The complete summary

A storm strikes a ship carrying Alonso,

Ferdinand, Sebastian, Antonio, Gonzalo,
Stephano, and Trinculo, who are on their
way to Italy after coming from the
wedding of Alonso’s daughter, Claribel,
to the prince of Tunis in Africa. The royal
party and the other mariners, with the
exception of the unflappable Boatswain,
begin to fear for their lives. Lightning
cracks, and the mariners cry that the
ship has been hit. Everyone prepares to
sink.
The next scene begins much more quietly. Miranda and
Prospero stand on the shore of their island, looking out
to sea at the recent shipwreck. Miranda asks her father
to do anything he can to help the poor souls in the ship.
Prospero assures her that everything is all right and
then informs her that it is time she learned more about
herself and her past. He reveals to her that he
orchestrated the shipwreck and tells her the lengthy
story of her past, a story he has often started to tell her
before but never finished. The story goes that Prospero
was the Duke of Milan until his brother Antonio,
conspiring with Alonso, the King of Naples, usurped his
position. Kidnapped and left to die on a raft at sea,
Prospero and his daughter survive because Gonzalo
leaves them supplies and Prospero’s books, which are
the source of his magic and power. Prospero and his
daughter arrived on the island where they remain now
and have been for twelve years. Only now, Prospero
says, has Fortune at last sent his enemies his way, and
he has raised the tempest in order to make things right
with them once and for all.
After telling this story, Prospero charms Miranda to
sleep and then calls forth his familiar spirit Ariel, his
chief magical agent. Prospero and Ariel’s discussion
reveals that Ariel brought the tempest upon the ship
and set fire to the mast. He then made sure that
everyone got safely to the island, though they are now
separated from each other into small groups. Ariel,
who is a captive servant to Prospero, reminds his
master that he has promised Ariel freedom a year
early if he performs tasks such as these without
complaint. Prospero chastises Ariel for protesting and
reminds him of the horrible fate from which he was
rescued. Before Prospero came to the island, a witch
named Sycorax imprisoned Ariel in a tree. Sycorax
died, leaving Ariel trapped until Prospero arrived and
freed him. After Ariel assures Prospero that he knows
his place, Prospero orders Ariel to take the shape of a
sea nymph and make himself invisible to all but
Prospero.
Miranda awakens from her sleep, and she and
Prospero go to visit Caliban, Prospero’s servant
and the son of the dead Sycorax. Caliban
curses Prospero, and Prospero and Miranda
berate him for being ungrateful for what they
have given and taught him. Prospero sends
Caliban to fetch firewood. Ariel, invisible, enters
playing music and leading in the awed
Ferdinand. Miranda and Ferdinand are
immediately smitten with each other. He is the
only man Miranda has ever seen, besides
Caliban and her father. Prospero is happy to
see that his plan for his daughter’s future
marriage is working, but decides that he must
upset things temporarily in order to prevent
their relationship from developing too quickly.
He accuses Ferdinand of merely pretending to
be the Prince of Naples and threatens him with
imprisonment. When Ferdinand draws his
sword, Prospero charms him and leads him off
to prison, ignoring Miranda’s cries for mercy.
He then sends Ariel on another mysterious
mission.
On another part of the island, Alonso, Sebastian,
Antonio, Gonzalo, and other miscellaneous lords give
thanks for their safety but worry about the fate of
Ferdinand. Alonso says that he wishes he never had
married his daughter to the prince of Tunis because if
he had not made this journey, his son would still be
alive. Gonzalo tries to maintain high spirits by
discussing the beauty of the island, but his remarks are
undercut by the sarcastic sourness of Antonio and
Sebastian. Ariel appears, invisible, and plays music
that puts all but Sebastian and Antonio to sleep. These
two then begin to discuss the possible advantages of
killing their sleeping companions. Antonio persuades
Sebastian that the latter will become ruler of Naples if
they kill Alonso. Claribel, who would be the next heir if
Ferdinand were indeed dead, is too far away to be able
to claim her right. Sebastian is convinced, and the two
are about to stab the sleeping men when Ariel causes
Gonzalo to wake with a shout. Everyone wakes up, and
Antonio and Sebastian concoct a ridiculous story
about having drawn their swords to protect the king
from lions. Ariel goes back to Prospero while Alonso
and his party continue to search for Ferdinand.
