Analysis

  • Interrogate Prospero

    In this video Jonathan Slinger talks about how old Prospero is and what might happen to him when he returns to Milan and David Farr, who directed the production in 2012, talks about the theme of reconciliation.

    One of the key questions for this character is:

    Why does Prospero choose to forgive his enemies?


    We’ve started to think about some of the reasons why Prospero forgives his enemies. See if you can complete the grid to make four points that could answer this question. It doesn’t matter if you agree or not, as long as you can back it up! Looking at the following scenes might also help to collect evidence:

    • Act 5 Scene 1: Look at the dialogue between Ariel and Prospero at the start of this scene. How much do you think Prospero is affected by Ariel’s words? Had he already decided to forgive the nobles or does he decide in this moment?
    • Act 5 Scene 1: Explore how Prospero speaks to the nobles and to Caliban. What do his words suggest about how he feels towards each of them? Do you think he is more forgiving to some than others?
    • Act 4 Scene 1: In this scene Prospero’s celebration of his daughter’s betrothal to Ferdinand is interrupted as he remembers that Caliban is plotting against his life. Look at how Miranda and Ferdinand describe his anger and what Prospero says himself. How justified do you think Prospero would be in wanting to destroy Caliban?

    Point

    Prospero believes it is the right thing to forgive rather than to take revenge on his enemies.

    Evidence

    ‘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’ (Prospero, 5:1)

    Explanation

    When Ariel suggests that he would feel sorry for the nobles ‘were I human’, he prompts Prospero to say that he also has sympathy for them. Prospero says that although they have done him harm, his sense of humanity, his ‘nobler reason’, means that he should take the moral high ground and do the right thing in allowing the nobles to go free - providing they are sorry for hurting him.

    Point

    Prospero has achieved what he set out to achieve and has nothing more to gain from punishing his enemies further.

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    Point

    Prospero wants his daughter to be happy in her marriage to Ferdinand.

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    As you explore Prospero’s language, you’ll find even more evidence to back up your case and more arguments for why he does what he does. We have pulled together some advice to help you explore Prospero’s language in the Language Analysis section.

  • Interrogate Miranda

    Miranda is fifteen years old and has led a very unusual life. She left Milan when she was three years old and has only a few distant memories of her time there. She has lived on the island for twelve years with only her father and Caliban for company. Her father has been her tutor and has taught her using the books he has.

    One of the key questions for her is:

    How has growing up on the island affected Miranda?


    We’ve started to think below about some of the ways growing up on the island may have affected Miranda. See if you can complete the grid to make four points that could answer this question. It doesn’t matter if you agree or not, as long as you can back it up! Looking at the following scenes might also help to collect evidence:

    • Act 1 Scene 2: Explore Miranda’s responses to the story her father tells her about how they arrived on the island. What do you think this scene suggests about what she might have lost and gained by growing up on the island?
    • Act 1 Scene 2: This is the only scene that gives us clues about Miranda’s relationship with Caliban. From what Miranda and Caliban say in this scene, what sense do you get of what their relationship might have been before Caliban attacked Miranda? How might that relationship have affected her as she grew up?
    • Act 3 Scene 1: Explore Miranda’s dialogue with Ferdinand. How do you think her words and actions have been influenced by her unusual upbringing? What do you think they suggest about her relationship with her father?

    Point

    Miranda has not seen another woman since she was three years old and so she has no female role models and no one to compare herself with.

    Evidence

    ‘I do not know one of my sex, no woman’s face remember / Save from my glass mine own’ (Miranda, 3:1)

    Explanation

    Miranda has no one to compare herself to and so does not know whether her appearance would be considered normal. Also, because she has no other women around to influence her behaviour, she only knows what her father teaches her about how young ladies should behave.

    Point

    Miranda is very close to her father.

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    Point

    Miranda has not learned how to behave with people and so is quite direct in the way that she talks to people.

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    As you explore Miranda’s language, you’ll find even more evidence to back up your case and more arguments for why she does what she does. Have a look at the Log Scene, Act 3 Scene 1, in Investigate Language to find out more.

  • Interrogate Ariel

    As director Gregory Doran discusses with the actors in this video, there are different possibilities for the relationship between Prospero and Ariel. Ariel may hate Prospero and only serve him because he has to, or Ariel may feel gratitude and loyalty towards Prospero, or something in between. One of the key questions for this character is:

    How does Ariel feel about Prospero?

