ACTS:
Act 1:
Exposition
- The storm
- The ship is split
- All people on board – land on island in different places
o Prospero, Miranda, Caliban, Ariel already on island
o Alonso, Antonio, Sebastian, Gonzalo
o Trinculo, Stephano
o Ferdinand
Act 2:
Rising action
- Miranda and Ferdinand fall in love
- Antonio and Sebastian plot against Alonso (king of Naples)
- Caliban meets Stephano and Trinculo
- Stephano and Trinculo hide in Caliban’s cloak
o Drink alcohol
Act 3:
Climax
- Miranda and Ferdinand decide to get married
- Caliban convinces Stephano to kill Prospero in his sleep
- In return Caliban will show them the island and give them Miranda
- Banquet = feast - table full of food (not real)
Act 4:
Falling action
- Prospero agrees that Miranda and Ferdinand can get married
- Prospero gives masque = entertainment – singing, dancing, blessings from goddesses
- Prospero remembers Caliban’s plot to kill him
- Prospero sends dogs to chase Stephano, Trinculo, and Caliban
Act 5:
Conclusion
- Prospero reveals his identity to everyone
- Alonso repents
- Antonio does not repent
- Prospero frees Ariel
- Caliban is left on the island
- Epilogue:
o Gives up magic
o Asks audience to clap = break the spell
o Prospero is left with his own strength
, THEMES:
Woman:
- Miranda
- Subservient
- Good for marriage – only way to gain status
- Inferior to men
- Doesn’t know any better
- Must listen to men
- Obedient (not by choice)
Relationships:
- Miranda is manipulated through Prospero’s magic
- Romantic comedy – happy endings
- Prospero exploits Miranda and Ferdinand’s love
- Prospero protects Miranda when Caliban tries to rape her
- Sibling rivalry:
o Jealousy
o Opportunistic – Antonio usurped Prospero when he was busy with his magic;
Antonio tries to convince Sebastian to kill his brother
o Sebastian is pressured by Antonio
o Banished him, on boat with the intention he would die
Colonialism:
- Caliban = colonized
- Prospero = colonized
o Prospero views Caliban as a lesser being than himself
o Believes that Caliban should be grateful for educating him and lifting him out
of ‘savagery’
o Does not occur to Prospero that he has stolen rulership of the island from
Caliban, because Prospero can't imagine Caliban as being fit to rule anything
o Initially Caliban was accepting of Prospero and Miranda – he loved them
o He starts to lose more and more control = makes him very angry – he turns
bitter and violent (attempted rape of Miranda)
▪ Does this make him a savage or not?
• He’s been put into unfortunate circumstances
• Goes after the one thing that Prospero prizes = his daughter
• Peopling the island with Caliban’s = make his stamp on the
island
• Page 29 Lines 330-335 “peopling”
o Regrets showing them the island
o Feels like a prisoner
o Look at Caliban when he first meets Prospero and Miranda vs after the
attempted rape
- Can be looked at from both views
Act 1:
Exposition
- The storm
- The ship is split
- All people on board – land on island in different places
o Prospero, Miranda, Caliban, Ariel already on island
o Alonso, Antonio, Sebastian, Gonzalo
o Trinculo, Stephano
o Ferdinand
Act 2:
Rising action
- Miranda and Ferdinand fall in love
- Antonio and Sebastian plot against Alonso (king of Naples)
- Caliban meets Stephano and Trinculo
- Stephano and Trinculo hide in Caliban’s cloak
o Drink alcohol
Act 3:
Climax
- Miranda and Ferdinand decide to get married
- Caliban convinces Stephano to kill Prospero in his sleep
- In return Caliban will show them the island and give them Miranda
- Banquet = feast - table full of food (not real)
Act 4:
Falling action
- Prospero agrees that Miranda and Ferdinand can get married
- Prospero gives masque = entertainment – singing, dancing, blessings from goddesses
- Prospero remembers Caliban’s plot to kill him
- Prospero sends dogs to chase Stephano, Trinculo, and Caliban
Act 5:
Conclusion
- Prospero reveals his identity to everyone
- Alonso repents
- Antonio does not repent
- Prospero frees Ariel
- Caliban is left on the island
- Epilogue:
o Gives up magic
o Asks audience to clap = break the spell
o Prospero is left with his own strength
, THEMES:
Woman:
- Miranda
- Subservient
- Good for marriage – only way to gain status
- Inferior to men
- Doesn’t know any better
- Must listen to men
- Obedient (not by choice)
Relationships:
- Miranda is manipulated through Prospero’s magic
- Romantic comedy – happy endings
- Prospero exploits Miranda and Ferdinand’s love
- Prospero protects Miranda when Caliban tries to rape her
- Sibling rivalry:
o Jealousy
o Opportunistic – Antonio usurped Prospero when he was busy with his magic;
Antonio tries to convince Sebastian to kill his brother
o Sebastian is pressured by Antonio
o Banished him, on boat with the intention he would die
Colonialism:
- Caliban = colonized
- Prospero = colonized
o Prospero views Caliban as a lesser being than himself
o Believes that Caliban should be grateful for educating him and lifting him out
of ‘savagery’
o Does not occur to Prospero that he has stolen rulership of the island from
Caliban, because Prospero can't imagine Caliban as being fit to rule anything
o Initially Caliban was accepting of Prospero and Miranda – he loved them
o He starts to lose more and more control = makes him very angry – he turns
bitter and violent (attempted rape of Miranda)
▪ Does this make him a savage or not?
• He’s been put into unfortunate circumstances
• Goes after the one thing that Prospero prizes = his daughter
• Peopling the island with Caliban’s = make his stamp on the
island
• Page 29 Lines 330-335 “peopling”
o Regrets showing them the island
o Feels like a prisoner
o Look at Caliban when he first meets Prospero and Miranda vs after the
attempted rape
- Can be looked at from both views
