Date:_________________________________

Study Booklet
Year 8: Unit 3

William Shakespeare’s
The Tempest

Name

Class

Teacher

1|Page
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Study Booklet Contents

3 Key vocabulary
4 Learning aids
5 Literary Timeline
6 Character list
7 Big Lecture notes
13 How does setting choice reflect themes of the play?
13 Shakespeare’s Other World
20 Act 1 Scene 1: The Storm
24 How are oppression and power presented within the play?
26 Act 1 Scene 2 Part 1
29 Act 1 Scene 2 Part 2
32 How do characters defy hierarchy?
33 Act 1 Scene 2 Part 3
40 Act 1 Scene 2 Part 4
48 To what extent has Prospero created a utopian society?
49 Act 2 Scene 1 Part 1
52 Act 2 Scene 1 Part 2
57 Act 2 Scene 2
63 How does Miranda’s character conform with the patriarchy?
65 Act 3 Scene 1
67 How is colonialism a consideration within the play?
68 Act 3 Scene 2
72 Act 3 Scene 3
79 How is Prospero presented as a character throughout the play?
79 Act 4 Scene 1 Part 1
81 Act 4 Scene 1 Part 2
84 Act 5 Scene 1 Part 1
87 Act 5 Scene 1 Part 2
93 Act 5 Scene 1 Part 3
96 Character Analysis of Prospero
105 To what extent is this a didactic play?
105 Epilogue
106 Tempestuous words: The Tempest and Shakespeare’s linguistic innovation

111 Multiple Choice Quiz

2|Page
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Key word Definition

Antagonist A person who actively opposes or is hostile towards someone.

Colonialism The action of taking over or taking control over the indigenous people of
an area.
Comedy Entertainment intended to make the audience laugh.

Didactic Intended to teach or provide a moral.

Enslave To make someone a slave.

Foreshadows A warning or hint of a future event.

Iambic pentameter The rhythm of a line of verse; like a heartbeat, with one soft beat and one
strong beat repeated five times
Imagery Visually descriptive language.

Loyalty To have loyalty is to be faithful or committed to someone or a set of

beliefs
Oppressive A situation or circumstance that is cruel, brutal or ruthless.

Betrayal To break a promise or be unfaithful to someone; to expose someone to

danger through providing information to an enemy.
Protagonist Leading character of a drama, movie, novel or other fictional text.

Resolution A final decision; a conclusion of a story; the action of solving a problem.

Savage Fierce, violent and uncontrolled.

Soliloquy Speaking thought aloud, especially by the character in a play.

Tragedy An event causing suffering, destruction or distress.

Ubiquitous Appearing or found everywhere.

Utopian The ideal of perfect example. Usually in reference to society.

3|Page
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

4|Page
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

5|Page
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Characters in the Play

Prospero: the former Duke of Milan, now a magician on a Mediterranean island

Miranda: Prospero’s daughter

Ariel: a spirit, servant to Prospero

Caliban: an inhabitant of the island, servant to Prospero

Sycorax: unseen in the play, Caliban’s mother. Vicious and powerful witch

Ferdinand: Prince of Naples

Alonso: King of Naples

Antonio: Duke of Milan and Prospero’s brother

Sebastian: Alonso’s brother

Gonzalo: councillor to Alonso and friend to Prospero

Adrian Courtiers in attendance

on Alonso
Francisco

Trinculo: servant to Alonso

Stephano: Alonso’s butler

Shipmaster
Boatswain
Mariners

Players who, as spirits, take the roles of Iris, Ceres, Juno, Nymphs, and Reapers in Prospero’s masque, and who, in other
scenes, take the roles of “islanders” and of hunting dogs.

6|Page
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

What happens: the plotline of the play

Twelve years ago, Prospero was Duke of Milan. Prospero left the management of his state to his brother Antonio.

Eventually, with the help of Alonso, King of Naples, and the King's brother Sebastian - enemies of Prospero - Antonio
usurped the dukedom for himself. Prospero and his baby daughter Miranda were exiled in a rotten boat and eventually
landed on a distant island once ruled by the witch Sycorax but now inhabited only by her son, Caliban, and Ariel, a spirit.

Since then, Prospero has ruled the island and its two inhabitants by the use of magic arts derived from his studies. His
daughter Miranda has grown up seeing no other human being.

Prospero divines that fortune has brought his enemies close to the island and he sees an opportunity to work his
revenge. He uses his powers to raise a storm which shipwrecks them. When Miranda questions this, he tells her the
story of their arrival on the island and assures her that no real harm will come to the survivors.

The shipwrecked travelers are separated. At Prospero's bidding, the invisible Ariel directs their wanderings. He leads
Ferdinand, the King's son, to Prospero's cell, where he and Miranda fall instantly in love. Prospero sets heavy tasks to
test Ferdinand.

The King of Naples searches for his son, although fearing him to be drowned. Sebastian, the king's brother, plots to kill
him and seize the crown. The drunken butler, Stephano, and the jester, Trinculo, encounter Caliban and are persuaded
by him to kill Prospero so that they can rule the island. However, Ariel manages to make mischief between them and
they are soon bickering amongst themselves.

Satisfied that Ferdinand has met all his challenges, Prospero presents the young couple with a betrothal masque
celebrating chastity and the blessings of marriage. He is distracted from this, however, when he remembers Caliban's
plot.

Prospero's vows that he will abandon his magic arts.

Ariel brings Alonso and his followers to the cell, and Prospero confronts his enemies and forgives them.

Finally, Prospero grants Ariel his freedom and prepares to leave the island for Milan and his restored Dukedom.

7|Page
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

The Tempest
Year 8: Unit 3
Big Lecture: Student Notes
Slide 1: Big question: What does the Tempest teach us?

Slide 2: What if you lived in an enchanted world, where you had all the power?

Slide 3, 4: Timeline and glossary

Slide 5: The title of the Tempest

Slide 6: the Blackfriars theatre. Why would this play be performed a) inside and b) to higher society?

Slide 7: The use of masques

Slide 8: the age of discovery and colonialism

8|Page
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

What does tempest mean? Was the play performed indoors What is colonialism?
or outdoors?

Slide 10, 11, 12, 13: plot of the play

Slide 5: The title of the Tempest

Slide 14: who is who?

9|Page
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Slide 15: Magic:

Slide 16: Order and chaos:

Slide 17: Power and control:

Who has the most power?

Who has the most freedom?

What represents order or chaos within the play?

What do we learn from the Tempest? What might be the morals or ideas that it makes us think about?

10 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Do now:

What do you already know about Shakespeare’s life and times?

Complete a spider diagram to show all your prior learning. What do you already know about his life? His
times? His works?

11 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Now use the information below to expand your understanding about Shakespeare’s life times and
works. Add to your spider diagram in a different colour.

12 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

1. Where was Shakespeare baptised and buried?

2. What was his father’s name?
3. What was his father’s job?
4. Who did Shakespeare marry?
5. What forced the theatres to close in 1593?

13 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Big Question: How does setting choice reflect themes of the play?

Do now:

Define:
Tragedy Oppression Chaos Colonialism

Whole class reading

SHAKESPEARE'S OTHER WORLD
by Kim Zarins
In Shakespeare’s magical plays A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The
Tempest, fairies and sprites work magic and dabble for a time in human
affairs. Shakespeare drew inspiration for these otherworldly characters
from oral tales filled with fairies, imps, hobgoblins, boggarts, elves, and
many other spirits often believed not good enough to be angels or bad
enough to be devils.
Oberon and Robin Goodfellow, two of Shakespeare’s main fairies in A
Midsummer Night’s Dream, are traditional Renaissance characters. Oberon
is a legendary fairy lord. Robin, also called Puck, is a traditional,
"Oberon, Titania and Puck with Fairies Dancing" mischievous hobgoblin who changes shape, enjoys misleading travellers,
by William Blake is in the public domain and plays pranks on unsuspecting mortals.
Shakespeare’s Ariel, the sprite from The Tempest, does not play games as
Oberon and Puck do or feel human emotions. He serves a mortal master, Prospero, obediently but reluctantly. Unlike
Puck, who serves a fairy lord, Ariel is a sprite imprisoned in a human world. His great desire is to be free.
In English Renaissance culture, good fairies helped mortals in need, often doing the cleaning and other chores. They
also punished mortals with pinches and cramps, as the fairies in The Tempest do to Caliban. In many non-
Shakespearean tales, however, fairies had more sinister links with witchcraft and the dead. The fact that Oberon is
also called the “King of Shadows” hints at his connection to the shadowy underworld, although Shakespeare never
makes his fairies obviously evil or ghostly.
Renaissance fairies tended to be small (Shakespeare’s sprites play among the flowers), and were gifted with song and
dance. However, they were not merely pretty but also mysterious and even melancholy.
Ariel, for example, sings merrily about lying down in cowslips and playing with flowers, but he also sings about death
(“Full fathom five thy father lies”) to one of the island’s visitors. Although usually beautiful, Ariel also appears before
humans as a harpy, a frightening classical monster, half-human, half-bird, that tormented starving mortals by fouling
their food. Shakespeare blends English and classical lore to show that fairies can be fearsome.
These two plays have inspired numerous works of art, music, and literature, among them Susan Cooper’s modern
fantasy novel, King of Shadows, about a boy who acts Puck’s role. For centuries after the Renaissance, producers of
the plays sugar-coated Shakespeare’s fairies with butterfly wings and ballerina costumes. Less interested in empty
prettiness, modern audiences appreciate otherworldly mischief and mystery.

