The Tempest Reference to the context: Act 1 Scene 2 page 28 line 9 to 21 (Prospero’s speech) PROSPERO: My brother and thy uncle, called Antonio— I pray thee mark me, that a brother should Be so perfidious so perfidious —he whom next thyself Of all the world I loved, and to him put The manage of my state; as at that Time Through all the signories it was the first, And Prospero the prime duke, being so reputed In dignity, and for the liberal arts Without a parallel; those being all my study, The government I cast upon my brother, And to my state grew stranger, being transported And rapt in secret studies. Thy false uncle— Dost thou attend me?
Explanation: Q. Why did Prospero trust his brother and what did he ask him to do? Ans. He loved his brother ‘like a parent’ and trusted him. His confidence in him had no limit. He loved him more than anyone else in the world. Prospero was Duke of Milan and he asked his brother Antonio to manage the affairs of his city. Prospero was the best duke and he administered his city in the best manner. He was respectful and dignified. Q. Why did Prospero ask Antonio to manage the affairs of his dukedom? Ans. Prospero Prospero was a keen learner. He was interested in liberal arts and he excelled in it. His concentrated concentrated on his studies and asked his brother to run the government of his city. He had blind faith in his brother. He was satisfied and did not take interest in administration of his dukedom. He had a library of books and learned magic. Q. What did Antonio do after he had controlled the government? Ans. He proved himself ‘profidious’ or treacherous. He deceived his brother and thought of a plan to replace him. He planned to send him to a remote island. He did so successfully and after reaching there Prospero busied himself in studying and practising magic. He proved himself a trickster and conspirator.
The Tempest Reference to the context: Act 1 Scene 2 page 29 line 1 to 17 (Prospero) PROSPERO: I pray thee mark me. I, thus neglecting worldly ends, all dedicated To closeness and the bettering of my mind With that which, but by being so retired, O'er prized all popular rate, in my false brother Awakened an evil nature; and my trust, Like a good parent, did beget of him A falsehood, in its contrary as great As my trust was, which had indeed no limit, A confidence sans bound. He being thus lorded, Not only with what my revenue yielded, But what my power might else exact, like one Who having into truth, by telling of it, Made such a sinner of his memory To credit his own lie, he did believe He was indeed the duke; out o'th’ substitution, And executing the outward face of royalty With all prerogative; hence his ambition growing— Dost thou hear?
Explanation Q. What did Antonio do when Prospero stopped taking interest in his state? Ans. Prospero told Miranda that when he secluded himself from the worldly affairs and devoted himself in the improvement of his knowledge. He did not take interest in managing the state and his brother Antonio usurped his position, title and wealth. He trusted Antonio like a parent but he proved himself malevolent and treacherous. Q. What did Antonio do after taking control of the state? Ans. Antonio completely replaced his brother Prospero. He usurped not only his powers but his finances as well. He ultimately became Duke of Milan, the royal figure and possessed all rights and privileges that a duke could get. Due to his ambition and vicious nature he thought of killing his brother and his three years old daughter, Miranda.
The Tempest Reference to the context: Act 1 Scene two page 38/39 line 1 to 33, page 39 line 1 to5 (Caliban, Prospero, Miranda) 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 and 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! 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‘th’ 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. MIRANDADA : Abhorrèd 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 endowed 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! PROSPERO: Hag-seed, hence! Fetch us in fuel, and be quick, thou'rt best, To answer other business.—Shrug'st thou, malice? If thou neglect'st or dost unwillingly What I command, I'll rack thee with old cramps, Fill all thy bones with aches, make thee roar, That beasts shall tremble at thy din. 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!
[Exit Caliban]
Explanation: Q. Who was Caliban? What did he say to Prospero? Ans. Caliban was a deformed creature; he was half human and half beast. He claimed that he was the owner of the island after the death of his mother, Sycorax because no one else lived there. When Prospero reached the island, he made Caliban his slave due his powerful magic and ruled the island.
