Tempest, The, is a play by the English dramatist William Shakespeare. It is a romance that was probably written in 1611 and received its first performance before King James I at Whitehall. It was one of the plays performed in February 1613 at the celebrations for the marriage of the king’s daughter Princess Elizabeth to Prince Frederick, the Elector Palatine.
The Tempest is filled with supernatural elements. It is set on a mysterious and magical island, where a storm (the tempest of the title) wrecks a ship carrying, among others, Antonio, the duke of Milan, and Alonso, the king of Naples. The storm has been conjured up by Prospero, who rules the island with his magic powers. Prospero is Antonio’s brother and the rightful duke of Milan. Twelve years before the play’s action begins, Antonio had usurped (taken over) Prospero’s position and set Prospero adrift on a small boat with his young daughter Miranda. The father and daughter were washed up on the island, where the witch Sycorax had once been exiled. Prospero used his magic powers to release Ariel, a spirit, from imprisonment by the witch. Ariel and other spirits now do his bidding. Prospero has also enslaved a deformed monster, Sycorax’s son Caliban.
At the beginning of the action, Prospero arranges that all the passengers and crew are saved from the storm. Ferdinand, the son of the king of Naples, meets Miranda and they fall in love.
Loading the player...Prospero from The Tempest
There are two conspiracies in the play. The brothers of Alonso and Prospero, whose names are Antonio and Sebastian, plot to murder Alonso and a faithful old courtier, Gonzalo. At the same time, the monster Caliban persuades Stephano, a drunken butler, and Trinculo, a jester, to kill Prospero. But Prospero, with the help of Ariel and the other spirits, foils both these plots. He forgives his enemies and the wrecked ship is mysteriously repaired. Prospero frees Ariel from his service and gives up his magic powers. He decides to return to Italy, where Ferdinand and Miranda can be married, leaving Caliban alone on the island once more.
Like Cymbeline and The Winter’s Tale, The Tempest tells a story in which old injuries are forgiven and the characters begin a new and happier life. In The Tempest, Shakespeare blended spectacle, song, and dance with a romantic love story, beautiful poetry, and broad comedy. The result of this blending is a brilliant dramatic fantasy.
