Character List
Prospero
The play’s protagonist, and father of Miranda. Twelve years before the events of the play, Prospero
was the duke of Milan. His brother, Antonio, in concert with Alonso, king of Naples, usurped him,
forcing him to flee in a boat with his daughter. The honest lord Gonzalo aided Prospero in his escape.
Prospero has spent his twelve years on the island refining the magic that gives him the power he
needs to punish and forgive his enemies. Prospero is a sympathetic character in that he was
wronged by his usurping brother, but his absolute power over the other characters and his
overwrought speeches make him difficult to like. The pursuit of knowledge gets Prospero into
trouble in the first place. By neglecting everyday matters when he was duke, he gave his brother a
chance to rise up against him. His possession and use of magical knowledge render him extremely
powerful and not entirely sympathetic. His punishments of Caliban are petty and vindictive, as he
calls upon his spirits to pinch Caliban when he curses. He is defensively autocratic with Ariel. For
example, when Ariel reminds his master of his promise to relieve him of his duties early if he
performs them willingly, Prospero bursts into fury and threatens to return him to his former
imprisonment and torment. He is similarly unpleasant in his treatment of Ferdinand, leading him to
his daughter and then imprisoning and enslaving him. Despite his shortcomings as a man, however,
Prospero is central to The Tempest’s narrative. Prospero generates the plot of the play almost single-
handedly, as his various schemes, spells, and manipulations all work as part of his grand design to
achieve the play’s happy ending. Prospero’s final speech, in which he likens himself to a playwright
by asking the audience for applause, strengthens this reading of the play. Prospero emerges as a
more likable and sympathetic figure in the final two acts of the play. In these acts, his love for
Miranda, his forgiveness of his enemies, and the legitimately happy ending his scheme creates all
work to mitigate some of the undesirable means he has used to achieve his happy ending. If
Prospero sometimes seems autocratic, he ultimately manages to persuade the audience to share his
understanding of the world—an achievement that is, after all, the final goal of every author and
every play.
The magical elements in The Tempest reveal how Prospero controls everything and, like a
playwright, creates an illusionary world to fulfil a specific purpose. What might that be? Revenge?
Miranda
The daughter of Prospero, Miranda was brought to the island at an early age and has never seen any
men other than her father and Caliban, though she dimly remembers being cared for by female
servants as an infant. Because she has been sealed off from the world for so long, Miranda’s
perceptions of other people tend to be naïve and non-judgmental. She is compassionate, generous,
and loyal to her father. From her very first lines she displays a meek and emotional nature. “O, I have
suffered with those that I saw suffer!” she says of the shipwreck. Miranda does not choose her own
husband. Instead, while she sleeps, Prospero sends Ariel to fetch Ferdinand, and arranges things so
that the two will come to love one another. After Prospero has given the lovers his blessing, he and
Ferdinand talk with surprising frankness about her virginity and the pleasures of the marriage bed
while she stands quietly by. Prospero tells Ferdinand to be sure not to “break her virgin-knot” before
the wedding night, and Ferdinand replies with no small anticipation that lust shall never take away
“the edge of that day’s celebration”. In the play’s final scene, Miranda is presented, with Ferdinand,
almost as a prop as Prospero draws aside a curtain to reveal the pair playing chess. But while
Miranda is passive in many ways, she has at least two moments of surprising forthrightness and
strength that complicate impressions of her as a naïve young girl. The first such moment is in Act I,
scene ii, in which she and Prospero converse with Caliban. Prospero alludes to the fact that Caliban
once tried to rape Miranda. When Caliban rudely agrees that he intended to violate her, Miranda
,responds with impressive vehemence, clearly appalled at Caliban’s light attitude toward his
attempted rape. In Act III, scene i comes the second surprising moment—Miranda’s marriage
proposal to Ferdinand: “I am your wife, if you will marry me; If not, I’ll die your maid”. Her proposal
comes shortly after Miranda has told herself to remember her “father’s precepts” forbidding
conversation with Ferdinand.
Ariel
Prospero’s spirit helper. Rescued by Prospero from a long imprisonment at the hands of the witch
Sycorax, Ariel is Prospero’s servant until Prospero decides to release him. He is mischievous and
ubiquitous, able to traverse the length of the island in an instant and to change shapes at will. He
carries out virtually every task that Prospero needs accomplished in the play. Prospero first
encountered Ariel soon after landing on the island. He found Ariel trapped in a cloven pine tree and
freed the spirit from his prison. In return, Ariel promised to serve Prospero faithfully for a year, after
which time Prospero would give Ariel back his freedom. Prospero has been on the island for twelve
years, so Ariel might have been in his service for many more years than their agreement required.