Caliban, meanwhile, is hauling wood for Prospero
when he sees Trinculo and thinks he is a spirit
sent by Prospero to torment him. He lies down
and hides under his cloak. A storm is brewing,
and Trinculo, curious about but undeterred by
Caliban’s strange appearance and smell, crawls
under the cloak with him. Stephano, drunk and
singing, comes along and stumbles upon the
bizarre spectacle of Caliban and Trinculo huddled
under the cloak. Caliban, hearing the singing,
cries out that he will work faster so long as the
“spirits” leave him alone. Stephano decides that
this monster requires liquor and attempts to get
Caliban to drink. Trinculo recognizes his friend
Stephano and calls out to him. Soon the three are
sitting up together and drinking. Caliban quickly
becomes an enthusiastic drinker, and begins to
sing.
Prospero puts Ferdinand to work
hauling wood. Ferdinand finds his labor
pleasant because it is for Miranda’s
sake. Miranda, thinking that her father is
asleep, tells Ferdinand to take a break.
The two flirt with one another. Miranda
proposes marriage, and Ferdinand
accepts. Prospero has been on stage
most of the time, unseen, and he is
pleased with this development.
Stephano, Trinculo, and Caliban are now drunk
and raucous and are made all the more so by
Ariel, who comes to them invisibly and
provokes them to fight with one another by
impersonating their voices and taunting them.
Caliban grows more and more fervent in his
boasts that he knows how to kill Prospero. He
even tells Stephano that he can bring him to
where Prospero is sleeping. He proposes that
they kill Prospero, take his daughter, and set
Stephano up as king of the island. Stephano
thinks this a good plan, and the three prepare
to set off to find Prospero. They are distracted,
however, by the sound of music that Ariel plays
on his flute and tabor-drum, and they decide to
follow this music before executing their plot.
Alonso, Gonzalo, Sebastian, and Antonio
grow weary from traveling and pause to
rest. Antonio and Sebastian secretly plot
to take advantage of Alonso and
Gonzalo’s exhaustion, deciding to kill
them in the evening. Prospero, probably
near by and invisible to the men, causes a
banquet to be set out by strangely shaped
spirits. As the men prepare to eat, Ariel
appears like a harpy and causes the
banquet to vanish. He then accuses the
men of supplanting Prospero and says
that it was for this sin that Alonso’s son,
Ferdinand, has been taken. He vanishes,
leaving Alonso feeling vexed and guilty.
Prospero now softens toward Ferdinand and
welcomes him into his family as the soon-to-be-
husband of Miranda. He sternly reminds
Ferdinand, however, that Miranda’s “virgin-
knot” (IV.i.15) is not to be broken until the
wedding has been officially solemnized.
Prospero then asks Ariel to call forth some
spirits to perform a masque for Ferdinand and
Miranda. The spirits assume the shapes of
Ceres, Juno, and Iris and perform a short
masque celebrating the rites of marriage and
the bounty of the earth. A dance of reapers and
nymphs follows but is interrupted when
Prospero suddenly remembers that he still must
stop the plot against his life.
He sends the spirits away and asks Ariel
about Trinculo, Stephano, and Caliban.
Ariel tells his master of the three men’s
drunken plans. He also tells how he led
the men with his music through prickly
grass and briars and finally into a filthy
pond near Prospero’s cell. Ariel and
Prospero then set a trap by hanging
beautiful clothing in Prospero’s cell.
Stephano, Trinculo, and Caliban enter
looking for Prospero and, finding the
beautiful clothing, decide to steal it. They
are immediately set upon by a pack of
spirits in the shape of dogs and hounds,
driven on by Prospero and Ariel.
Prospero uses Ariel to bring Alonso and the
others before him. He then sends Ariel to bring
the Boatswain and the mariners from where
they sleep on the wrecked ship. Prospero
confronts Alonso, Antonio, and Sebastian with
their treachery, but tells them that he forgives
them. Alonso tells him of having lost Ferdinand
in the tempest and Prospero says that he
recently lost his own daughter. Clarifying his
meaning, he draws aside a curtain to reveal
Ferdinand and Miranda playing chess. Alonso
and his companions are amazed by the miracle
of Ferdinand’s survival, and Miranda is
stunned by the sight of people unlike any she
has seen before. Ferdinand tells his father
about his marriage.
Ariel returns with the Boatswain and mariners. The
Boatswain tells a story of having been awakened
from a sleep that had apparently lasted since the
tempest. At Prospero’s bidding, Ariel releases
Caliban, Trinculo and Stephano, who then enter
wearing their stolen clothing. Prospero and Alonso
command them to return it and to clean up
Prospero’s cell. Prospero invites Alonso and the
others to stay for the night so that he can tell them
the tale of his life in the past twelve years. After
this, the group plans to return to Italy. Prospero,
restored to his dukedom, will retire to Milan.
Prospero gives Ariel one final task—to make sure
the seas are calm for the return voyage—before
setting him free. Finally, Prospero delivers an
epilogue to the audience, asking them to forgive
him for his wrongdoing and set him free by
applauding.