
There is the use of parallelism: Caliban's plot to murder Prospero is kep:Pcalibani
Antomo's. .
plot to murder Alonso. Sebastian agrees to Ant om·o's plot .an short , '
. accepted by Stephano. Smee.
plot 1s . two such unconnecte d P 1O t 5 occurma
it is felt that the morality in the world has gone topsy turvy.

Nature of Caliban'• revenge . qualitY

h dece1tfti1 b
The scene throws light on Caliban's character which has t e thin1's steP
• . 1 .b ause he ced
revenge. Caliban reaches out to Stephano and Tnncu o, ec . influen 'b
. 'b ' rnind is ceJi
and Trinculo are capable of murdering Prospero. Cah an 5 drunkard-
alcohol, the other two might well have appeared powerful to a I
!
 119

and a tyrant, who by his magic cheated him of his island.

110rcereris ability to manipulate others.
plays h
the natural versus the ci~ilised man is o~ce again shown as Caliban
shows civilised pretens10ns and cunningness. He calls Prospero
he himself is no better. There is sufficient merit about his anger over
. g him of his island; it was a crime that colonialists were guilty of
.~ey had displaced the natural habitat of the tribals wherever they
plans to take his revenge by murdering Prospero with the help of
culo, who are symbols of the European way of life.

is humble and servile towards Stephano but he is hostile towards

' ban, Stephano is like some kind of a god. He has two opposing
·nee and hostility towards Stephano and Trinculo respectively.
aroused in Caliban, due to consumption of liquor. Stephano's self-
wn in this scene, wherein he proclaims himself as the would be

Assignments

Uowing passage and answer the questions that follow:

Servant-monster! the folly of this island! They say there's but

this isle: we are three of them; if th' other two be brained like
tate totters.
Drink, servant-monster, when I bid thee: thy eyes are almost
Y head.
Where should they be set else? he were a brave monster,
they were set in his tail.
0 · My man-monster hath drowned his tongue in
my Part, the sea cannot drown me; I swam, ere I could recover
• five-and-thirty leagues off and on. By this light, thou shalt be
t, monster, or my standard.
the "three of them" and tl:ie rest two? If two of the rest are
Others, what would happen to the state?

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 1111111
128 The Tempest-
\\rorltb I
~ -
ACT Ill, SCENE 3

Alonso, Antonio and the king's e<rum= are med aftec a long seac h ~ :-.
G nza1 c ,or Fe ct·1 ,
o o suggests that they stop for some rest. Alonso himself ad . r nanc1.'
. . d . m1ts that h
1s tire . He 1s convinced that Ferdinand is drowned and thus Al e too
. . . . . . • onso has n 0
of findmg him alive. Antoruo, m an aside to Sebastian, tells him th t h . hope
h . . a e~h ..
t at the king 1s so much in despair. This would help them to carry t . appy
. ou their I :
S e b astian and Antonio agree
· to take advantage of their weariness du e o travelP an.
t
consequent lack of vigilance to take care of their safety. They decide to carry out thand·
plan later in the evening. eir
While the two are plotting to commit the murder, some strange music is heard
Prospero enters the scene amidst the music, he is invisible to others. Along with hi~
enter several strange shapes. They are carrying with them a banquet of food. The·
dance about with proper salutation and invite the king and others to eat. Befor:
they could touch the food, the strange shapes disappear leaving· the food behind.
Everyone is taken aback by surprise. Sebastian says that he would no longer doubt
the incredible tales narrated by travellers. Antonio too agrees with him. \
- I
There comes a thunderclap, and Ariel enters the scene in the shape of a harpy,
with the face of a woman, and the body of a vulture. Immediately, the banquet
vanishes through a 'quaint device'. Ariel, accuses Alonso·, Sebastian and Antonio ro;
th
their sin. Though Ariel's speech is in the presence of others, it is heard only by j
e
three men whom he accuses. !
th
The three men draw their swords to attack, but Ariel warns them not draw e~
swords against 'ministers of fate', for they may well be stabbing the waves or usin!
th
the swords against the wind. Ariel tells them that it is. destiny that brought e~
d f om Prosperc
to the island to be punished for their sin of usurping the duke om r hicf
and abandoning him on the wild sea. He tells them that Alonso's son is dead, w .d;i
they must consider to be the beginning of their sorrows. Then Arie
. 1 vanishes arn1
_
I
thunder and Prospero congratulates Ariel for his good performance. . pia)<
· away. Go •
The three persons are so affected by what they heard that they run es wa:
. he assurn •
had not heard the speech, but when he sees Alonso runrung away e stroll!
hose who ar _
,
· their guilt has worked on them like a slow poison. He as k s t voJ<ed il
aft being pro
enough to follow them so that they do not harm themselves er _
such a strange manner.