Caliban said that at first he used to pat him, gave him water with berries in it and told him about the moon and the sun and he also loved him. Caliban showed him the treasures of the island like the fresh wataer springs, salt water pits, fertile land and the desert. Caliban was angry with him for turning him into a slave. He cursed Prospero and said that all things of the black magic of his mother, Sycorax must fall on him including toads, beetles, bats etc. He further said that he had enjoyed freedom on the island and he was the king but the new magician had imprisoned him to the hard rock and he himself had taken the rest of the island. Q. What did Prospero remind Caliban after he had cursed Prospero? Ans. Prospero said that he was a liar and he did not deserve to be treated kindly rather he deserved beatings. Prospero said that he had treated him like a human being and took care of him and let him live in the cell where he lived with his daughter. It continued till one day he tried to rape his daughter. Q. What did Caliban say after he heard about his attempt to molest Miranda? Ans. Caliban said to Prospero outrageously that he wished he could have ravished Miranda but he stopped him otherwise he would have populated the island with his generations of Calibans. Q. How did Miranda express her hatred when Caliban expressed his wish? Ans. She called him a disgusting slave who can never be good natured. He is devilish, monstrous and ill natured.
She said that she took pity on him and taught him a new thing each hour. He talked gibberish and meaningless words. She taught him how to express himself. He leant all that and due to his evil nature no one could tolerate his company. He was confined to a rock due to his evil nature and such an abominable creature deserved even more severe punishment than that.
The Tempest Reference to the context: Act 2 Scene 1 page 54 line 3 to 27 (Antonio. Sebastian)
Q. What did Antonio explain about his garments? Ans. Antonio felt proud of his title Duke of Milan he had usurped by conspiring against his brother Prospero. He was dressed up like a duke. His garments indicated his royal dignified status. He was elated. The persons who were once loyal to Prospero were loyal to him then. He had subjugated everyone in order to rule the dukedom.
ANTONIO: True; And look how well my garments sit upon me, Much feater than before. My brother's servants Were then my fellows; now they are my men. SEBASIAN: But for your conscience? ANTONIO: Ay, sir, where lies that? If ’twere a kibe, ’Twould put me to my slipper, but I feel not This deity in my bosom. Twenty consciences That stand ’twixt me and Milan, candied be they
And melt ere they molest! Here lies your brother, No better than the earth he lies upon If he were that which now he's like—that's dead; Whom I with this obedient steel, three inches of it, Can lay to bed for ever; whiles you, doing thus, To the perpetual wink of aye might put This ancient morsel, this Sir Prudence, who Should not upbraid our course. For all the rest, They'll take suggestion as a cat laps milk; They'll tell the clock to any business that We say befits the hour. SEBASTIAN: Thy case, dear friend, Shall be my precedent: as thou got'st Milan, I'll come by Naples. Draw thy sword—one stroke Shall free thee from the tribute which thou payest,
And I the King shall love thee.
Q. What did Antonio explain when Sebastian asked him about the prick of his conscience? Ans. Antonio had instigated Sebastian to kill his brother Alonso in his sleep so that he could become King of Naples. Sebastian wanted to know what would happen to his conscience if he would do that. Antonio wanted to know where did conscience lie? Was it a sore on the heel? He would force him to wear a slipper. He did not feel that deity or conscience in his bosom. If there were twenty consciences standing between him and the throne of Milan, he would wish them all to soften and melt rather than interfere with his purpose. Q. What was the plan of Antonio? Ans. Antonio volunteered to murder Alonso who lay asleep like a dead body on the dead earth. He offered to stab Alonso with his sword. Three inches wide blade of his sword would be enough to kill him. He asked Sebastian to kill the sleeping old lord Gonzalo. He would lie dead and would not be able to criticize or accuse them for what they had done. Antonio called Gonzalo ‘ancient morsel’ meaning an old piece of meat and ‘Sir Prudence’ meaning a person who considered himself wise and advised everyone. It was necessary to kill Gonzalo so that he would not scold them for murdering Alonso. The other lords Adrian, Franciso and the rest would not be killed for they would obey them easily as a cat drinks milk.
Q. What did Sebastian say after he had heard the plan of Antonio? Ans. He agreed with Antonio. Sebastian said that as Antonio had become Duke of Milan after exiling his brother, he would become King of Naples after killing his brother.
He suggested that they would draw their swords and kill them. When Alonso would be killed, Antonio would not have to pay tribute to him any more and Sebastian as a king would love Antonio.