14 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Sprite Imp Boggart

Renaissance Melancholy Sugar-coated

How was Shakespeare influenced by oral tales?

What are the common traits of fairies in Renaissance culture?

What do modern audiences like about Shakespeare’s fairies?

Whole class reading

15 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

16 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

17 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

18 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

1. Who is Prospero?

2. What relationship does Prospero have with Ariel and Caliban?

3. Summarise the play in fifty words.

Tragedy Oppressive Colonialism

19 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Do now: read the text below and answer the questions

Voyages of Discovery – The Historical Background to the Tempest

The Tempest was written in 1611. At the time great voyages of discovery were undertaken by fearless
explorers such as Sir Walter Raleigh and Christopher Columbus to find new lands. The Elizabethans were
fascinated with sea voyages that led to the discovery of new lands and peoples. At this time, the world was
far different from how we know it now . . . places such as America and Australia were yet to be discovered.
Adventurers returned from great sea voyages with stories to inspire and horrify the landlubbers back at
home. Remember, most ordinary people at this time travelled little, rarely leaving their own village or small
town. Furthermore, people’s understanding of their world was limited; people readily believed in sea
monsters and many were convinced that the world was flat – if you sailed too far you would fall off the edge
of the earth! Explorers brought back with them many new discoveries that today we take for granted – such
as the potato and tobacco.
English colonialism seems to be on Shakespeare’s mind throughout The Tempest, as almost every character,
from the lord Gonzalo to the drunk Stephano, ponders how he would rule the island if he were its king.
Shakespeare seems also to have read and included ideas from Montaigne’s essay “Of the Cannibals,” which
was translated into English in 1 60 3 . The name of Prospero’s servant-monster, Caliban, seems to be an
anagram or derivative of “Cannibal,’ a person who eats the flesh of other human beings.

1. Two explorers who discovered new lands were :

2.

3. People believed that the world was:

4.

5. Cannibal is an anagram of______________ which means:

6.

20 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Act One Scene One

Whole class reading: Act 1 Scene 1: The noblemen are on board a ship caught in a violent
storm

Read from:

A tempestuous noise of thunder and lightning heard.

Enter a Shipmaster and a Boatswain.
MASTER: Boatswain!
BOATSWAIN: Here, master. What cheer?

TO

“Farewell, brother!”—“We split, we split, we

split!”
ANTONIO Let’s all sink w’ th’ King.
SEBASTIAN Let’s take leave of him.
He exits with Antonio.
GONZALO Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea
for an acre of barren ground: long heath, brown
furze, anything. The wills above be done, but I
would fain die a dry death.
He exits.

1. What does the Boatswain complain about?

21 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

2. Why does Gonzalo believe the ship won’t be wrecked?

3. What do the insults used imply about the treatment of the crew?

4. How do the different characters’ reactions to the storm differ?

Whole class writing task

How does Shakespeare create an engaging opening to the play?

Parts of the scene that draws the audience’s How?

attention
“Master!” Exclamatory, dramatic opening to the play, the
Boatswain is demanding attention and we realise
the situation is urgent.

22 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Storms and Biblical allusion

Storms feature heavily in the Bible, both as created by God as a means of punishment but also as a
metaphor of judgment upon man with all his mistakes or flaws. However, storms also represent a time of
personal development or to demonstrate bravery in a moment of peril. Noah rescues God’s creatures from
the great storm, as he is warned by God to build the ark in preparation. The audience would recognise the
storm as an allusion (reference that links to an idea or text without naming it in an obvious way) and would
recognise the storm as weather sent from God; a moment for those aboard the boat to see the storm as a
warning, and an opportunity for those upon the boat to see this terrifying point in their lives as an
opportunity to think about how they could be better people.

1. Knowing what we know about the plot, who could the judgment be upon and why?

Next lesson, we are going to write about how engaging the opening to the play is. Knowing what you know
about people during the Jacobean era, how do you think they might have reacted to the opening of the
Tempest?

Magic Storms New lands

23 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

How does setting choice reflect themes of the play?

24 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Big Question: How are oppression and power presented within the play?

Do now:

Biblical allusion is: A tempest is: The storm could be a Oppression is:
warning because:

Here is an opening for an answer to the question ‘How does Shakespeare create an engaging opening to the
play?’ Let’s use the grid from last lesson to help us continue it:

The audience’s attention is immediately drawn by the Master’s assertive tone. He is clearly trying to get the
ship under control in a violent storm “fall to it yarely or we run ourselves aground”. …

Teacher plan and model:

25 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

26 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Do now:

Name two characters Name two characters Name two characters Name two characters
that are not human: that are female: that have high status: that are oppressed:

Act 1 Scene 2 Part 1: Backstory to Prospero’s life on the island and introduction to his
daughter, Miranda.

Enter Prospero and Miranda.

Read from:

MIRANDA If by your art, my dearest father, you have

Put the wild waters in this roar, allay them.

to

Miranda falls asleep. Prospero puts on his cloak.

Reflecting on the reading

1. ‘O, I have suffered with those I saw suffer!’- How does Miranda feel about the ship caught in the
storm?

2. ‘I have done nothing but in care of thee’- How does Prospero view himself as a father?

27 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

3. ‘Obey and be attentive’- How is Prospero talking to Miranda here? (119)

4. What was Prospero’s former position? Why do we feel sympathy for him?

5. Is Prospero putting Miranda to sleep an act of control or kindness?

Consider what has happened to Prospero. What evidence can you find to suggest that what has happened
to him is his own fault? What evidence suggests blame lies with other factors?

Prospero is to blame for his exile Prospero isn’t to blame for his exile

28 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Do now: Homework Task

1. What is colonialism?
2. The Tempest was performed at which theatre?
3. What was the general opinion on the supernatural in Shakespeare’s time?
4. The Tempest was written in the Age of ________________.
5. What does ubiquitous mean?
6. Who is the protagonist of the play?
7. Who are the two female characters of the play?
8. Who are the two servants that Prospero keeps enslaved?
9. What is a biblical allusion?
10. Name two possible themes of the play.

Answers
1

10

TOTAL

29 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Act 1 Scene 2 Part 2: Prospero calls on his servant Ariel

Read from:

PROSPERO Come away, servant, come. I am ready now. Characters:

Approach, my Ariel. Come.  Ariel
Enter Ariel.  Prospero

To

PROSPERO Go make thyself like a nymph o’ th’ sea. Be subject

To no sight but thine and mine, invisible
To every eyeball else. Go, take this shape,
And hither come in ’t. Go, hence with diligence!
Ariel exits.

Reflecting on the reading

1. What is Ariel’s relationship to Prospero?

2. What did Prospero instruct Ariel to do on his behalf?

3. What does Prospero mean by ‘there’s more work…’?

30 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

4. What does Ariel want from Prospero in return?

5. If Sycorax represents black magic, what does Prospero represent? Why?

Extract annotation
Consider the way in which the two characters speak to one another. Which words show the power or
control here? How does Prospero assert his power?

PROSPERO Ariel, thy charge

Exactly is performed. But there’s more work.
What is the time o’ th’ day?
ARIEL Past the mid season.
PROSPERO At least two glasses. The time ’twixt six and now
Must by us both be spent most preciously.
ARIEL Is there more toil? Since thou dost give me pains,
Let me remember thee what thou hast promised,
Which is not yet performed me.
PROSPERO How now? Moody?
What is ’t thou canst demand?
ARIEL My liberty.
PROSPERO Before the time be out? No more.
ARIEL I prithee,
Remember I have done thee worthy service,
Told thee no lies, made no mistakings, served
Without or grudge or grumblings. Thou did promise
To bate me a full year.
PROSPERO Dost thou forget
From what a torment I did free thee?
ARIEL No.
PROSPERO Thou dost, and think’st it much to tread the ooze
Of the salt deep,
To run upon the sharp wind of the North,
To do me business in the veins o’ th’ Earth
When it is baked with frost.
ARIEL I do not, sir.
PROSPERO Thou liest, malignant thing. Hast thou forgot
The foul witch Sycorax, who with age and envy
Was grown into a hoop? Hast thou forgot her?
ARIEL No, sir.
PROSPERO Thou hast. Where was she born? Speak. Tell me.

31 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

BQ2: How are oppression and power presented within the play?

32 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

How do characters defy hierarchy?

Do now:

Prospero uses imperative Oppression is: The weather reflects: Prospero is to blame for his
language to: exile because:

However,:

Whole class reading: Hierarchy

Hierarchy is defined as a system where people are organised in order of importance; those that have more power or
control are at the high end of the hierarchy, and those with less of these are at the lower end of the hierarchy.

Where have we seen the use of hierarchy before? Which texts or characters have existed within a hierarchy?

On the boat, who was at the lower end of the hierarchy and who was at the higher end of the hierarchy?

Higher end of hierarchy

Miranda

Captain

boatswain

Prospero

Mariner

Lower end of hierarchy

In society, people often classify or place others into a hierarchical system, and this system portrays the
people in it, to be considerable higher or lower compared to others. Similarly, in The Tempest, there is
hierarchy control and power, but some of the characters in The Tempest would not be as powerful without
the help from other people. One of the greatest examples of hierarchy is shown through Prospero and his
thirst to shape his island into a perfect society, but without the help of others, Prospero’s aspirations would
not be possible.
33 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

What is hierarchy?