111111111111
 129

Critical Appreciation

. eluded in the plot to bring about the moral theme of the play.
v~kes supernatural powers on the sinners through phantoms.

s ·its roots in old legends, where magicians are often said to have
eir supernatural power by presenting banquets . The banquet in this
an allegorical interpretation of the scriptures. Eve in the Bible was
apple; and Christ, with an illusory banquet. The former type of
successful, as with the men of sin in this scene. The latter was a
t did not succumb to the temptation as the case is with Gonzalo.
profoundly acquainted with medieval legends , made Satan tempt
demess with a magic banquet. It is referred to in his book, The

or Ariel as a harpy
this scene, as a harpy. As per classical mythology harpies are
·sgusting monsters. They are birds with the heads of maidens. They
and their faces are pale with hunger. The gods sent them to torment
s . Whenever food was placed in front of him these harpies pounced
eith~r carried the food with them, or defiled it. Ariel denounces
nio, Sebastian and Alonso. Alonso seems to be the most affected
tions of Ariel. Since Alonso is Ferdinand's father, it is proper that
have a father-in-law, who is a man of integrity. It is necessary that
s sins, and reforms his life.

e moral values of each of the courtiers in the way they react to the
qu~t represents an illusory offering of material comforts which the
en chasing in their lives . Banquet shows immoral greed because
ted it for themselves without having either earned or deserved it. It
ing of undeserved dukedom and unduly banishing of Prospero. The
reflection of the parasite's code that Alonso, Antonio and Sebastian
g. What they want is power and fame, which they want to get like
t \Vorking for it.
 130 The Tern
Pest.._\\l

The other effects of the scene

The scene has practical lessons:
• It includes the impeachment of the three sinners and the pro t
for their sins, followed by Alonso's remorse for his part of crime Pos~d repent 1.
againstp st
• The scene is a satire on travellers and their tales · On seeing th rospe
Sebastian thinks that he can now believe even in the exist ence of the ban~,,
unicorn and the phoenix. e lllYthi,
I • Gonzalo speaks of mountaineers with huge masses of flesh h . I
throat that gives them the appearance of bulls. anging from. th
• The outburst of these men in their dazed state is a reflection of wh I
used to tell others about their fantastic tales of travel. at traveu,

1. Read the following passage and answer the questions that folio~:

Alonso Old lord, I cannot blame thee,

Who am myself attach'd with weariness,
To the dulling of my spirits: sit down, and rest.
Even here I will put off my hope, and keep it
No longer for my flatterer: he is drown'd
Whom thus we stray to find, and the sea mocks
Our frustrate search on land. Well, let him go.
Antonio [Aside to Sebastian] I am right glad that he's so out of ho

Do not, for one repulse, forego the purpose

That you resolved to effect.
Sebastian [Aside to Antonio] The next advantage
Will we take throughly.

(i) Who is the old lord? Why is he attached with weariness?

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 111111

The Tempest
Detailed Study: Act-I V

ACT IV, SCENE 1

Th"
1s scene takes place in Prospero's cell. Prospero by now is satisfied .
. f . . With th
=:-7
genuineness o Ferdinand's love for Miranda. He, therefore, explains to F . e
erdinanct
th a t all th e 1abour to which the latter was subjected was only a test of h '
a . . . is love
Prospero ouers Miranda's hand to Ferdinand and says that m due course the ·
· d YWould
ge t mame .
Prospero then tells Ariel to bring before him all the spirits over whom the latter
has control. This is because Prospero wants to show to Ferdinand and Miranda a
specimen of his supernatural art. Then begins a masque in honour of the betrothal
of Ferdinand and Miranda. Various spirits appear as goddesses.
• The first to appear is Iris, the messenger of Juno. Iris speaks giving a detailed
list of country products and scenes. She calls upon Ceres (Mother-Earth) to
come and give her blessings to the young couple.
• Ceres wants an assurance that the function will not be attended by Venus, the
goddess of love, and CUpid, her son, because she has always been avoiding
their company ever since Pluto, the god of death, carried off her daughter,
Prosperina, with the help of Venus and Cupid.
th
• Iris informs her that Venus and CUpid did try to make some mischief wi
th
Ferdinand and Miranda but that they failed, and feeling disappointed ey
had gone away.
. . g life wealth,
• Then Juno blesses the young lovers with happy marriage, 1on ,
and happiness. .
. f
·ns trees
• Ceres blesses them with the fertility of the soil, granaries full
O
grai d
asks
laden with fruits, etc. Ferdinand is enchanted to see the whole show are,
th
Prospero whether the characters are spirits. Prospero informs him at t ey
. . in a dance-
• Next, Iris calls upon the nymphs and the reapers to appear and to JOlll . life.
. . ainst htS
All of a sudden Prospero remembers the conspiracy of Caliban ag ,cpJains
He compliments the spirits on their performance and dismisses them, He e us Jle
. . . h that is rarno ' If
to Ferdinand that the whole show was an illusion. In a speec is itse
says that the earth with all its treasures, its splendid palaces and temples,
 139

e are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded
ays Prospero.
has to deal with Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo. Ariel tells
~~ed Caliban and his drunken comrades through thorny bushes into
ool of water. Prospero appreciates what Ariel has done. He further

!
p some gaudy clothes on the lime-tree to divert the attention of the
1 complies with this order.
ators arrive. Stephano and Trinculo are grieving over the loss of their
e pool. Caliban reminds them of the plot they have in hand. But just
• culo catches sight of the garments hanging on the lime-tree and
tion of Stephano to it. They are both fascinated by this show and get
many garments. At this stage, a number of spirits appear in the shape
nds and, as ordered by Prospero, chase away the conspirators who
es in a state of confusion. Prospero then orders his spirits to torment
sible ways. He tells Ariel that his period of service is soon drawing to
the will shortly become free .