    We’ve started to think about how Ariel might feel about Prospero below. See if you can complete the grid to make four points that could answer this question. It doesn’t matter if you agree or not, as long as you have evidence! Looking at the following scenes might also help to collect evidence:

    • Act 1 Scene 2: Explore the dialogue between Ariel and Prospero in this scene. Consider how they respond to each other and what this might suggest about their relationship.
    • Act 3 Scene 2: In this scene, Ariel’s interjections seem in support of Prospero. To what extent do you think Ariel acts to protect Prospero, ensure his own freedom, or make fun of the drunkards?
    • Act 5 Scene 1: Look at the dialogue at the start of the scene where Ariel suggests Prospero should forgive the nobles. What do you think Ariel’s lines might suggest about how he feels about Prospero? Notice the few lines Ariel has in the rest of the scene. Do you think these lines suggest he wants praise for his good work or does he want to remind Prospero to set him free? When Ariel is set free, Shakespeare does not give him anything to say. What do you think he might do?

    Point

    Ariel resents the power that Prospero holds over him and just wants to be free.

    Evidence

    ‘Is there more toil? Since thou dost give me pains / Let me remember thee what thou hast promised / Which is not yet performed me’ (Ariel, 1:2)

    Explanation

    Ariel feels that he does everything Prospero asks of him and yet Prospero always asks for more. Prospero promised to grant him his freedom as a reward for creating the storm but now there is more work to do.

    Point

    Ariel seems to value the work that he does with Prospero.

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    Point

    Ariel enjoys the praise he gets from Prospero and wants Prospero to think he has done well.

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    As you explore Ariel’s language, you’ll find even more evidence to back up your case and more arguments for why he does what he does. If you want to find out more, have a look at Act 1 Scene 2 in Key Scenes and Analysing the Imagery and Analysing Prospero and Ariel’s Duologue in Language Analysis.

  • Interrogate Caliban

    Caliban is the only human inhabitant of the island when Prospero and Miranda arrive and yet he is often described in ways that make him seem less than human. These descriptions tell us about Caliban, but they may tell us more about the characters who choose to describe him in the way that they do. Is Caliban a ‘monster’, the sub-human child of a witch and a devil, or is he just different – an outsider to how the Italian nobles and their servants behave? One of the key questions for this character is:

    How human is Caliban?

    We’ve started to think about who Caliban is below. See if you can complete the grid to make four points that could answer this question. It doesn’t matter if you agree or not, as long as you have evidence! Looking at the following scenes might also help to collect evidence:

    • Act 1 Scene 2: Look at how Prospero describes Caliban when he is talking to Ariel and, later in this scene, how he talks to Caliban. It is clear that Prospero’s attitude towards Caliban has changed. Do you think Prospero’s descriptions of Caliban as subhuman are accurate or do you think his changed attitude suggests otherwise?
    • Act 2 Scene 2: Explore how Trinculo and Stephano talk to and about Caliban. What do their words and actions suggest about him?
    • Act 3 Scene 2: In this scene Caliban has two longer speeches, both in verse: one uses violent imagery and the other uses peaceful imagery. What do you think these two speeches suggest about how human Caliban is?

    Point

    Prospero often insults Caliban, calling him names that make him seem sub-human.

    Evidence

    ‘Thou poisonous slave, got by the devil himself / Upon thy wicked dam’ (Prospero, 4:1)

    Explanation

    Prospero believes Caliban is bad because his mother was a witch. He thinks that Caliban’s father was the devil and that because Caliban behaves like a ‘beast’, he does not deserve to be treated any better than a slave.

    Point

    The characters in the play do not see Caliban as one of them and describe him as non-human in various ways.

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    Point

    Although he can be aggressive, Caliban also shows a sensitive side to his nature and appreciates the beauty of the island.

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    As you explore Caliban’s language, you’ll find even more evidence to back up your case and more arguments for why he does what he does. Have a look at The Four-legged Monster, Act 2 Scene 2, and Caliban’s Return, Act 5 Scene 1, in Key Scenes, and Analysing Verse and Prose in Language Analysis.

Teacher Notes

For each of the characters on this page we’ve asked some central questions. These are great questions to explore with students in mind maps, or as class debates.

The following activity will also help you explore the character of Caliban even further with students.

What is Caliban? (2016)

This activity can be found on page 7 and takes approximately 30 minutes.