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The Tempest Play Analysis
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The Tempest - Acts, Scenes,Summaries and Analysis
Act 1
Summary
The play opens with a boat caught in a storm
The king, Alonso, his son Ferdinand and other members of the royal court are
on the ship
Sebastian, Antonio and Gonzalo (three nobles) appear on the deck after being
chastised by the Boatswain for being in the way of the crew
Sebastian and Antonio argue with the Boatswain while Gonzalo tries to
convince them to go below deck with the king
The ship splits and they all hurry to the king
On a nearby island, Miranda watches the ship sink
Her father, Prospero explains that he created the storm to benefit her and that
none of the passengers were harmed
He then tells her the story of how they came to the island after being forced to
flee Milan by his brother, Antonio
Prospero sends Miranda into a magical sleep and his servant Ariel appears
It is revealed that Ariel is Prospero’s servant and he was responsible for the
storm while ensuring the safety of the sailors
Prospero wakes Miranda up and they go to visit Sycorax’s son, Caliban who
Prospero uses as a servant
Ferdinand and Miranda then meet for the first time and they fall in love
instantly
Scene 1
The Tempest - Acts, Scenes, Summaries and Analysis 1
, The ship is caught in a large storm
There are several royal members on the boat - Alonso (the King of Naples),
Sebastian Alonso’s brother), Antonio (the Duke of Milan), Ferdinand (the son
of Alonso) and Gonzalo (a councillor and advisor to Alonso)
The passengers run to the deck of the ship to ask how they can help the
sailors but they are told that they’re only making the situation worse
Antonio and Sebastian return to the deck and exchange harsh words with the
Boatswain
The ship splits and starts to sink while all the passengers are separated in the
water
Analysis
This scene introduces the theme of class and roles
The boatswain and his crew are considered to be ‘commoners’ by the royal
figures on board
During the storm the passengers do not accede the authority of the boatswain
The boatswain is aware of the people of power on board but states that the
storm does not differentiate between class and unless the royal figures can
stop the storm, they must go below deck
Sebastian and Antonio resent the boatswain’s authority
Gonzalo is shown to be a passive middle-man while Sebastian and Antonio
appear to be more aggressive and egocentric
Scene 2
Miranda watches the sinking ship from the safety of her island and she asks
Prospero if he created the storm. She also states that she could feel the pain
of the of the people who were caught in the storm
Prospero tells her that he created the storm to benefit her and none of the
passengers on the boat were harmed
The Tempest - Acts, Scenes, Summaries and Analysis 2
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