Why is it complicated to try and put the characters of the island into a hierarchy?

How do characters like Ariel and Caliban have power, even though they are enslaved?

Whole class reading: Act 1 Scene 2 Part 3: Miranda and Prospero visit Caliban

Read from: Characters:

 Ariel
 Caliban
PROSPERO Awake, dear heart, awake. Thou hast slept well.  Miranda
Awake. Miranda wakes.  Prospero
MIRANDA The strangeness of your story put
Heaviness in me.
PROSPERO Shake it off. Come on,
We’ll visit Caliban, my slave, who never
Yields us kind answer.
MIRANDA, rising, ’Tis a villain, sir,
I do not love to look on.

TO

CALIBAN No, pray thee.

Aside.
I must obey. His art is of such power
It would control my dam’s god, Setebos,
And make a vassal of him.
PROSPERO So, slave, hence.
Caliban exits.

34 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Reflecting on the reading

1. What language does Prospero use to refer to Caliban?

2. What did Caliban do to Miranda? How might that influence Prospero’s feelings towards him?

3. Re-read these lines:

CALIBAN
You taught me language, and my profit on ’t
Is I know how to curse. The red plague rid you
For learning me your language!
PROSPERO Hagseed, hence!
Fetch us in fuel; and be quick, thou ’rt best,
To answer other business. Shrugg’st thou, malice?

Does this mean that:

a) Prospero is justified for enslaving Caliban?

35 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

b) Caliban is justified for his abhorrent behaviour?

For both of the answers to question 3, try to argue both sides of the argument.

Because But so

36 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Do now:

Which of these statements about colonialism are correct?

The British Empire is an Colonialism often has a Colonialism is when one Britain was the only nation
example of colonialism. bad impact on the native country establishes itself in that tried to colonise other
inhabitants. another country. countries.

Which of these statements are true about Prospero?

He studied magic. He is Alonso’s brother. He is from Naples. He planned to usurp the
King of Naples.

Name three analytical verbs: Circle the verbs used by Caliban:

I must eat my dinner.

This island’s mine by Sycorax, my mother,
Which thou tak’st from me. When thou cam’st first,
Thou strok’st me and made much of me, wouldst
give me
Water with berries in ’t, and teach me how
To name the bigger light and how the less,
That burn by day and night. And then I loved thee,
And showed thee all the qualities o’ th’ isle,
The fresh springs, brine pits, barren place and
fertile.
Cursed be I that did so!

37 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Whole class feedback

38 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Response

39 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

40 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Do now:

Savage is a word best suited to Which of these statements are true about Miranda?
describe_______________ because… a) She is Antonio’s sister.
b) She is caring and worried for the safety of others, like
the people that were on the ship.
c) She was three years old when she was sent away
from Milan.
d) She is the only person that likes Caliban.

How are Ariel and Caliban different?

Whole class reading: Act 1 Scene 2 Part 4: Ferdinand is led to the island by Ariel, leading him to
fall in love with Miranda
Read from:

Enter Ferdinand; and Ariel, invisible, playing and singing.

ARIEL Come unto these yellow sands,
Characters:
 Ariel
to  Ferdinand
 Prospero
 Miranda
PROSPERO, to Ferdinand
Come follow. To Miranda. Speak not for him
They exit.

41 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Reflecting on the reading

1.Ariel sings a song to Ferdinand to calm him. Why does he do this?

2. What metaphors does Ariel use to describe Alonso? For each one, consider: what metaphor he uses for which
part of Alonso, what he is comparing Alonso to, what Alonso and this object have in common:

Ariel’s song includes the quotation: ‘Full fathom five thy father lies.’ Which of these following statements are true?

Ariel has been to the Ariel is lying and Ariel says that Ariel tells Ferdinand Ariel tells Ferdinand
bottom of the ocean Alonso is alive. Alonso is a liar. that Alonso’s body is that Alonso is lying
and is telling the nine metres beneath on another island
truth. the sea five fathoms away.

42 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Do now:

Which of these statements about Ariel are correct?

He is related to Caliban He has magical powers He was kept prisoner by Prospero stole the island
Sycorax from him.

Why does Prospero hate Caliban?

Caliban is rude and Caliban worked with Caliban tried to assault Caliban tortures Prospero
ungrateful Antonio Miranda. with aches and pains.

Why does Caliban hate Prospero?

Prospero won’t teach Prospero keeps Caliban Prospero didn’t cure Prospero uses his magic to
Caliban any magic locked up on the island Caliban torment and hurt Caliban.

Three analytical verbs: Three words to describe Prospero: Two people that Prospero has
oppressed:

Whole class reading: extract from Act 1 Scene 2

PROSPERO Come away, servant, come. I am ready now.
Approach, my Ariel. Come.
Enter Ariel.
ARIEL All hail, great master! Grave sir, hail! I come
To answer thy best pleasure. Be ’t to fly,
To swim, to dive into the fire, to ride
On the curled clouds, to thy strong bidding task
Ariel and all his quality.
PROSPERO Hast thou, spirit,
Performed to point the tempest that I bade thee?
ARIEL To every article.
I boarded the King’s ship; now on the beak,
Now in the waist, the deck, in every cabin,
I flamed amazement. Sometimes I’d divide
And burn in many places. On the topmast,
The yards, and bowsprit would I flame distinctly,
Then meet and join. Jove’s lightning, the precursors
O’ th’ dreadful thunderclaps, more momentary
And sight-outrunning were not. The fire and cracks
Of sulfurous roaring the most mighty Neptune
Seem to besiege and make his bold waves tremble,
Yea, his dread trident shake.
PROSPERO My brave spirit!
Who was so firm, so constant, that this coil
Would not infect his reason?

43 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

How does Shakespeare present Prospero in this extract? You can include your knowledge of Prospero’s
presentation in other parts of the play.

To plan out our ideas, which characters or actions might be useful to discuss as a way of considering the
character of Prospero?

Prospero

44 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

45 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Do now:

Colonialism is: An example of this Imagery is: An example of this

within the play is: within the play is:

You might like to use some because/but/ so sentences in your response:

Shakespeare presents Prospero as…because…

Shakespeare presents Prospero as…but…
Shakespeare presents Prospero as…so…

46 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

47 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

How do characters defy hierarchy?

48 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

To what extent has Prospero created a utopian society?

Do now: homework task

Definition
1

10

TOTAL

Colonialism
Loyalty
Oppressive
Betrayal
Protagonist
Resolution
Savage
Soliloquy
Utopian
Ubiquitous

49 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Utopia and the Tempest

Utopianism derives from the book named Utopia written by Thomas More. It is an outline of ideas for
producing a perfect society: perfect economy, perfect peace, through a lack of war, hate or deviance.
However, the Utopian society is impossible to achieve, because it relies upon all humans behaving in the
same way.

More was one of Henry VIII's main councillors. He fell out of favour with the king when he did not sign a
letter urging the pope to divorce Henry and Catherine. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London because
his going against the king was treason; he was beheaded.

Notice as Gonzalo speaks of utopia and consider:

a) To what extent could this be possible?

b) How does this compare with Prospero’s interpretation of a perfect world?

ACT 2 Scene 1: The noblemen wash up on the shore, Alonso is grieving for Ferdinand, Antonio
is insensitive and Gonzalo talks of utopia

Read from:

Enter Alonso, Sebastian, Antonio, Gonzalo, Adrian, Francisco, and others. Characters:
GONZALO to Alonso Beseech you, sir, be merry. You have cause—  Alonso
 Antonio
So have we all—of joy, for our escape  Adrian
 Francisco
 Gonzalo
To
 Sebastian

ANTONIO We two, my lord,

Will guard your person while you take your rest,
And watch your safety.
ALONSO Thank you. Wondrous heavy.
Alonso sleeps. Ariel exits.

Reflecting on the reading

1.What would Gonzalo’s utopian kingdom look like?

GONZALO Had I plantation of this isle, my lord—

ANTONIO He’d sow ’t with nettle seed.
SEBASTIAN Or docks, or mallows.
GONZALO And were the king on ’t, what would I do?
SEBASTIAN Scape being drunk, for want of wine.
GONZALO I’ th’ commonwealth I would by contraries
Execute all things, for no kind of traffic
50 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Would I admit; no name of magistrate;

Letters should not be known; riches, poverty,
And use of service, none; contract, succession,
Bourn, bound of land, tilth, vineyard, none;
No use of metal, corn, or wine, or oil;
No occupation; all men idle, all,
And women too, but innocent and pure;
No sovereignty—
SEBASTIAN Yet he would be king on ’t.
ANTONIO The latter end of his commonwealth forgets
the beginning.
GONZALO All things in common nature should produce
Without sweat or endeavor; treason, felony,
Sword, pike, knife, gun, or need of any engine
Would I not have; but nature should bring forth
Of its own kind all foison, all abundance,
To feed my innocent people.
SEBASTIAN No marrying ’mong his subjects?
ANTONIO None, man, all idle: whores and knaves.
GONZALO I would with such perfection govern, sir,
T’ excel the Golden Age.

2.How do Antonio and Sebastian respond to his idea?

51 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

3. How is Claribel’s fate similar to Miranda’s fate?

4. How does Gonzalo’s perfect world compare with Prospero’s utopia? Think of what we know about
Prospero’s past behaviour both on and off the island.

