"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."
Summary
Scene i
Prospero enters, stroking his chin as he contemplates the final pieces of his scheme. He calls forth Ariel, and asks him where Alonso and his entourage are. Ariel relays to Prospero that they are exactly where he wants them to be, but in a state of misery, especially Gonzalo, who has tears running down his beard. Since Ariel, a spirit, feels sorry for them, Prospero can all but imagine the pity he will feel for them all. Prospero draws a circle on the ground to ensnare the group, and reflects his actions. He is quite the magician, and has done so many things over the years. An enormous wave of guilt overcomes him, and he swears that after this next spell, he will bury his staff and burn his magical tomes.
Alonso, Gonzalo, Sebastian, Antonio, Adrian, and Francisco enter the scene frantically, led by Ariel, and all but the latter are trapped and frozen in the circle. Prospero looks upon their dread-filled faces, and addresses them individually even though they cannot hear him. He looks at Gonzalo, and thanks him for his sympathy and kindness; he turned to Alonso, who helped usurp him from his dukedom, and forgives him; he gives a quick glance to Sebastian and he chastises him for being a fool, but he forgives him as well; he then walks to his dear brother, who not only betrayed him and stole his dukedom, but he also conspired to kill the king with Sebastian. Difficult as it was, Prospero forgave him also.
Ariel dons Prospero with the clothes from his dukedom so that they will recognize him. After Prospero tells Ariel to fetch the Shipmaster and the Boatswain, the King and his entourage awake. Upon seeing Prospero, Alonso doubts whether or not he is even real, since all that has conspired on the island has made him suspicious of all. Gonzalo, on the other hand, instantly knows that Prospero is real, and they embrace each other. Prospero then turns to Antonio and Sebastian, and tells them that they are in his debt; he knows of their intended treachery, and demands Antonio for his dukedom back in return for his silence about his sins. However, Prospero directly forgives Antonio for all that he's done.
Alonso mourns the loss of his son to Prospero, who tells the king to have patience, as that has helped him through his loss. Prospero then explains that because of the tempest, he has lost his dear daughter. Prospero brings Alonso to his cabin, and reveals that Miranda and Ferdinand, who are playing a game of chess, are alive and in love. Ferdinand sees his father, who he thought had died in the storm, and collapses onto the ground out of joy. Everyone rejoices in the beauty of the couple, and Gonzalo reflects how everyone has found happiness on this little island.
The Boatswain and the Shipmaster arrive, and proclaim that their ship is perfectly functional, but can't explain why. Prospero quickly changes the subject, and says that there are still yet people missing. At this moment Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo enter the scene. Caliban rejoices in seeing Prospero alive and well, but the rest are confused as to what is going on: the higher-ups are disgusted at Caliban's experience, and they tell Trinculo and Stephano tell them to abandon Caliban.
Prospero leads everyone into his cabin to tell them his tale. He also tells Ariel that after he gives everyone good passage back to Naples, he his free.
In the epilogue, Prospero addresses the audience directly. He says that he is going to give up his magic, and live a life of peace. He begs for forgiveness from the audience, and prays that life will serve him kindly.
Ariel dons Prospero with the clothes from his dukedom so that they will recognize him. After Prospero tells Ariel to fetch the Shipmaster and the Boatswain, the King and his entourage awake. Upon seeing Prospero, Alonso doubts whether or not he is even real, since all that has conspired on the island has made him suspicious of all. Gonzalo, on the other hand, instantly knows that Prospero is real, and they embrace each other. Prospero then turns to Antonio and Sebastian, and tells them that they are in his debt; he knows of their intended treachery, and demands Antonio for his dukedom back in return for his silence about his sins. However, Prospero directly forgives Antonio for all that he's done.
Alonso mourns the loss of his son to Prospero, who tells the king to have patience, as that has helped him through his loss. Prospero then explains that because of the tempest, he has lost his dear daughter. Prospero brings Alonso to his cabin, and reveals that Miranda and Ferdinand, who are playing a game of chess, are alive and in love. Ferdinand sees his father, who he thought had died in the storm, and collapses onto the ground out of joy. Everyone rejoices in the beauty of the couple, and Gonzalo reflects how everyone has found happiness on this little island.
The Boatswain and the Shipmaster arrive, and proclaim that their ship is perfectly functional, but can't explain why. Prospero quickly changes the subject, and says that there are still yet people missing. At this moment Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo enter the scene. Caliban rejoices in seeing Prospero alive and well, but the rest are confused as to what is going on: the higher-ups are disgusted at Caliban's experience, and they tell Trinculo and Stephano tell them to abandon Caliban.
Prospero leads everyone into his cabin to tell them his tale. He also tells Ariel that after he gives everyone good passage back to Naples, he his free.
In the epilogue, Prospero addresses the audience directly. He says that he is going to give up his magic, and live a life of peace. He begs for forgiveness from the audience, and prays that life will serve him kindly.
Analysis
The Tempest is a play of ambition and, more importantly, its consequences. Prospero has made an enormous transformation over the course of the play: at the beginning, he was a vengeful wizard bent on furthering his own goals. Thankfully, his innocent daughter and her love with Ferdinand influenced him into forgiving all who have wronged him. Similarly, Alonso was also overcome with guilt, and repents for his sins. Antonio came to have an enormous amount of power because of his actions, and, at first, reigned and lived without consequence. His ambition accompanied him to the island, and almost tricked Sebastian into killing his brother, King Alonso. However, Shakespeare uses Antonio to illustrate that if one does not give up one's ambitions willingly, it will be taken away.
Furthermore, Prospero can be likened to the Providence that he so endeared, especially when one compares The Tempest to the flood story from the book of Genesis: He is wrathful and destructive in the beginning, but then at the end is more forgiving and more loving than before. Prospero's parallel to God explains his omniscience and his unpredictability; and, if one stretches the God metaphor, one can view Ferdinand as man. Prospero commands Ferdinand to move a ridiculous amount of logs, the only purpose being to win his favor and Miranda's hand in marriage. Much like Ferdinand, mankind must, in Christianity, live a life free of sin and full of repentence; if one accomplishes this task, they gain access to eternal bliss and paradise.
<<< Previous (Act IV)
Thanks for reading,
Nick
Furthermore, Prospero can be likened to the Providence that he so endeared, especially when one compares The Tempest to the flood story from the book of Genesis: He is wrathful and destructive in the beginning, but then at the end is more forgiving and more loving than before. Prospero's parallel to God explains his omniscience and his unpredictability; and, if one stretches the God metaphor, one can view Ferdinand as man. Prospero commands Ferdinand to move a ridiculous amount of logs, the only purpose being to win his favor and Miranda's hand in marriage. Much like Ferdinand, mankind must, in Christianity, live a life free of sin and full of repentence; if one accomplishes this task, they gain access to eternal bliss and paradise.
<<< Previous (Act IV)
Thanks for reading,
Nick
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