Then again, possibly Prospero freed Ariel from the tree only a year prior to the events of the play.
Either way, Prospero’s unwillingness to set Ariel free stems from the fact that Ariel possesses
immense power. As the spirit explains in his first lines in the play, not only does he have an
impressive range of abilities, but he also commands a host of lesser spirits. Given Ariel’s
extraordinary magical abilities, Prospero leans heavily on him to execute his complex revenge plot.
Ariel has spent a lot of time around humans and he learned a thing or two about them. In Act V, for
example, he appears to take pity on the castaways. He tells Prospero that if he were human his
“affections” would be “tender,” convinces Prospero to stop using magic and reconcile with his
enemies. Ariel effectively manipulates Prospero by appealing to his humanity, and in doing so he
ushers himself closer to freedom.
Caliban
Another of Prospero’s servants. Caliban, the son of the now-deceased witch Sycorax, acquainted
Prospero with the island when Prospero arrived. Caliban believes that the island rightfully belongs to
him and has been stolen by Prospero. His speech and behaviour is sometimes coarse and brutal, as
in his drunken scenes with Stephano and Trinculo, and sometimes eloquent and sensitive, as in his
rebukes of Prospero in Act I, scene ii, and in his description of the eerie beauty of the island in Act III,
scene ii. Prospero’s dark, earthy slave, frequently referred to as a monster by the other characters,
Caliban is the son of a witch-hag and the only real native of the island to appear in the play. He is an
extremely complex figure, and he mirrors or parodies several other characters in the play. In his first
speech to Prospero, Caliban insists that Prospero stole the island from him. Through this speech,
Caliban suggests that his situation is much the same as Prospero’s, whose brother usurped his
dukedom. On the other hand, Caliban’s desire for sovereignty of the island mirrors the lust for
power that led Antonio to overthrow Prospero. Caliban’s conspiracy with Stephano and Trinculo to
murder Prospero mirrors Antonio and Sebastian’s plot against Alonso, as well as Antonio and
Alonso’s original conspiracy against Prospero. Caliban both mirrors and contrasts with Prospero’s
other servant, Ariel. While Ariel is “an airy spirit,” Caliban is of the earth, his speeches turning to
“springs, brine pits” or “bogs, fens, flats”. While Ariel maintains his dignity and his freedom by
serving Prospero willingly, Caliban achieves a different kind of dignity by refusing, if only
sporadically, to bow before Prospero’s intimidation. Surprisingly, Caliban also mirrors and contrasts
with Ferdinand in certain ways. In Act II, scene ii Caliban enters “with a burden of wood,” and
Ferdinand enters in Act III, scene i “bearing a log.” Both Caliban and Ferdinand profess an interest in
untying Miranda’s “virgin knot.” Ferdinand plans to marry her, while Caliban has attempted to rape
her. Finally, and most tragically, Caliban becomes a parody of himself. In his first speech to Prospero,
he regretfully reminds the magician of how he showed him all the ins and outs of the island when
Prospero first arrived. Only a few scenes later, however, we see Caliban drunk and fawning before a
, new magical being in his life: Stephano and his bottle of liquor. Soon, Caliban begs to show Stephano
the island and even asks to lick his shoe. Caliban repeats the mistakes he claims to curse. In his final
act of rebellion, he is once more entirely subdued by Prospero in the most petty way—he is dunked
in a stinking bog and ordered to clean up Prospero’s cell in preparation for dinner. Despite his savage
demeanour and grotesque appearance, however, Caliban has a nobler, more sensitive side that the
audience is only allowed to glimpse briefly. His beautiful speeches about his island home provide
some of the most affecting imagery in the play, reminding the audience that Caliban really did
occupy the island before Prospero came. Caliban’s swarthy appearance, his forced servitude, and his
native status on the island have led many readers to interpret him as a symbol of the native cultures
occupied and suppressed by European colonial societies, which are represented by the power of
Prospero.
Ferdinand
Son and heir of Alonso. Ferdinand seems in some ways to be as pure and naïve as Miranda. He falls
in love with her upon first sight and happily submits to servitude in order to win her father’s
approval.