Gonzalo’s Utopia Prospero’s utopia

 Power

 War

 Freedom

 Hierarchy

 Religion

52 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Do now:

Why does Prospero want to slow down the relationship between Miranda and Ferdinand?
1. Miranda has never 2. Prospero knows that 3. Prospero thinks that 4. Prospero wants
met another person Ferdinand is a prince. Miranda can find a Ferdinand and
before. Prospero He does not think that better partner in Miranda to prove their
thinks she is not ready a relationship between Milan. relationship over time
for a relationship. a prince and his to make their love
daughter would last. more meaningful and
lasting.

MIRANDA IS OPPRESSED CALIBAN IS ENSLAVED AS A ARIEL AND CALIBAN STILL HAVE UTOPIA MEANS…
BECAUSE… RESULT OF… POWER BECAUSE…

Act 2 Scene 1 Part 2: Ariel casts a sleeping spell, whilst Antonio and Sebastian plot regicide

Regicide: murder of the monarch. Machiavellian- a person who is sneaky, cunning,

and lacking a moral code

Read from:

SEBASTIAN What a strange drowsiness possesses them! Characters:

 Alonso
 Antonio
TO  Adrian
 Ariel
seek thy son.  Francisco
 Gonzalo
They exit.  Sebastian

53 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Reflecting on the reading

1.What is Antonio plotting?

2. Why does Ariel awaken the nobleman just as Antonio has convinced Sebastian that they should kill
Alonso?

3.How does this parallel the way that Prospero has been treated?

4.Who is Machiavellian within this scene?

54 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Whole class annotation: Act 1 Scene 2

The following extract is from Act 2 Scene 1 where Ariel casts a sleeping spell, whilst Antonio and Sebastian plot regicide.
What does this scene reveal to us about how the characters feel about power and freedom?

Usually, regicide would be considered if the individual were to gain a kingdom. What will Antonio and Sebastian gain by
plotting to murder Alonso?

SEBASTIAN What a strange drowsiness possesses them!

ANTONIO It is the quality o’ th’ climate.
SEBASTIAN Why
Doth it not then our eyelids sink? I find
Not myself disposed to sleep.
ANTONIO Nor I. My spirits are nimble.
They fell together all, as by consent.
They dropped as by a thunderstroke. What might,
Worthy Sebastian, O, what might—? No more.
And yet methinks I see it in thy face
What thou shouldst be. Th’ occasion speaks thee, and
My strong imagination sees a crown
Dropping upon thy head.
SEBASTIAN What, art thou waking?
ANTONIO Do you not hear me speak?
SEBASTIAN I do, and surely
It is a sleepy language, and thou speak’st
Out of thy sleep. What is it thou didst say?
This is a strange repose, to be asleep
With eyes wide open—standing, speaking, moving—
And yet so fast asleep.
ANTONIO Noble Sebastian,
Thou let’st thy fortune sleep, die rather, wink’st
Whiles thou art waking.
SEBASTIAN Thou dost snore distinctly.
There’s meaning in thy snores.
ANTONIO I am more serious than my custom. You
Must be so too, if heed me; which to do
Trebles thee o’er.

55 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

How does Shakespeare present power within this extract?

The word ‘strong’ highlights that Antonio sees

The crown resembles power to Antonio and strength as important to success.
Sebastian: they recognise the control that the
monarchy has.

My strong imagination sees

a crown

56 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

57 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Do now:

Which of these characters are an enemy to Prospero?

Alonso Antonio Gonzalo Ariel

Regicide means: Utopia means: Three adjectives to describe Caliban:

Masters and Servants

Submissive: ready to conform/ to be obedient Gratitude: to be thankful for

While Prospero used his powers to free Ariel from the Sycorax, he uses his powers and magic in order to torture
Caliban. Ariel and Caliban react differently towards Prospero’s treatment and his powers.

Prospero respects Ariel more than Caliban because he knows Ariel can perform and carry out actions and yet Prospero
doesn’t keep his promises to Ariel. Ariel is the more submissive of the two servants to serve his master. Although he
has been threatened several times, he continues to please his master and subject to Prospero’s demands hoping to
become free one day. Ariel’s language and tone of voice is significant to the way he reacts to Prospero. Ariel’s speech
in much of Act i and ii are through song and poetry. This creates a soft tone and implies Ariel is innocent and naïve.
Ariel has much more gratitude and respect towards his master.

Caliban on the other hand, has a completely opposite attitude towards Prospero. Caliban is more resistant to fulfil
Prospero’s demands. His hatred towards Prospero grows stronger the longer he is enslaved on the island. It is
significant to note Caliban’s language as he uses curses in much of his speech which highlights his rage towards
Prospero. Unlike Ariel, Caliban knows he does not have any promising future of freedom, leading him towards an
attitude of hatred and rebellion. Caliban and Prospero’s relationship could represent the colonialism taking place at
the time, as several indigenous people were enslaved by Western travellers looking to claim the land.

Prospero enslaves Caliban and Ariel, but he has very different relationships with both characters. How does he treat
them differently?

58 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Prospero’s treatment of Caliban Prospero’s treatment of Ariel

Act 2 Scene 2: Trinculo finds Caliban and Stephano is drunk, Stephano becomes Caliban’s new
master

Read from: Characters:

 Caliban
Enter Caliban with a burden of wood. A noise of thunder heard.  Stephano
 Trinculo
CALIBAN All the infections that the sun sucks up
From bogs, fens, flats, on Prosper fall and make him
By inchmeal a disease! His spirits hear me,

To

STEPHANO O brave monster! Lead the way.

They exit.

1.Why does Caliban hate Prospero?

59 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

2. What is Caliban’s relationship with nature?

3.Why does Caliban need a new master?

4.Does this scene change our interpretation or opinion of Caliban?

Because But So

60 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

TRINCULO Here’s neither bush nor shrub to bear off

Why choose a fish to
any weather at all. And another storm brewing; I
compare Caliban to? What
hear it sing i’ th’ wind. Yond same black cloud, yond does this suggest?
huge one, looks like a foul bombard that would shed
his liquor. If it should thunder as it did before, I
know not where to hide my head. Yond same cloud
cannot choose but fall by pailfuls. Noticing Caliban.
What have we here, a man or a fish? Dead or
alive? A fish, he smells like a fish—a very ancient
and fishlike smell, a kind of not-of-the-newest poor-John.
A strange fish. Were I in England now, as once
I was, and had but this fish painted, not a holiday
fool there but would give a piece of silver. There Trinculo suggests that
people would pay money to
would this monster make a man. Any strange beast
see something like Caliban.
there makes a man. When they will not give a doit to What does this highlight
about the Western world
relieve a lame beggar, they will lay out ten to see a
and Age of Discovery?
dead Indian. Legged like a man, and his fins like
arms! Warm, o’ my troth! I do now let loose my
opinion, hold it no longer: this is no fish, but an
islander that hath lately suffered by a thunderbolt.
Thunder. Alas, the storm is come again. My best
Why is it surprising that he
way is to creep under his gaberdine. There is no
seeks shelter under
other shelter hereabout. Misery acquaints a man Caliban’s cloak?
with strange bedfellows. I will here shroud till the
dregs of the storm be past.

Do now:
61 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

A metaphor is: Colonialism is: One of the play’s ley A character that
themes is: represents this theme
most is:

Because:

Whole class feedback

62 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Response

63 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

To what extent has Prospero created a utopian society?

64 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

How far does Miranda’s character conform with the patriarchy?

Do now:

Some characters want to commit treason by usurping King Alonso. Which characters, and why?
Prospero wants revenge Sebastian wants to commit Antonio wants to commit Sebastian is a traitor
because of how he was treason because this treason because he wants because he is jealous of
treated in Milan. would make him King of to become King of Naples. Alonso.
Naples.

Which statements about Caliban are correct?

Prospero’s treatment of Caliban deserves to be Prospero only hurts An audience might feel
Caliban makes Caliban feel tormented by Prospero Caliban physically. sorry for Caliban because
like he is going mad. because he is not as clever of how Prospero treats
or powerful as Prospero. him.

Three adjectives to describe Caliban: Oppressed means: Hierarchy means:

The character of Miranda

Miranda is the only present female character of the play and she is also a victim of Prospero’s control and
oppression. However, there are elements to her character which make her a strong female character as
well.

She is very naïve, and this is repeatedly shown within Act 3 Scene 1. At the beginning of the scene, she offers
to carry Ferdinand’s logs for him: with no knowledge of society’s codes concerning how she should behave,
she claims, ‘It would become me / As well as it does you’ (3.1.28–9):

If you’ll sit down,

I’ll bear your logs the while. Pray give me that;
I’ll carry it to the pile. (3.1.23–25)

In the stage directions at the start of the scene, Ferdinand enters bearing just a single log, but Miranda’s use
of the plural indicates that she may physically be the stronger of the two. Her repeated use of the
imperative voice, and the ease and enthusiasm with which she offers to carry the logs indicate a level of
independence.

65 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

She is also naive of the world: she realises that she has never seen another woman in her life on the island
and how that might change her behaviour, ‘I do not know one of my sex, no woman’s face remember / Save
from my glass mine own’ (Miranda, 3:1)

She attempts to reassure and calm Prospero’s temper throughout the play and because she does this
without losing her temper, she could be seen as weak minded, however, you could argue that she is just a
good negotiator.

1. What other female characters have you studied who have similar characteristics to Miranda?

2. How does Miranda fulfil a typical gender stereotype?

3. How does she defy the stereotype?

4.Miranda is still very close to Prospero- how might that influence her behaviour and decisions?