The Tempest Reference to the context: Act 3 Scene 3 page 73 line 10 to 33, page 74 line 1 to 6 (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 and Antonio draw their swords] You fools! I and my fellows Are ministers of Fate. The elements, Of whom your swords are tempered, may as well Wound the loud winds, or with bemocked-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, Your swords are now too massy for your strengths And will not be uplifted. [Alonso, Sebastian, and Antonio stand bewildered] But remember,
Q. Who For that's my business to you, that you three were three men of sin? From Milan did supplant good Prospero; Why did Exposed unto the sea, which hath requit it, Him and his innocent child; for which foul deed, Ariel The powers, delaying, not forgetting, have appear to Incensed the seas and shores, yea, all the creatures, rebuke them and Against your peace. Thee of thy son, Alonso, what did They have bereft, and do pronounce by me he say? Lingering perdition, worse than any death Ans. The Can be at once, shall step by step attend three men You and your ways; whose wraths to guard you from— of sin were Alonso, Which here in this most desolate isle else falls Antonio Upon your heads—is nothing but heart's sorrow And a clear life ensuing. and Sebastian. [He vanishes in thunder; then, to soft music, enter the shapes again, and dance with Alonso was mocks and mows , and carrying out the table] King of Naples, Antonio was the brother of Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan. Antonio had usurped the title and dukedom of Prospero. Sebastian was the brother of Alonso who had planned to kill his brother in order to become King of Naples. Prospero had arranged a banquet through Ariel and other spirits for Alonso, Antonio and Sebastian. As soon as they got ready to eat the food, Ariel appeared in the guise of a harpy, half bird and half woman. He said those words to the three men and called them ‘three men of sin’. Ariel told them that Destiny which controlled the earth and everything in it, had caused the never-satisfied sea to throw you up on the isolated island where no one lived. They were the worst person who did not
deserve to live on the earth so he had made them crazy. They had insane courage as compared to true heroism and with such courage they could kill themselves either by hanging or drowning. Q. What did Ariel say when Alonso, Sebastian and Antonio drew their swords? Ans. Ariel said that they were fools because Ariel and his fellows were ministers of fate. They were trying to kill the spirits with their swords of whatever material these were made of. They could stab the loud winds or with stabs to be laughed at, could kill the still closing waters but they could not harm him.
In fact their swords could not damage a feather in his wings. His fellow spirits were also immune from their attack. They might be able to hurt but their swords were too heavy for their strengths and could not be lifted up by them. Q. What did Ariel tell the three men of them when they failed to kill the spirits? Ans. He said that they had taken the throne of Prospero who was Duke of Milan. They exposed him and his innocent daughter to the sea. For that evil deed, the Powers delaying not forgetting, had angered the seas and shores and turned all the creatures against their peace of mind. They had taken Alonso’s son away from him as punishment. Their would be a prolonged suffering for them that would be worse than any death and that would come at once, would follow them and their ways step by step.
To protect you from anger which would otherwise fall upon your head in this deserted island, there is no remedy but heart felt sorrow and a will to live a life of morality afterwards.
The Tempest Reference to the context: Act 4 Scene 1 page 80 line 25 to 33, page 81 page 81 line 1 to 9 (Prospero’s speech) PROSP: You do look, my son, in a moved sort, As if you were dismayed. Be cheerful, sir. 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-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces, The solemn temples, the great globe itself, Yea, 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. Sir, I am vexed. Bear with my weakness. My brain is troubled. Be not disturbed with my infirmity. If you be pleased, retire into my cell And there repose. A turn or two I'll walk To still my beating mind.
Q. Why did Prospero want to arrange the masque? Ans. These lines are spoken by Prospero to Ferdinand in the play The Tempest written by William Shakespeare.
Prospero allowed Ferdinand to marry Miranda but if Ferdinand could not wait till marriage masque was performed, their union would be cursed. The purpose of the masque was entertainment and blessing. Prospero called upon Ariel, an airy spirit to organize a marriage masque for the entertainment of Ferdinand and Miranda. The masque was the last manifestation of Prospero’s magic. Juno, Ceres and Iris were the goddesses. Their role was performed by Prospero’s magical spirits. They blessed the couple. Prospero had sanctified the marriage through rituals. Q. What did Prospero explain after the spirits had disappeared? Ans. The masque was a visual world and not a real world. Prospero told baffled Ferdinand that the magical show had come to an end and he should be cheerful. The actors of the masque were not human beings. They were spirits and fairies who had vanished into the air.