Alonso
King of Naples and father of Ferdinand. Alonso aided Antonio in unseating Prospero as Duke of Milan
twelve years before. As he appears in the play, however, he is acutely aware of the consequences of
all his actions. He blames his decision to marry his daughter to the Prince of Tunis on the apparent
death of his son. In addition, after the magical banquet, he regrets his role in the usurping of
Prospero.
Antonio
Prospero’s brother. Antonio quickly demonstrates that he is power-hungry and foolish. In Act II,
scene i, he persuades Sebastian to kill the sleeping Alonso. He then goes along with Sebastian’s
absurd story about fending off lions when Gonzalo wakes up and catches Antonio and Sebastian with
their swords drawn.
Sebastian
Alonso’s brother. Like Antonio, he is both aggressive and cowardly. He is easily persuaded to kill his
brother in Act II, scene i, and he initiates the ridiculous story about lions when Gonzalo catches him
with his sword drawn.
Gonzalo
An old, honest lord, Gonzalo helped Prospero and Miranda to escape after Antonio usurped
Prospero’s title. Gonzalo’s speeches provide an important commentary on the events of the play, as
he remarks on the beauty of the island when the stranded party first lands, then on the desperation
of Alonso after the magic banquet, and on the miracle of the reconciliation in Act V, scene i. Gonzalo
is among the men cast ashore during the tempest that opens the play. He serves as a counsellor to
Alonso, the King of Naples, though he once worked in Prospero’s service, back when he was Duke of
Milan. In fact, Gonzalo helped Prospero and Miranda escape Milan. He filled their shabby boat with
food, clothing, and prized books on the magic arts from Prospero’s library. The care he took to
ensure Prospero and Miranda’s survival indicates an innate kindness and compassion that he
continues to embody throughout the play. Gonzalo attempts to get other characters to act kindly
toward one another. In Act II, for instance, Gonzalo chastises Sebastian for blaming the shipwreck on
Alonso. “My lord Sebastian,” he says: “The truth you speak doth lack some gentleness and time to
speak it in. You rub the sore when you should bring the plaster”. With these lines, Gonzalo
articulates his philosophy that kindness is always more productive harshness. For all that Gonzalo
Prospero
The play’s protagonist, and father of Miranda. Twelve years before the events of the play, Prospero
was the duke of Milan. His brother, Antonio, in concert with Alonso, king of Naples, usurped him,
forcing him to flee in a boat with his daughter. The honest lord Gonzalo aided Prospero in his escape.
Prospero has spent his twelve years on the island refining the magic that gives him the power he
needs to punish and forgive his enemies. Prospero is a sympathetic character in that he was
wronged by his usurping brother, but his absolute power over the other characters and his
overwrought speeches make him difficult to like. The pursuit of knowledge gets Prospero into
trouble in the first place. By neglecting everyday matters when he was duke, he gave his brother a
chance to rise up against him. His possession and use of magical knowledge render him extremely
powerful and not entirely sympathetic. His punishments of Caliban are petty and vindictive, as he
calls upon his spirits to pinch Caliban when he curses. He is defensively autocratic with Ariel. For
example, when Ariel reminds his master of his promise to relieve him of his duties early if he
performs them willingly, Prospero bursts into fury and threatens to return him to his former
imprisonment and torment. He is similarly unpleasant in his treatment of Ferdinand, leading him to
his daughter and then imprisoning and enslaving him. Despite his shortcomings as a man, however,
Prospero is central to The Tempest’s narrative. Prospero generates the plot of the play almost single-
handedly, as his various schemes, spells, and manipulations all work as part of his grand design to
achieve the play’s happy ending. Prospero’s final speech, in which he likens himself to a playwright
by asking the audience for applause, strengthens this reading of the play. Prospero emerges as a
more likable and sympathetic figure in the final two acts of the play. In these acts, his love for
Miranda, his forgiveness of his enemies, and the legitimately happy ending his scheme creates all
work to mitigate some of the undesirable means he has used to achieve his happy ending. If
Prospero sometimes seems autocratic, he ultimately manages to persuade the audience to share his
understanding of the world—an achievement that is, after all, the final goal of every author and
every play.
The magical elements in The Tempest reveal how Prospero controls everything and, like a
playwright, creates an illusionary world to fulfil a specific purpose. What might that be? Revenge?