66 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Act 3 Scene 1: Ferdinand and Miranda declare their devotion, Prospero is secretly delighted

Read from:
Characters:
 Ferdinand
Enter Ferdinand bearing a log.  Miranda
 Prospero
FERDINAND There be some sports are painful, and their labor
Delight in them sets off; some kinds of baseness
Are nobly undergone; and most poor matters
Point to rich ends.

To

They exit.
PROSPERO So glad of this as they I cannot be,
Who are surprised withal; but my rejoicing
At nothing can be more. I’ll to my book,
For yet ere suppertime must I perform
Much business appertaining.
He exits.

1.How does Ferdinand feel towards Miranda? How do we know?

2. Why does Prospero ask Ferdinand to collect logs? (Consider Prospero’s other relationships here)

3.How does Miranda treat her Father in this scene?

67 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

4.Why does Prospero watch over Miranda and Ferdinand here?

Big Question: How far does Miranda’s character conform with the patriarchy?

68 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

How is colonialism a consideration within the play?

Do now:

Here is a metaphor Prospero uses to describe the boat he and Miranda were sent away in:
they prepared
A rotten carcass of a boat
Which statements about this metaphor are correct? (2)

They’ (the people The ‘boat’ is described as a A rotten carcass’ is the The metaphor shows that
preparing the boat) are ‘rotten carcass’. metaphor Prospero uses Prospero thinks that the
Prospero and Miranda. to describe Antonio. people that prepared the
boat deserve to die

Two characters who Two characters who are Two characters who are One way that
have the least power: enslaved: bitter as a result of their Shakespeare
treatment of others foreshadows the chaos
of the play’s events:

Who is savage and who is civilised?

This play raises questions about who is savage and who is civilised, and considers the context: as Western travellers
journeyed overseas and claimed land from indigenous populations, Western people seemed to disregard the
traditions that were already in place in such countries and viewed cultural routines and rituals as unnecessary.

The English colonist William Strachey also compared the indigenous people of Virginia with the first Great Britons. In
11612, he wrote:

Does this mean he viewed indigenous people as entitled to be different, or that they should be made to behave
differently to make them better?

69 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Act 3 Scene 2: Caliban persuades Stephano to kill Prospero and become ruler of the island

Read from:

Enter Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo. Characters:

STEPHANO, to Trinculo Tell not me. When the butt is  Ariel
 Caliban
out, we will drink water; not a drop before. Therefore  Stephano
bear up and board ’em.—Servant monster,  Trinculo
drink to me.
TO

STEPHANO Lead, monster. We’ll follow.—I would I

could see this taborer. He lays it on. Wilt come?
TRINCULO I’ll follow, Stephano.
They exit.
Reflecting on the reading: annotation

Look at the following extract. How does Caliban interact with Stephano as his master? How does this
contrast to when Prospero was his master? Why might that be?

CALIBAN Art thou afeard?

STEPHANO No, monster, not I.
CALIBAN Be not afeard. The isle is full of noises,
Sounds and sweet airs that give delight and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears, and sometimes voices
That, if I then had waked after long sleep,
Will make me sleep again; and then, in dreaming,
The clouds methought would open, and show riches
Ready to drop upon me, that when I waked
I cried to dream again.
STEPHANO This will prove a brave kingdom to me,
where I shall have my music for nothing.
CALIBAN When Prospero is destroyed.
STEPHANO That shall be by and by. I remember the
story.
TRINCULO The sound is going away. Let’s follow it, and
after do our work.

70 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Tracking Prospero’s treatment of Caliban

How might this have had an influence upon the Caliban that we see now? Make some notes next to each of
Prospero’s lines to explain what he is saying about Caliban, how that would make Caliban feel.

Prospero’s Description of Caliban – Act 1 Scene 2

Then was this island--

Save for the son that she did litter here,
A freckled whelp hag-born--not honour'd with
A human shape.

Prospero’s initial treatment of Caliban - Act 1 Scene 2

CALIBAN:
This island's mine, by Sycorax my mother,
Which thou takest from me. When thou camest first,
Thou strokedst me and madest much of me, wouldst give me
Water with berries in't, and teach me how
To name the bigger light, and how the less,
That burn by day and night: and then I loved thee
And show'd thee all the qualities o' the isle,
The fresh springs, brine-pits, barren place and fertile:
Cursed be I that did so! All the charms
Of Sycorax, toads, beetles, bats, light on you!
For I am all the subjects that you have,
Which first was mine own king: and here you sty me
In this hard rock, whiles you do keep from me
The rest o' the island.

PROSPERO:
Thou most lying slave,
Whom stripes may move, not kindness! I have used thee,
Filth as thou art, with human care, and lodged thee
In mine own cell, till thou didst seek to violate
The honour of my child.

CALIBAN:
O ho, O ho! would't had been done!
Thou didst prevent me; I had peopled else
This isle with Calibans.

71 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

PROSPERO:
Abhorred slave,
Which any print of goodness wilt not take,
Being capable of all ill! I pitied thee,
Took pains to make thee speak, taught thee each hour
One thing or other: when thou didst not, savage,
Know thine own meaning, but wouldst gabble like
A thing most brutish, I endow'd thy purposes
With words that made them known. But thy vile race,
Though thou didst learn, had that in't which
good natures
Could not abide to be with; therefore wast thou
Deservedly confined into this rock,
Who hadst deserved more than a prison.

CALIBAN:
You taught me language; and my profit on't
Is, I know how to curse. The red plague rid you
For learning me your language!

Caliban’s Speech – Act 3 Scene 2

Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises,

Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices
That, if I then had waked after long sleep,
Will make me sleep again: and then, in dreaming,
The clouds methought would open and show riches
Ready to drop upon me that, when I waked,
I cried to dream again.

72 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

How has Prospero’s control changed Caliban as a person?

How are Caliban and Prospero similar?

This is an image of the Brazilian Tupinambá tribe who were said to practise cannibalism on their enemies.
These images were widely circulated throughout Europe.

How might such images have manipulated the audience into thinking a certain way about Caliban? Do you
think they might have had these opinions challenged by watching the play?

73 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Do now:

Use your homework quiz to test your working partner.

Write down sentences to secure your understanding of the answers that were incorrect.

Act 3 Scene 3: Antonio and Sebastian continue with their plot to kill Alonso; Prospero seeks to punish him
Read from:

Enter Alonso, Sebastian, Antonio, Gonzalo, Adrian, Francisco, etc. Characters:

GONZALO By ’r lakin, I can go no further, sir.  Alonso
My old bones aches. Here’s a maze trod indeed  Antonio
Through forthrights and meanders. By your  Adrian
 Francisco
patience,  Gonzalo
I needs must rest me.  Prospero
 Sebastian
TO

GONZALO All three of them are desperate. Their great guilt,

Like poison given to work a great time after,
Now ’gins to bite the spirits. I do beseech you
That are of suppler joints, follow them swiftly
And hinder them from what this ecstasy
May now provoke them to.
ADRIAN Follow, I pray you.
They all exit.

74 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Reflecting on the reading: the harpy

A harpy is a rapacious mythical monster of Greek and Roman origin,
with the head of a human and the wings and claws of a bird. It is
sometimes described as the demonic spirit of the storm, a ‘snatcher’
that kidnaps evil people from the earth or steals food from under
their noses.

In this scene, the airy spirit Ariel appears theatrically disguised ‘like a
harpy’. He ‘claps his wings upon the table’ to make Prospero’s
magical banquet vanish ‘with a quaint device’. These precise stage
directions suggest some form of stage trickery, perhaps using a false
table top which could be tripped by a boy underneath, while the
harpy's wings covered the disappearing food.

Why does Ariel choose to dress as a harpy?

Whole class annotation: Ariel’s speech

ARIEL
You are three men of sin, whom Destiny,
That hath to instrument this lower world
And what is in't, the never-surfeited sea
Hath caused to belch up you; and on this island
Where man doth not inhabit; you 'mongst men
Being most unfit to live. I have made you mad;
And even with such-like valour men hang and drown
Their proper selves.

ALONSO, SEBASTIAN & c. draw their swords

You fools! I and my fellows

Are ministers of Fate: the elements,
Of whom your swords are temper'd, may as well
Wound the loud winds, or with bemock'd-at stabs
Kill the still-closing waters, as diminish
One dowle that's in my plume: my fellow-ministers
Are like invulnerable. If you could hurt,
75 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Your swords are now too massy for your strengths

And will not be uplifted. But remember--
For that's my business to you--that you three
From Milan did supplant good Prospero;
Exposed unto the sea, which hath requit it,
Him and his innocent child: for which foul deed
The powers, delaying, not forgetting, have
Incensed the seas and shores, yea, all the creatures,
Against your peace. Thee of thy son, Alonso,
They have bereft; and do pronounce by me:
Lingering perdition, worse than any death
Can be at once, shall step by step attend
You and your ways; whose wraths to guard you from--
Which here, in this most desolate isle, else falls
Upon your heads--is nothing but heart-sorrow
And a clear life ensuing.

He vanishes in thunder; then, to soft music enter the Shapes again, and dance, with mocks and mows, and carrying out
the table

1. Why are Ariel’s and Caliban’s perceptions of Prospero so different?

2. How does this speech reflect Prospero’s feelings?

3.Prospero has been waiting for this moment- do you think it brings him happiness?

