The Tempest: Characters (OCR A Level English Literature)
Revision Note
Characters
It is useful to consider each character as representing a function in the play. Understanding Shakespeare’s purpose for each character will help produce sophisticated analysis. Interpreting the play’s ideas by considering how each character may represent an idea or a sub-group in society, and how characters oppose each other or react to each other, is crucial.
Below you will find character profiles of:
Other characters:
Prospero
Prospero is the former and rightful Duke of Milan, betrayed and exiled to the island by his brother Antonio, with the help of Alonso, the King of Naples
Prospero and his daughter, Miranda, were set adrift and swept ashore on the island:
Gonzalo helped Prospero take his books from Milan
With the help of these books, Prospero becomes a powerful sorcerer and takes control of the inhabitants of the island
Prospero is introduced as a bitter character, seeking vengeance
His strong sense of betrayal leads him to control other characters as he chooses:
He locks Caliban in a cave after his attack on Miranda
Prospero puts his daughter to sleep when he wishes to hide something from her
He releases Ariel from a curse and uses this to enslave them
He and Caliban were once close but are now bitter enemies:
Prospero's character can be described as omnipotent:
He is able to listen in on other characters and create visions and illusions
He has a magic garment and staff
Critics argue Prospero represents Shakespeare as a playwright:
In the final speech, Prospero asks the audience to release him from the illusions he creates through the drama
He throws his books in the sea and asks for applause to set him free
Prospero’s development in the play conveys themes of justice and power, particularly in the context of Prospero as a settler and a betrayed duke
Prospero is presented as knowledgeable, yet misguided by a desire for revenge and control
His manipulation of the more vulnerable characters in the play (Miranda, Ferdinand, Ariel and Caliban) make him a flawed protagonist
Nevertheless, in the resolution, Prospero redeems himself, relinquishing control and his magic “art” and reconciling with his enemies:
In this way, Prospero represents mercy and accountability
He admits that it is more difficult but is virtuous to forgive rather than seek vengeance
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Your exam paper will contain an extract that will hold some significance to the play as a whole. Examiners will always award the highest marks to those students who refer to plot and character beyond just the extract. Think of the extract as a springboard to the rest of the play, and take a whole-text approach to writing your essay.
In practice, this means it is very successful to reference other parts of the play that relate to the extract, and even better if they contrast with the ideas or characterisation that Shakespeare is presenting in the chosen extract. So think: does Shakespeare present this character differently in other parts of the play? Do we see any character development? What ideas is he exploring when showing this contrast? You don’t always need to use quotations to show these changes, with the exam board suggesting that “looking at contrasts and parallels in characters and situations at different points in the text” is just as successful.
Miranda
Miranda is Prospero's daughter
As she has been on the island since she was three years old, she knows little of the outside world:
Shakespeare characterises Miranda this way to present her as isolated
Her knowledge is limited, and she is sheltered and controlled by her father
In the exposition audiences see Prospero manipulate his daughter by forcing sleep upon her in order to hide information:
His dialogue to Miranda suggests he is a protective father, yet this is manifested in manipulative control
Through the character of Miranda, The Tempest can be viewed as a conventional comedy:
Caliban’s wish to couple with her so as to “people” the island with their offspring highlights the theme of colonisation
Nevertheless, it is dictated by her father
She and Ferdinand are left on the island with Caliban, suggesting an ambiguous future
Her sexuality creates conflict in the play:
Her father controls and tricks her love interest, Ferdinand, thwarting their relationship
Her marriage in the resolution ends the play positively:
Ariel
Ariel is a nymph or spirit who represents the theme of magic and illusion
In the exposition, audiences are told that Ariel was cursed by the witch, Sycorax (a former settler on the island), and trapped inside a tree
Ariel is indebted to Prospero after he released the spirit from the curse:
Ariel serves Prospero
The first task audiences see Ariel complete for Prospero is the creation of the storm
No other character in the play can see Ariel apart from Prospero
The spirit is not assigned a gender in the play, although productions over time vary their presentation of Ariel as male or female
Ariel is presented as a vulnerable and loyal spirit, a victim of Prospero’s manipulative power:
Prospero promises Ariel that he will release the spirit from servitude once his plans come to fruition
In the resolution, Ariel’s release provides a sense of cathartic restoration of order
Caliban
Caliban, the orphaned son of Sycorax, is left alone on the island with the invisible spirits until Prospero and Miranda arrive
Caliban symbolises a native, an inhabitant of a strange land:
Through his character, Shakespeare explores the idea of knowledge and culture
Caliban, as the exposition explains, was taken in by Prospero and they shared knowledge:
Caliban teaches Prospero about the land and how to survive
Prospero teaches Caliban sophisticated language
Caliban is enslaved and trapped in a cave after he tries to sexually assault Miranda:
Audiences are told he wishes to make Miranda his wife so they can rule the island together
The vicious conflict between Caliban and Prospero forms much of the conflict in the plot:
Prospero and Caliban are presented as worthy adversaries
Their derogatory insults convey their strong hatred of each other
Through the characterisation of Caliban, Shakespeare highlights issues regarding colonisation:
Caliban expresses his sense of oppression and betrayal
He is afraid of Prospero’s power
He plots with Stephano to overthrow Prospero and brutally murder him
Caliban, who is described as a monster and a savage, is presented sympathetically:
The scene is comedic, yet full of pathos, as Caliban becomes drunk and is humiliated
When he immediately swears allegiance to Stephano because of his new experience with alcohol, audiences witness cultural differences at play:
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Consider characters as serving independent functions which drive the themes of the plot. In The Tempest, Shakespeare uses characters to highlight different elements of society, particularly how characters have a huge influence on each other’s emotions throughout the play.
Other characters
Antonio
Antonio is Prospero's younger brother who secretly plotted to overthrow Prospero and take his place as Duke of Milan
Antonio owes a debt to Alonso, King of Naples, for his help in the plot and hopes to be free of this if Sebastian becomes King of Naples in his place
His character represents the theme of betrayal and power:
He is scheming and deceitful
He attempts to kill Alonso while he sleeps
Ferdinand
Ferdinand, son of Alonso, King of Naples, is separated from the others when the ship is wrecked:
This leaves him vulnerable to Prospero and Ariel’s magic
His role in the play is Miranda’s thwarted love interest:
He is led to Miranda and falls in love with her
Prospero decides to test him and sets him to work, denying him access to Miranda other than for brief moments:
His love for her is presented as strong and pure
In the resolution, Ferdinand and Miranda are married:
He represents the man Prospero accepts as his daughter’s husband instead of Caliban
Stephano
Stephano, Alonso’s butler, washes up on the island already in a drunken state
He and his friend, Trinculo, befriend Caliban who makes them feel safer on the strange island:
When Stephano shares his alcohol, Caliban believes he is a god
He enjoys Caliban’s admiration but is aware this is unjust and diminishes Caliban’s dignity
He and Caliban conspire to overthrow Prospero
Boatswain
The boatswain, in charge of the ship, appears in Act I Scene I and in Act V Scene I
He is described as frustrated with the noblemen for ignoring their instructions during the storm
In the resolution, he awakes from a long sleep, unaware of events which have transpired on the island
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