Miranda
The daughter of Prospero, Miranda was brought to the island at an early age and has never seen any
men other than her father and Caliban, though she dimly remembers being cared for by female
servants as an infant. Because she has been sealed off from the world for so long, Miranda’s
perceptions of other people tend to be naïve and non-judgmental. She is compassionate, generous,
and loyal to her father. From her very first lines she displays a meek and emotional nature. “O, I have
suffered with those that I saw suffer!” she says of the shipwreck. Miranda does not choose her own
husband. Instead, while she sleeps, Prospero sends Ariel to fetch Ferdinand, and arranges things so
that the two will come to love one another. After Prospero has given the lovers his blessing, he and
Ferdinand talk with surprising frankness about her virginity and the pleasures of the marriage bed
while she stands quietly by. Prospero tells Ferdinand to be sure not to “break her virgin-knot” before
the wedding night, and Ferdinand replies with no small anticipation that lust shall never take away
“the edge of that day’s celebration”. In the play’s final scene, Miranda is presented, with Ferdinand,
almost as a prop as Prospero draws aside a curtain to reveal the pair playing chess. But while
Miranda is passive in many ways, she has at least two moments of surprising forthrightness and
strength that complicate impressions of her as a naïve young girl. The first such moment is in Act I,
scene ii, in which she and Prospero converse with Caliban. Prospero alludes to the fact that Caliban
once tried to rape Miranda. When Caliban rudely agrees that he intended to violate her, Miranda
,responds with impressive vehemence, clearly appalled at Caliban’s light attitude toward his
attempted rape. In Act III, scene i comes the second surprising moment—Miranda’s marriage
proposal to Ferdinand: “I am your wife, if you will marry me; If not, I’ll die your maid”. Her proposal
comes shortly after Miranda has told herself to remember her “father’s precepts” forbidding
conversation with Ferdinand.
Ariel
Prospero’s spirit helper. Rescued by Prospero from a long imprisonment at the hands of the witch
Sycorax, Ariel is Prospero’s servant until Prospero decides to release him. He is mischievous and
ubiquitous, able to traverse the length of the island in an instant and to change shapes at will. He
carries out virtually every task that Prospero needs accomplished in the play. Prospero first
encountered Ariel soon after landing on the island. He found Ariel trapped in a cloven pine tree and
freed the spirit from his prison. In return, Ariel promised to serve Prospero faithfully for a year, after
which time Prospero would give Ariel back his freedom. Prospero has been on the island for twelve
years, so Ariel might have been in his service for many more years than their agreement required.
Then again, possibly Prospero freed Ariel from the tree only a year prior to the events of the play.
Either way, Prospero’s unwillingness to set Ariel free stems from the fact that Ariel possesses
immense power. As the spirit explains in his first lines in the play, not only does he have an
impressive range of abilities, but he also commands a host of lesser spirits. Given Ariel’s
extraordinary magical abilities, Prospero leans heavily on him to execute his complex revenge plot.
Ariel has spent a lot of time around humans and he learned a thing or two about them. In Act V, for
example, he appears to take pity on the castaways. He tells Prospero that if he were human his
“affections” would be “tender,” convinces Prospero to stop using magic and reconcile with his
enemies. Ariel effectively manipulates Prospero by appealing to his humanity, and in doing so he
ushers himself closer to freedom.