76 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Next lesson, we will write as a member of the audience, watching Ariel appear. Which words could we use to describe
the key messages of his speech? What are we meant to learn or think about as a result?

Teacher plan and model:

What did he say? How was it said or how did it make Why- what ideas or themes did he
an impact? want us to think about?

77 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Do now:

A metaphor is Ariel uses iambic This is because: The island is a failed utopia
pentameter in this line: because…

Write as a member of the audience, watching Ariel appear. You should include:

What he talks about in his speech

How he looks or the way he delivers it
What key ideas it made you consider as a member of the audience.

Teacher plan and model:

What did he say? How was it said or how did it make Why- what ideas or themes did he
an impact? want us to think about?

78 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

79 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

How is colonialism a consideration within the play?

80 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

How is Prospero presented as a character throughout the play?

Do now:

Which of these statements are true about Miranda?

She is Antonio’s sister She is caring and worried She is the only person who She is naive
about the safety of others likes Caliban

Savage means: The Western world viewed Caliban challenges this Ubiquitous means:
some indigenous people as idea because:
savages because:

Act 4 Scene 1: Prospero reveals he has been testing Ferdinand and Miranda’s love, he
celebrates their impending marriage with a masque.

Read from:

Enter Prospero, Ferdinand, and Miranda. Characters:

PROSPERO, to Ferdinand  Ariel
If I have too austerely punished you,  Ceres
 Ferdinand
Your compensation makes amends, for I  Iris
Have given you here a third of mine own life,  Juno
Or that for which I live; who once again  Miranda
 Prospero
I tender to thy hand. All thy vexations
Were but my trials of thy love, and thou
Hast strangely stood the test. Here afore heaven
I ratify this my rich gift. O Ferdinand,
Do not smile at me that I boast of her,
For thou shalt find she will outstrip all praise
And make it halt behind her.

to

FERDINAND/MIRANDA We wish your peace.

They exit.

81 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Reflecting on the reading

Ferdinand has passed Prospero’s test to prove his suitability to marry Miranda. Prospero relieves him of his
labours and arranges the union. Ariel relates news of the illusion of the banquet to Prospero who instructs
Ariel to bring Alonso and the others to him.

Prospero then conjures a masque, an elaborate illusion of gods and goddesses, to celebrate the marriage of
Ferdinand and Miranda. Remembering Caliban, Stephano and Trinculo’s plot to overthrow him, Prospero
realises he must use his powers to stop them.

Spirits appear as Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow and Harmony; Ceres, Goddess of the Harvest; and Juno,
Queen of the Gods, along with other spirits. Suddenly, Prospero interrupts the show, telling the audience, ‘I
had forgot that foul conspiracy / Of the beast Caliban and his confederates.’ Prospero gives this powerful
speech, suggesting that he feels that he is satisfied with what has happened to his enemies on the island:

1.How does Prospero try to make amends to Ferdinand?

2. What do the choice of Gods highlight about Prospero’s mood?

3. How does Prospero’s ubiquitous nature benefit him in this scene?

82 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Do now:

Circle the verbs: Two characters that represent A thesis statement is:
oppression are:
I told you, sir, they were red-hot with
drinking,
So full of valor that they smote the air
For breathing in their faces, beat the
ground
For kissing of their feet; yet always
bending Because:
Towards their project. Then I beat my
tabor,
At which, like unbacked colts, they pricked
their
ears,

Act 4 Scene 1 Part 2: Prospero instructs Ariel to punish Caliban, Stephano and Trinculo

Read from:

Enter Ariel. Characters:

 Ariel
PROSPERO Come with a thought. I thank thee, Ariel. Come.  Caliban
ARIEL Thy thoughts I cleave to. What’s thy pleasure?  Prospero
 Stephano
PROSPERO Spirit,  Trinculo
We must prepare to meet with Caliban.
ARIEL Ay, my commander. When I presented Ceres,
I thought to have told thee of it, but I feared
Lest I might anger thee.

TO

ARIEL Hark, they roar.

PROSPERO Let them be hunted soundly. At this hour
Lies at my mercy all mine enemies.
Shortly shall all my labors end, and thou
Shalt have the air at freedom. For a little
Follow and do me service.
They exit.

83 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Class annotation: Prospero’s state of mind and restoration of order

Prospero gives a powerful speech, suggesting that he feels that he is satisfied with what has happened to his
enemies on the island:

PROSPERO:
Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And, like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Ye all which it inherit, shall dissolve
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.

1.How does this speech restore the order for Prospero?

2.Which words create a serious and solemn end to the Masque and why?

3.Choose two quotations to explode in further detail: what does it tell us about Prospero’s state of mind?

84 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

4..How does this contrast to the Prospero that we have seen in earlier scenes?

How is colonialism a consideration within the play?

85 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Big Question: How is Prospero presented as a character throughout the play?

Do now:

Which of these statements are true about Stephano and Trinculo?

Stephano and Trinculo Stephano is a butler. Stephano and Trinculo Caliban is terrified of
are high class This means he works are low class characters. Stephano. That is why
characters, like Alonso closely with King Alonso. This type of character is he offers to become
Stephano’s slave.
and Antonio. This makes Stephano a often found in a
very powerful character. comedy.

What deeds has Ariel done for What does Ariel want? How does Caliban represent
Prospero so far? oppression?

ACT 5 Scene 1 Part 1: Prospero vows to give up his magic

Read from
Characters:
 Ariel
Enter Prospero in his magic robes, and Ariel.  Prospero
PROSPERO Now does my project gather to a head.
My charms crack not, my spirits obey, and time
Goes upright with his carriage.—How’s the day?

TO
ARIEL I drink the air before me, and return
Or ere your pulse twice beat.
He exits.

86 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Reflecting on the reading

Now does my project gather to a head./My charms crack not, my spirits obey, and time/Goes upright with his carriage."
How does this show that Prospero feels in control again?

PROSPERO:
Ye elves of hills, brooks, standing lakes and groves,
And ye that on the sands with printless foot
Do chase the ebbing Neptune and do fly him
When he comes back; you demi-puppets that
By moonshine do the green sour ringlets make,
Whereof the ewe not bites, and you whose pastime
Is to make midnight mushrooms, that rejoice
To hear the solemn curfew; by whose aid, In this speech Prospero uses PASTORAL
Weak masters though ye be, I have bedimm'd imagery – images from nature.
The noontide sun, call'd forth the mutinous winds, Underline the words and phrases that
And 'twixt the green sea and the azured vault show pastoral imagery.
Set roaring war: to the dread rattling thunder
Also, Prospero shows his own powers
Have I given fire and rifted Jove's stout oak
over nature. Annotate words and
With his own bolt; the strong-based promontory phrases that show this.
Have I made shake and by the spurs pluck'd up
The pine and cedar: graves at my command o Pastoral imagery
Have waked their sleepers, oped, and let 'em forth
By my so potent art. But this rough magic o Prospero’s powers
I here abjure, and, when I have required
Some heavenly music, which even now I do,
To work mine end upon their senses that
This airy charm is for, I'll break my staff,
Bury it certain fathoms in the earth,
And deeper than did ever plummet sound
I'll drown my book.

87 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Does Prospero forgive others here?

Why might Prospero want to give up his magic?

88 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Do now:

Prospero controls others The island is not utopian Caliban is enslaved by: Ariel wishes for:
because: because:

Act 5 Scene 1 Part 2: Prospero forgives Alonso and informs him of Ferdinand and Miranda’s
marriage

Read from:

GONZALO All torment, trouble, wonder, and amazement Characters:

Inhabits here. Some heavenly power guide us  Alonso
 Ferdinand
Out of this fearful country!  Gonzalo
 Miranda
TO  Prospero
 Sebastian

ALONSO, to Ferdinand and Miranda Give me your

hands.
Let grief and sorrow still embrace his heart
That doth not wish you joy!
GONZALO Be it so. Amen.

Reflecting on the reading

1. ‘I embrace thy body’ How does Prospero greet Alonso?

2. ‘Though pardon me my wrongs’ What is Alonso’s reaction to Prospero?

89 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

3. Why is it significant that Antonio remains quiet during this scene? How might he be feeling?

Whole-class annotation

ALONSO A daughter?
O heavens, that they were living both in Naples,
The King and Queen there! That they were, I wish
Myself were mudded in that oozy bed
Where my son lies!—When did you lose your
daughter?
PROSPERO In this last tempest. I perceive these lords
At this encounter do so much admire
That they devour their reason, and scarce think
Their eyes do offices of truth, their words
Are natural breath.—But howsoe’er you have
Been justled from your senses, know for certain
That I am Prospero and that very duke
Which was thrust forth of Milan, who most
strangely
Upon this shore, where you were wracked, was
landed
To be the lord on ’t. No more yet of this.

Prospero feels that he has lost his daughter because….

Because But so

90 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Do now:

91 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

1. How would you describe the hierarchy of the island?

2. Who is Antonio?

3.Three adjectives to describe Caliban.

4.Why is Miranda naïve?

5.Use the words ‘oppression,’ ‘betrayal’ and ‘utopian’ to describe a character or moment of the play.

92 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Whole class feedback

93 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Response:

94 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Do now:

Why does colonialism have a bad impact on a native population (the people already living in a country)?
They can have their wealth If they are forced to do They will be able to learn They might be made to
taken from them. other work for the of the countries the work as slaves.
explorers, their crops may explorers came from.
not grow and they could
die of starvation.