Critical Appreciation

ls F~rdinand about the virtues of marriage. Apart from being Miranda's

er, he is also the moral and religious teacher of the island. He
lish a moral order by imparting moral instructions to the stranded
ue to this that he puts them in tempting circumstances. In an island
~~ension of wealth, rank or status which can cloud judgement, the
st is through an impeccable moral code. Ferdinand is reasonable,
~creative.In contrast Caliban is aggressive, grumpy and mundane.

es the test imposed on him by Prospero. His moral integrity is evident

to complete the task given to him. He is the only person amongst
ho learns the relevance of the supernatural activity that Prospero
erate through Ariel. It is as early as Act I scene 2 that he knows
be supernatural. When he watches the masque in the present scene
Whether or not the scene is performed by spirits. Since he has the
Sp the nature of Prospero's spiritual world, Ferdinand appears to be
-law for Prospero.
 140
The Tetnpest-
Woritb
0011
The masque was a short play consisting of songs reci'tat·
' ions of 0
dances by players wearing bright costumes. Frequently these P eni 8
1
mythological characters. p ayers repres~ &!\4
llte4
The conflicting Emotions
The two good characters of the play Gonzalo and Ferdinand talk .
. . in gloWi
a b out the island. To them it appears as generous and benevolent wh· ng tenn
• b . . , ich can h 8
its lessmgs on them. In sharp contrast, Trinculo and Stephano want t s ewer
°
the island and to defile its magnificence for their own material gains N be rulers of
· ature'8 b0
was a recurring theme in Shakespearean pastoral plays. unty
Stephano and Trinculo compared to Caliban
Trinculo and Stephano are tricked out easily of their plan. This shows th
. . e sha}J
existence of the drunkards. The two are tricked out of the plot by tern tin ow
wi
'th t d 1 th
a ew gau y co es. Th err pnonties are so con sed. The thought never goccurs
. · · · fu p tbem
to them that they can have all the clothes once they murder Prospero. Shakespeare
reveals the depths of failure that unthinking men can get to. Therefore, the two
courtiers are shown even lower than Caliban. The two courtiers have all the outer •
show of civilisation. If they appear much inferior to Caliban, it shows that outer
appearances can be deceptive. Caliban manages to retain some traits of intelligence·
because of the unpolluted environment that had surrounded him for some years.
Treatment of marriage
Most other plays of Shakespeare have the couple united at the end of the play. Here
the couple finalises their betrothal at the start of the Fourth Act itself. The play
was written to be performed to honour the marriage of the daughter of King James_
to a German · ruler. The masque means bestowing blessings on the young couple:.
Shakespeare chooses Juno, Ceres and Iris while Venus and her son _Cupid are
predominantly absent, since they symbolises passionate love, whereas the dramatiS!
· e both
wanted to portray innocence. But he does make goddesses appear who promis :
prosperity and fertility, appropriate for a royal couple.
The Tempest : Shakespeare's last play
hh didwrilt
The play is said to be the last of the plays written by Shakespeare, thoug e ftht
I I nd
i a portion of "Herny VIII" after "The Tempest". In this scene Prospero at the e :e a·
masque says that "we are such stuff as dreams are made of'. This is Shakespe
his poetic best in the play. u,
d 'd the masq
There are two questions to be answered in this scene. First why i p ospero'.
end abruptly? The second is: What happened to Caliban's plot to mu rd er hr never i
l

i
First of all, the masque can be shortened without any break in action w e

I
 141

d uninspiring. Secondly, in spite of the happiness of the occasion of

{Miranda, Prospero would not lose sight of reality again . The reality
t;s life. He deals with it at the end of the Act.

of the conspiracy
pletes the subplot of the ~onspiracy hatched by Caliban. Prospero
ee conspirators through his supernatural agents. The supernatural
e lay receives emphasis in this scene since the depiction of the masque
Pgh supernatural powers. Stephano, Tnnculo, and Caliban provide
e for the audience. The wet and inebriated three men, lamenting at the
or, provide a hilarious sight. The gaudy apparel, the hounding of the
rs, the imposing of torments through goblins provide the audience

Assignments

following passage and answer the questions that follow:

If I have too austerely punish'd you,

t for which I live: who once again

. . ..
er to thy hand: all thy vexations
t my trials of thy love, and thou
trangely stood the test: here, afore Heaven,
this my rich gift. 0 Ferdinand,
t: smile at me that I boast her off,
ou shalt find she will outstrip all praise
e it halt behind her.

is Prospero? Who else are with him?

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