What Prospero explained to Ferdinand was highly philosophical. Prospero compared the end of the real world with human life which would pass into nothingness. Everything in the real world like the high buildings, magnificent palaces, the holy temples and the earth and all of its belongings would perish without leaving a clue behind just like the immaterial pageant which had vanished all of a sudden. The existence of human beings was as unreal as dreams. They would die that was an eternal sleep. Q. What did Prospero explain when he got upset? Ans. Ariel had told Prospero about the plan of Caliban to murder him with his companions Stephano and Trinculo. The courtiers survived in the shipwreck and reached the island safely and involved themselves in the conspiracy against Prospero. Prospero was upset that the man who was treated so nicely had made a plan to kill him. Prospero recalled they would come any moment so his magical show came to an end suddenly. Ferdinand was surprised to see Prospero so angry. Miranda told Ferdinand that she had never seen her father so angry.
The Tempest Reference to the context: Act 5 Scene 1 page 92 line 4 to 22 (Gonzalo, Alonso) GONZALO: I have inly wept, Or should have spoke ere this. Look down, you gods, And on this couple drop a blessèd crown! For it is you that have chalked forth the way Which brought us hither. ALONSO: I say amen, Gonzalo! GONZALO: Was Milan thrust from Milan, that his issue Should become kings of Naples? O rejoice Beyond a common joy! And set it down With gold on lasting pillars: in one voyage Did Claribel her husband find at Tunis, And Ferdinand, her brother, found a wife Where he himself was lost; Prospero his dukedom In a poor isle; and all of ourselves, When no man was his own 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! [Re-enter Ariel, with the Master and Boatswain amazedly following] O look, sir, look, sir! Here is more of us! I prophesied if a gallows were on land This fellow could not drown. [to the Boatswain] Now, blasphemy, That swear'st grace o'erboard: not an oath on shore? Hast thou no mouth by land? What is the news?
Q. When did Gonzalo meet Prospero after shipwreck? Ans. Gonzalo, the councillor of Alonso, King of Naples was sincere and helpful to Prospero. He also suffered imprisonment with Alonso and his companions. Ariel told Prospero how much ‘good old lord Gonzalo had been crying and if he beheld them his affections would become tender’. On hearing that Prospero ordered Ariel to release them, he would finish his magic on them and they would become normal again. Q. What did Gonzalo say to Prospero when he met him? What did he pray? Ans. When all the prisoners of Prospero had come back to their normal senses, they were forgiven for their wrongdoings after suffering for some time. Gonzalo had been crying bitterly during that period of affliction. They got a new life and the sight of meeting everyone alive on the island was unbelievable for the royal passengers of the ship after the incident of shipwreck.
When Gonzalo saw Ferdinand and Miranda together, he was so excited that he had wept inside his heart. He prayed to gods to bless the happy couple with a garland. Q. How did Gonzalo express his feelings when he was excited and extremely happy? Ans. He wondered if Duke of Milan was thrown out of Milan for his daughter who would become the princess of Naples after getting married to Ferdinand, son of King of Naples. That was the occasion of inexpressible joy and it should be inscribed on the lasting pillars with gold. In one voyage the daughter of Alonso, Claribel got married at Tunis and his son Ferdinand found a wife on the island where he was lost. Prospero found his dukedom back and all royal passengers had found their normal selves back. Q. What did Prospero say in response to what Gonzalo had said? Ans. Prospero said to Gonzalo to give him hands and let grief and sorrow still embrace the heart of him who did not wish him joy. Q. What was the reaction of Gonzalo when he saw the captain of the boat and boatswain? Ans. He asked Prospero to look at them. He was amazed to see boatswain and recalled what he prophsied about him. If a gallows were on the land, that fellow could not drown. Then he talked to boatswain that by swearing he had driven away mercy from the ship. He asked him if he had forgotten swearing on the land and if he had any speech to be made on the land.
He asked him about the latest news. Boatswain had found the king and companions safe and he had found the ship safe which was wrecked only three hours ago.