A masque is: Prospero is ubiquitous because: Prospero controls Miranda

because:

Act 5 Scene 1 Part 3: Prospero continues with his reconciliation

Read from:

Enter Ariel, with the Master and Boatswain amazedly following.

O, look, sir, look, sir, here is more of us. Characters:
I prophesied if a gallows were on land,  Alonso
This fellow could not drown. Now, blasphemy,  Ariel
 Antonio
That swear’st grace o’erboard, not an oath on
 Boatswain
shore?  Caliban
Hast thou no mouth by land? What is the news?  Sebastian
 Stephano
TO  Trinculo

PROSPERO I’ll deliver all,

And promise you calm seas, auspicious gales,
And sail so expeditious that shall catch
Your royal fleet far off. Aside to Ariel. My Ariel,
chick,
That is thy charge. Then to the elements
Be free, and fare thou well.
—Please you, draw near.
They all exit.

95 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

1.Look at the ratio of speech between the characters. Who has the most power and authority here?

2. Prospero describes Caliban as,

PROSPERO
Mark but the badges of these men, my lords,
Then say if they be true.
(indicates CALIBAN) This misshapen knave,
His mother was a witch, and one so strong
That could control the moon, make flows and ebbs,
And deal in her command without her power.
These three have robbed me, and this demi-devil—
For he’s a bastard one—had plotted with them
To take my life. Two of these fellows you
Must know and own. This thing of darkness I
Acknowledge mine.

PROSPERO
He is as disproportioned in his manners
As in his shape.—(to CALIBAN) Go, sirrah, to my cell.
Take with you your companions. As you look
To have my pardon, trim it handsomely.

Why is this significant? What has Prospero realised?

96 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Prospero – Victim or Villain?

Review what you have learned about Prospero’s character. Do you think he is a victim or a villain? Find
evidence to support your views.

Prospero is victim Key words Prospero is villain

commanding

cunning

merciful

compassionate

dissatisfied

callous

concerned

demanding

hospitable

forgiving

controlling

cruel

satisfied

manipulating

powerful

My overall view of Prospero is . . .

97 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Do now:

This play could be didactic Two characters that gain Two characters that lose Three adjectives to
because: power: power: describe Ariel:

Prospero: character analysis: Hodder Education

98 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Next lesson, we are going to write about the character of Prospero in the play.

When is Prospero powerful? When does he lack power and why?

Where would you place the characters on this scale? Choose five characters, write their name, and why you
have put them at that point.

How does their place change over the course of the play? Who changes the most frequently?

Powerless Powerful

Prospero
Miranda
Ariel
Caliban
Ferdinand
Alonso
Sebastian
Trinculo
Stephano

99 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Do now:

The tempest at the start Two characters that This is because: Oppression means:
of the play reflects the represent power are:
themes of:

Next lesson, we are going to write about the character of Prospero and how he is presented within the play.

 Which words would you use to describe Prospero and how would you choices change?
 Which themes does Prospero represent?
 What do we learn from him as a character?

As we read the example, think about how the writer has used this three key questions.

Undoubtedly, Prospero represents power within Shakespeare’s play the

Tempest, however, as the island lacks hierarchy and power moves from one
character to another, Prospero is powerless and other characters overrule him
as a result of their intelligence, good character or kindness.

Prospero is a complicated character as he first appeared after the storm and

the shipwreck. Shakespeare has created him to be a powerful man, and
sometimes brutal, but when it comes to it, he can be kind and compassionate.

At first, Prospero is shown as a kind character when he assures his daughter

than no one was harmed in the storm and decided it was time to tell Miranda.
The audience then learns that Prosper, before had political authority – “Thy
father was the Duke of Milan, a prince of power”. He enjoys being a leader
and wants to be in control of the island, just like he was in Milan. The abstract
noun “power” demonstrates Prospero’s pride and commitment to his role.
Prospero went from ruling over people to being stuck on an island through

100 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

studying magic and neglecting his duties. Whilst trying to gain power,
Prospero lost a lot too.

Shakespeare shows Prospero as magical through the storm, and through act
one. However, we as the audience begin to question his power when he
requests for Ariel to obey him and complete tasks in his replacement. When
Prospero first came to the island, he was loving and cared for everyone but
through the scene he becomes controlling.

Shakespeare is also presented as controlling over Ariel and Caliban. Caliban

was first cared for “when thou carnst first, thou strokst me and made much of
me”, but is now ruled over by Prospero. Furthermore, “… thou didst seek to
violate the honour of my child”. Although Prospero was just being a father,
the audience begins to think that perhaps for Caliban, it was an animal
instinct. As Caliban has been treated badly, for technically the island is his by
his mother, Sycorax. So, Prospero essentially took it over which links to the
exact behaviour and actions Prospero’s brother did to him. This enables the
audience to question whether Prospero’s actions are hypocritical or
contradictory.

Shakespeare also presents Prospero as a protective father. The audience

knows this as it took him twelve years for him to tell her the truth – “begin to
tell” and “but stopped” highlights Prospero’s reluctance to tell her in the first
instance. Prospero also prizes his daughter – “then didst smile infused with a
fortitude from heaven” and loves Miranda more than anything.

Overall, Shakespeare portrays as the main character with magic often bringing
his power. He can sometimes be shown as manipulative and controlling over
Ariel and Caliban but prizes his child above everything. He is demonstrated as
a warm and loving father towards Miranda and protects her unconditionally.

101 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Practice question:

Here is an extract from Act 5, Scene 1 of The Tempest.

Ariel has told Prospero that he has trapped Antonio, King Alonso and the others. Ariel asks what Prospero
plans to do with them. Ariel asks if he will forgive them or not.
In the extract, Prospero explains how he feels towards Antonio and King Alonso, and what he plans to do
with them.

PROSPERO
Though with their high wrongs I am struck to the quick,
Yet, with my nobler reason, 'gainst my fury
Do I take part. The rarer action is
In virtue, than in vengeance.

Read through this extract. How is Prospero presented in this extract? Make some notes in the space
below.

102 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Thesis statements

Interestingly…
Interestingly, we can see that Shakespeare aims to present ideas of….
Interestingly, Shakespeare emphasises use of power through the use of….
Undoubtedly…
Undoubtedly, several of the characters represent power in different ways…
Undoubtedly, the play seems to touch upon the theme of power as brutal and cruel…However…
Start with the question wording.
Shakespeare presents the theme of power, undoubtedly, to make the audience think about
how power can be abused but is unavoidable because…

103 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

How is Prospero presented as a character throughout the play?

Do now:

Two characters who A thesis statement could The play could be Miranda has less power
have power removed start with: didactic because: because:
from them:

Task: Write about the character of Prospero and how he is presented throughout the play. You might focus
your response on details in Act 1 Scene 1 lines 242-330 and Act 5 Scene 1, lines 95-134.

You will need to write about:

 What kind of character Prospero is and how he is presented in the scenes.

 The importance of Prospero as a character.
 What Prospero says and does.
 How Prospero interacts with other characters.
 Your personal response to Prospero

104 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

105 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

106 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

To what extent is this a didactic play?

Do now:

Why might an audience dislike Caliban? Tick all that apply.

Caliban curses and Caliban thinks that the Caliban is a slave. Caliban wants to kill
swears, and is horrible island was his before Prospero in a horrible
to other characters. Prospero arrived. and violent way.

Why might an audience feel pathos towards Caliban? Tick all that apply.
Caliban does not realise Prospero is cruel to Although Caliban wants Caliban takes his fury
he remains a slave even Caliban. to kill Prospero, he out on other characters.
when he says he will wants to kill Prospero
serve Stephano
peacefully in his sleep.

What does Prospero use to chase away Stephano, Caliban and Trinculo?
spirits in the shape of spirits in the shape of spirits in the shape of spirits in the shape of
wolves spitting cats monkeys and apes dogs and hounds

Ariel is finally permitted freedom because: I think the main message of the play is:

Epilogue- Prospero directly addresses the audience and requests them to free him
Spoken by Prospero.
Now my charms are all o’erthrown,
Characters:
And what strength I have ’s mine own,  Prospero
Which is most faint. Now ’tis true
I must be here confined by you,
Or sent to Naples. Let me not,
Since I have my dukedom got
And pardoned the deceiver, dwell
In this bare island by your spell,
But release me from my bands
With the help of your good hands.
Gentle breath of yours my sails
Must fill, or else my project fails,
Which was to please. Now I want
Spirits to enforce, art to enchant,
And my ending is despair,
Unless I be relieved by prayer,
Which pierces so that it assaults
Mercy itself, and frees all faults.
As you from crimes would pardoned be,
Let your indulgence set me free
107 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Reflecting on the reading

1.How does Prospero feel at this point?

2.To what extent do we feel a sense of pathos for Prospero?

3.Do we get the impression that this restoration of order will last?

4.In your opinion, does this play fulfil the genre of tragi-comedy?

5.Which of the key themes are we left with to think over the most, do you think?

108 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Do now:

The two spirits who reside on the island with Prospero and Miranda are:
Caliban and Trinculo. Trinculo and Stephano. Trinculo and Ariel. Caliban and Ariel.

