The Tempest
April 3, 1987
A review of "The Tempest" by William Shakespeare.
Copyright © 1998 Property of Deborah K. Fletcher. All rights reserved.
The plot lines in the Tempest all parallel each other. Each major group of people has an ambition similar to that of the others. Each group intends to set up a government on the island, placing one of its group as the ruler of the island. Prospero's plans are larger, but the plot line is still parallel.
In Act II, Scene i, we find that Sebastian and Antonio are plotting to kill Alonso, King of Naples. Antonio has already removed his brother, Prospero, from the Dukedom of Milan, and hopes to put Sebastian, Alonso's brother, on the throne of Naples.
Meanwhile, in Scene ii, Caliban and Trinculo swear to follow Stephano as their king. They are on a different part of the island, and do not know that they are not the only survivors, so they do not need to account for the plans among the royals.
In Act III, Scene i, we see that Prospero plans to regain his Dukedom, by uniting Ferdinand, the son of King Alonso, with his own daughter, Miranda. This plot line surrounds the other plots of the play because Prospero, through his spirit-servant Ariel, has caused the other characters to be shipwrecked on the island.
Prospero's plot line expands as he summons spirits to torment both Stephano's and Sebastian's groups. Stephano, Trinculo, and Caliban are all drunk, and the spirits give them "hallucinations" with music and voices. The three are not coherent enough to wonder what is causing the sounds, and they proceed with their plans to destroy Prospero, who controls Caliban, and to make Stephano a king.
The royal characters receive a treatment more in keeping with their somewhat more sophisticated status. Again, the spirits play music, but this time a banquet appears, complete with dancing spirits. Just as the King and his men prepare to eat, Ariel appears in the guise of a harpy and causes the banquet to vanish. The members of theroyal company believe that they are going mad, yet Alonso and Sebastian decide to fight the "fiends" that are tormenting them.
Of all the characters on the island, Ferdinand and Miranda are the only humans who speak to Prospero until the last scene. Then, however, all of the plot lines are culminated in a reunion of the various characters. Then, Prospero reveals his true identity to all of the characters. He warns Sebastian and Antonio that he knows of their plans to kill Alonso. He then reveals the relationship between Ferdinand and Miranda to Ferdinand's father, Alonso, and their betrothal is arranged. Finally, Stephano, Trinculo, and Caliban are brought before the royal company. Prospero tells Stephano that he knows of the plans for Stephano to be king of the island, and the three are recognized as missing servants.
In the end, Prospero regains his dukedom, Alonso retains his kingdom, and the plans of Sebastian and Stephano are repressed. Prospero releases Ariel from bondage, and the humans sail home to Naples.
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