The Tempest: Plot Summary (OCR A Level English Literature)
Revision Note
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:
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.
Examiner Tip
Exam Tip
There is not an expectation that you learn dozens of quotations by heart. Although examiners do reward the use of memorised words or lines in your essay, you are also rewarded for reference to the play’s dramatic, structural and linguistic techniques. In other words, the term “evidence” is not limited to quotations. The mark scheme rewards your ability to mention audience responses at various points of the play and how these convey thematic ideas. These are called “textual references”, and do not have to include direct quotations, but, for the highest marks, must be “precise”. A good example of a precise textual reference would be: “In Act I, Scene I, Shakespeare sets up the theme of magic as Prospero and Ariel cast spells on the other characters”. In order to make these precise textual references, therefore, it is vital that you know the plot inside out.
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
Examiner Tip
Examiners want to see that you can contextualise the events in the plot looking at scenes with a wider lens and in the context of the whole play. If you know what comes before and after a scene, you can better explain its wider significance and what important developments have happened, or will happen. Therefore, alongside knowing the plot accurately, it is just as important to revise what order things happen in, especially in a romantic comedy like The Tempest, in which an array of confusing events take place one after the other.
It is crucial to analyse structure, in order to see how Shakespeare contrasts scenes and creates tension and conveys ideas across the plot.
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
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