Prior to Prospero releasing him, Ariel was stuck for twelve years in a
Cage Cave Ocean Tree

Our protagonist and antagonist are

Prosper and Miranda Prospero and Ferdinand Prospero and the Prospero and Antonio
Tempest

Whole class reading: Academic Criticism

Tempestuous words: The Tempest and Shakespeare’s
linguistic innovation
Article written by:David Crystal
Themes:Comedies, Language, word play and text
Published:15 Mar 2016
'Over-stink', 'instinctively', 'bow-wow', 'reeling-ripe': some of the words in The
Tempest appear nowhere else in literature, whereas others have become embedded in the
English language. David Crystal takes a look at Shakespeare's verbal ingenuity.

Some of Shakespeare’s most vivid word-creations turn up in The Tempest. My favourite is Trinculo being described
as reeling ripe – so drunk he’s staggering about. But that has to compete with such adjectival compounds as cloud-
capped (towers), strong-based (promontory) and pole-clipped (vineyard), or the noun compound demi-puppets, or the
verb compound weather-fend (defend against the weather). These feel like the product of a linguistically creative
mind.

Undoubtedly, some of the first recorded usages of words found in this play are coincidences: Shakespeare just
happens to be the first person we know to have written them down. When the spirits sing ‘the watchdogs bark, bow-
wow’ (1.2.385), it might come as a surprise to know that this is the first time we see both watchdogs and bow-
wow written down in English (the latter in the remarkable Folio spelling, bough-wawgh). But they would have been in
the language long before that, as would Ariel’s grumblings and Gonzalo’s leaky (ship/wench). And the same probably
applies to blue-eyed (hag), grass-plot and Caliban’s high-day (i.e. a variant of hey-day, meaning a day of celebration).
But some of the new compounds have an uncertain status: are Caliban’s footfall and Ariel’s mid-season everyday local
expressions or poetic adaptations? It’s difficult to say.

What is a compound?

What is an adjectival compound?

109 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

In total, there are 45 novel forms in The Tempest. We see new prefixed words in betrim (to trim
something), discase (take off clothing), over-topping (being over-ambitious) and the splendid over-stink (drown the
smell of), describing the foul water into which Ariel leads Stephano and the others. There are new suffixed words
too: baseless (fabric) and printless (foot), razorable (chins), the adverbs instinctively and rootedly, and the mouth-
twisting chirurgeonly (like a surgeon). That last is not the only polysyllabic monster: note also expeditious (sail)
and unmitigable (rage).

Usage terms © Donald Cooper / Photostage

www.photostage.co.uk

Several of the most descriptive new words relate to natural phenomena: bosky (acres), mountain
winds, pignuts, sedged crowns, unshrubbed (down), closing (waters) and the mysterious and much-
debated pioned and twilled brims (possibly, trenched and woven with sticks to prevent erosion). Windring (brooks) is
another puzzle. Was this a misprint for winding or a poetic blend of winding and wandering? And editors have thrown
in the towel over scamels, the (presumably) species of shellfish that Caliban promises to find for Stephano and
Trinculo.

Which of these words are least recognisable from the words we use today for the same idea?

How have the meanings of words changed: can you think of an example?

We see a few new parts of speech formed by changing a noun into a verb, a favourite creative device of
Shakespeare: bass (my trespass), hand (a rope) and throe (agonize, as if in childbirth), and three instances of a verb
becoming an adjective: scandalled (company, i.e. ‘shameful’), suffered (labour, i.e. ‘endured’) and collected (meaning
‘composed, calm’), as in Prospero’s words to Miranda: ‘Be collected’ (1.2.13). And there is a lovely case of a
metaphorical extension, when Prospero tells her about his earlier life, and the days when he decided ‘who t’advance
and who / To trash for overtopping’ (1.2.80–81). How to express the notion of restraining people who are over-
ambitious in court? The metaphor is from dog-handling while hunting: to check a hound with a leash. Its etymology is
obscure, but its dramatic impact is not. It adds support to any characterisation of Prospero as a tough ruler. You don’t
mess with him, as the other characters in the play soon learn.

This article first appeared in Around the Globe, the membership magazine for Shakespeare's Globe. The original can be
found listed under 'Book and Articles' on David Crystal's website.

110 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

Reflecting on the reading

The writer outlines that Shakespeare was the first to create some of the words used in the play. How are
new words created?

How might we describe sounds as they sound, or objects as they look? Pick two examples and share them
with your working partner.

The way words are formed:

Way words are formed Examples

Mixing two words together Hangry, brunch

Using part of a word and shortening it

Adding a prefix or suffix

Changing the way the word is used (verb as noun) It was a great find!

Connecting two words

Taking a word from another language

111 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date:_________________________________

To what extent is this a didactic play?

112 | P a g e
@saysmiss KHoward
Date: __________________________

Do now:

Multiple Choice Knowledge Quiz

1 During the time that Tempest was first performed, this era was known as:
The Age of knowing The Age of worlds The Age of discovery The Age of art

2 Power is explored in the play through the roles of:

Mother and Master and servant Father and son Husband and wife
daughter

3 Which of these statements about colonialism is correct?

Colonialism has a Colonialism benefits British was the only Colonialism is what
bad impact on the all people and country to colonise happens on the boat
indigenous people. traditions other countries. in the storm.

4 Which of these statements about Prospero is correct?

He is from Rome He planned to usurp He is unintelligent He is Antonio’s
the King brother

5 In Shakespeare’s time, there was little distinction between:

Magic and Magic and science Magic and books Magic and sport
Shakespeare

6 Oppressive means:
A controlling A pleasant situation A formal situation A magical situation
situation

7 Which of these statements about Ariel are correct?

Prospero stole the He is related to He has magical powers He was kept prisoner
Caliban by Sycorax
island from him

113 | P a g e
Date: __________________________

8 Why does Prospero hate Caliban?

Caliban tortures Caliban tried to assault Caliban worked with Caliban keeps all the
Prospero with aches Miranda. Antonio to get rid of best fruits and crops
and pains. Prospero from Milan.
on the island to
himself

9 A warning or hint of a future event is:

Simile Introduction Foreshadowing Metaphor

10 Why does Caliban hate Prospero?

Prospero won’t teach Prospero uses his Prospero refuses to Prospero didn’t cure
Caliban magic magic to torment talk to Caliban Caliban when he was
Caliban sick.

11 Pictures of tribes were circulated in the Western countries so people thought:

Indigenous people Indigenous people Indigenous people Indigenous people
had similar cultures had technology were friendly were to be feared

12 How are Ariel and Caliban similar?

Ariel and Caliban are Ariel and Caliban are Ariel and Caliban are Ariel and Caliban are
glad to serve Prospero kind and elegant free not human

13 Which statements about Caliban are correct?

Prospero’s treatment Caliban deserves to be Prospero only hurts An audience would

of Caliban makes tormented by Caliban physically side with Ariel as a
Caliban feel like he is Prospero because he is better example than
going mad. not as clever or Caliban of how a slave
powerful as Prospero. should behave.

114 | P a g e
Date: __________________________

14 A didactic play:
Attempts to show Attempts to teach Attempts to scare Attempts to create a
the audience future the audience. the audience sense of mystery for
events. the audience.

15 Loyalty is to be:
Faithful and honest Faithful and Faithful and Faithful and
oppressive committed secretive

16 Which of these statements are true about Miranda?

She is Prospero’s She is Antonio’s sister She is caring and She is fierce and
worried about the argumentative
sister safety of others

17 Caliban is presented as:

Savage Selfish Selfless Self-obsessed

18 Caliban is unlikeable because:

Caliban curses and Caliban thinks that Caliban is Caliban is upset at
swears, and is the island was his interesting. his being enslaved.
horrible to other before Prospero
characters. arrived.

19 An audience would have pathos for Caliban because:

Caliban does not Prospero is cruel to Although Caliban Caliban takes his fury
realise he remains a Caliban. wants to kill out on other
Prospero, he wants
slave even when he characters.
to kill Prospero
says he will serve peacefully in his
Stephano sleep.

115 | P a g e
Date: __________________________

20 The island is a failed utopian project for:

Ariel Ferdinand Miranda Prospero

21 An example of analytical verbs are:

Connotes and Arguably and Eventually and Connotes and
suggests suggests suggests undoubtedly

22 The two spirits who reside on the island with Prospero and Miranda are:
Caliban and Trinculo. Trinculo and Trinculo and Ariel. Caliban and Ariel.
Stephano.

23 The technique usually used within Shakespeare when a character is expecting a

particular emotion like anger or devotion is:
Sonnet Metaphor Iambic pentameter Trochaic pentameter

24 Prospero describes Caliban in this way:

A devil, a born devil, on whose nature
Nurture can never stick
What does Prospero mean by this?
Prospero thinks that Prospero admits that Prospero forgives Prospero thinks that
people’s personalities he used a stick to beat Caliban. Caliban was born evil.
can change. People Caliban. There is no way
can learn to act and Caliban’s personality
behave in different can be changed.
ways.

25 Towards the end of the play, Prospero says this:

The rarer action is
In virtue, than in vengeance.
What does Prospero mean by this?
Prospero decides to Prospero says that it is Prospero says that Prospero says that it is
take revenge on his rare for people to people never take any ‘rare’ to be in a
enemies. forgive their enemies. kind of action against position to take
their enemies. They revenge on your
just forget about what enemies.
happened.

116 | P a g e
Date: __________________________

Whole class feedback

117 | P a g e
Date: __________________________

Response:

118 | P a g e
Date: __________________________

119 | P a g e
Date: __________________________

120 | P a g e
Date: __________________________

121 | P a g e