Caliban
Another of Prospero’s servants. Caliban, the son of the now-deceased witch Sycorax, acquainted
Prospero with the island when Prospero arrived. Caliban believes that the island rightfully belongs to
him and has been stolen by Prospero. His speech and behaviour is sometimes coarse and brutal, as
in his drunken scenes with Stephano and Trinculo, and sometimes eloquent and sensitive, as in his
rebukes of Prospero in Act I, scene ii, and in his description of the eerie beauty of the island in Act III,
scene ii. Prospero’s dark, earthy slave, frequently referred to as a monster by the other characters,
Caliban is the son of a witch-hag and the only real native of the island to appear in the play. He is an
extremely complex figure, and he mirrors or parodies several other characters in the play. In his first
speech to Prospero, Caliban insists that Prospero stole the island from him. Through this speech,
Caliban suggests that his situation is much the same as Prospero’s, whose brother usurped his
dukedom. On the other hand, Caliban’s desire for sovereignty of the island mirrors the lust for
power that led Antonio to overthrow Prospero. Caliban’s conspiracy with Stephano and Trinculo to
murder Prospero mirrors Antonio and Sebastian’s plot against Alonso, as well as Antonio and
Alonso’s original conspiracy against Prospero. Caliban both mirrors and contrasts with Prospero’s
other servant, Ariel. While Ariel is “an airy spirit,” Caliban is of the earth, his speeches turning to
“springs, brine pits” or “bogs, fens, flats”. While Ariel maintains his dignity and his freedom by
serving Prospero willingly, Caliban achieves a different kind of dignity by refusing, if only
sporadically, to bow before Prospero’s intimidation. Surprisingly, Caliban also mirrors and contrasts
with Ferdinand in certain ways. In Act II, scene ii Caliban enters “with a burden of wood,” and
Ferdinand enters in Act III, scene i “bearing a log.” Both Caliban and Ferdinand profess an interest in
untying Miranda’s “virgin knot.” Ferdinand plans to marry her, while Caliban has attempted to rape
her. Finally, and most tragically, Caliban becomes a parody of himself. In his first speech to Prospero,
he regretfully reminds the magician of how he showed him all the ins and outs of the island when
Prospero first arrived. Only a few scenes later, however, we see Caliban drunk and fawning before a
, new magical being in his life: Stephano and his bottle of liquor. Soon, Caliban begs to show Stephano
the island and even asks to lick his shoe. Caliban repeats the mistakes he claims to curse. In his final
act of rebellion, he is once more entirely subdued by Prospero in the most petty way—he is dunked
in a stinking bog and ordered to clean up Prospero’s cell in preparation for dinner. Despite his savage
demeanour and grotesque appearance, however, Caliban has a nobler, more sensitive side that the
audience is only allowed to glimpse briefly. His beautiful speeches about his island home provide
some of the most affecting imagery in the play, reminding the audience that Caliban really did
occupy the island before Prospero came. Caliban’s swarthy appearance, his forced servitude, and his
native status on the island have led many readers to interpret him as a symbol of the native cultures
occupied and suppressed by European colonial societies, which are represented by the power of
Prospero.
Ferdinand
Son and heir of Alonso. Ferdinand seems in some ways to be as pure and naïve as Miranda. He falls
in love with her upon first sight and happily submits to servitude in order to win her father’s
approval.
Alonso
King of Naples and father of Ferdinand. Alonso aided Antonio in unseating Prospero as Duke of Milan
twelve years before. As he appears in the play, however, he is acutely aware of the consequences of
all his actions. He blames his decision to marry his daughter to the Prince of Tunis on the apparent
death of his son. In addition, after the magical banquet, he regrets his role in the usurping of
Prospero.
Antonio
Prospero’s brother. Antonio quickly demonstrates that he is power-hungry and foolish. In Act II,
scene i, he persuades Sebastian to kill the sleeping Alonso. He then goes along with Sebastian’s
absurd story about fending off lions when Gonzalo wakes up and catches Antonio and Sebastian with
their swords drawn.
Sebastian
Alonso’s brother. Like Antonio, he is both aggressive and cowardly. He is easily persuaded to kill his
brother in Act II, scene i, and he initiates the ridiculous story about lions when Gonzalo catches him
with his sword drawn.
Gonzalo
An old, honest lord, Gonzalo helped Prospero and Miranda to escape after Antonio usurped
Prospero’s title. Gonzalo’s speeches provide an important commentary on the events of the play, as
he remarks on the beauty of the island when the stranded party first lands, then on the desperation
of Alonso after the magic banquet, and on the miracle of the reconciliation in Act V, scene i. Gonzalo
is among the men cast ashore during the tempest that opens the play. He serves as a counsellor to
Alonso, the King of Naples, though he once worked in Prospero’s service, back when he was Duke of
Milan. In fact, Gonzalo helped Prospero and Miranda escape Milan. He filled their shabby boat with
food, clothing, and prized books on the magic arts from Prospero’s library. The care he took to
ensure Prospero and Miranda’s survival indicates an innate kindness and compassion that he
continues to embody throughout the play. Gonzalo attempts to get other characters to act kindly
toward one another. In Act II, for instance, Gonzalo chastises Sebastian for blaming the shipwreck on
Alonso. “My lord Sebastian,” he says: “The truth you speak doth lack some gentleness and time to
speak it in. You rub the sore when you should bring the plaster”. With these lines, Gonzalo
articulates his philosophy that kindness is always more productive harshness. For all that Gonzalo
