The Tempest: Plot Summary (OCR A Level English Literature)

Plot Summary

Examiners always praise students who clearly know the plot of the texts they are studying, as having this base of knowledge leads to the best exam responses. Below you will find:

• A general overview of the whole play

• Detailed summaries by act

Overview

The Tempest is a romantic comedy written by the playwright William Shakespeare and first performed in 1611, a time during which the global expansion of the British Empire was a topic of much discussion. Shakespeare’s final play highlights aspects of power and control, especially within the context of colonialism. Although the play includes comedic elements such as disguise, tangled romantic plots and a resolution which restores a sense of order through marriage, the play conveys darker, tragic themes. Shakespeare employs dramatic irony to depict the simultaneous responses of characters within a claustrophobic and unfamiliar environment. In particular, The Tempest depicts the oppressive control of a flawed ruler who eventually advocates for mercy and forgiveness. The protagonist, Prospero, desperate to redeem his identity and dignity, misuses his magical powers to overpower all the characters. Set on an isolated island, under the watchful eye of the omnipotent Prospero, Shakespeare depicts characters attempting to survive and thrive in a small, repressed community. Nevertheless, The Tempest’s light-hearted presentation of true love, magical spells and supernatural characters bring levity to the play, which concludes that drama, as well as life, is a fleeting illusion. 

Act-By-Act Plot Summary

Act I

• The play begins on board a ship at sea struggling against a storm 

• On the ship, a group of noblemen are returning to Italy after a wedding 

• The boatswain of the ship, attempting to steer the ship to safety, finds it difficult to control the noblemen as they do not obey his instructions

• On an island nearby, the exiled Duke of Milan and his daughter Miranda watch the chaos

• Miranda, concerned for the sailors, asks her father, Prospero, to stop the storm:

  • Audiences are told that Prospero has magical powers 

  • Miranda reveals she thinks her father started the storm himself

• The protagonist of the play, Prospero, tells Miranda why he began the storm:

  • On board the ship is his brother, Antonio, who overthrew him as Duke of Milan 

  • Also on the ship is Alonso, King of Naples, who captured Prospero and Miranda and set them adrift at sea 

  • He explains he wants to wreak revenge on them 

  • He explains that Gonzalo, who is on the ship as well, brought him his books before they were sent away and this enabled him to learn magic

• Prospero puts Miranda to sleep with a magic spell and calls to a spirit, Ariel, his servant

• Ariel asks Prospero if he is happy with the storm they created and tells him the men have landed on shore

• Prospero commands Ariel to carry out more of his tasks and, after some dispute, Prospero agrees to free Ariel when the work is complete 

• Prospero wakes Miranda and takes her to see Caliban, his other slave:

  • Caliban is introduced as angry about his servitude, resentful that Prospero betrayed him and reneged on their former alliance

• Prospero says Caliban cannot be trusted since he tried to seduce Miranda

• Meanwhile, Ariel leads one of the noblemen, Ferdinand, away from shore

• Ferdinand and Miranda meet and fall in love at first sight

• Prospero, wishing to test their love, casts a spell on Ferdinand and locks him in a prison  

Act II

• The scene opens with the noblemen washed up on the island 

• Alonso, Ferdinand’s father, thinks his son, Ferdinand, is lost at sea

• Ariel, invisible to the men, casts a spell to put Alonso and the other men to sleep, except for Antonio and Sebastian

• Antonio suggests to Sebastian that they take this moment to betray Alonso just as they betrayed Prospero years before

• Just as they are about to kill Alonso in his sleep, Ariel wakes him up

• In an elaborate act, full of irony, Sebastian and Antonio pretend their swords are drawn to defend themselves on the island against strangers

• Elsewhere on the island, Caliban meets some of the other shipwrecked men who have made their way onto a different part of the island 

• Trinculo and Stephano are drunk as they had been drinking on the ship before the storm

• They give Caliban some of their alcohol which he has never tasted before:

  • Caliban tells Stephano he believes them to be gods and will be their slave

Act III

• Ferdinand, who is working for Prospero, sees Miranda briefly once a day in exchange for his labour:

  • They express their love and make plans to marry

• However, they are unaware Prospero is watching and overhears them:

  • He tells the audience he has a plan

• In Caliban’s cave, the drunken Stephano and Trinculo joke about Caliban, their new “servant-monster”

• Caliban tells Stephano that Prospero is evil and has cheated him out of his home by making him a slave:

  • Ariel, invisible to them, plays a trick on Trinculo, making him appear to be accusing Caliban of lying

  • At this, Stephano hits Trinculo and sends him away

• Caliban convinces Stephano to kill Prospero so he can make Miranda his wife:

  • Ariel begins to sing and Caliban reassures Stephano that the island is full of spirits and they follow the sound

• Alonso, Sebastian, Antonio and Gonzalo are desperate in their search for Ferdinand

• In secret, Sebastian and Antonio plot to reattempt to kill Alonso

• At a banquet that night, Ariel appears as a spirit and tells the men why they are here, that Prospero remembers their treachery

• Prospero tells Ariel he is pleased and tells the audience he now has full control

Act IV

• Prospero decides to set Ferdinand free and bless his marriage to Miranda:

  • He creates a fantastical vision of spirits who bless their marriage

• Suddenly, in the middle of the wedding blessing, Prospero remembers Caliban’s conspiracy with Stephano 

• He summons Ariel, who reports that Caliban, Stephano and Trinculo are drunk:

  • With this information, Prospero sends Ariel to distract the men with fancy clothing

  • The spirits and Ariel appear and chase Stephano, Trinculo and Caliban away 

Act V

• Prospero, in a passionate soliloquy, reflects on his success, yet reveals his tricks are unsatisfying

• He decides, with Ariel’s counsel, to give up magic and relinquish control

• He sends Ariel to release the men from their spells and bring them to him

• Prospero reveals himself as the former duke of Milan and forgives Alonso

• Antonio hands back the dukedom to Prospero

• Alonso explains that he still mourns the loss of his son, Ferdinand

• Prospero cleverly replies that he also lost his daughter in the storm, and presents the married couple in a mirage, showing Miranda and Ferdinand together 

• Prospero sends Ariel to release Caliban, Stephano and Trinculo and invites the noblemen to spend the night before they return to Milan

• Prospero asks Ariel to do one more task for him, to see them safely to Italy

• The play ends with Prospero’s direct address to the audience, in which he says their applause will set him free