Slide 1

ANALYSIS OFCHARACTERS IN THE PLAYTHE TEMPEST

PROSPEROProtagonist and father of MirandaHe was the Duke of MilanAntonio, his brother made a conspiracy with the Alonso the king of Naples and forced him to flee in a boat with his daughterThe honest Lord Gonzalo helped him in his escapeHe has spent 12 yrs in a an island with the magic that gives him the power to punish and forgive his enemies

MIRANDAThe daughter of ProsperoMiranda was brought to the island at an early age and has never seen any men other than her father and CalibanShe falls in love with FerdinandShe is compassionate, generous, and loyal to her fatherFrom her very first lines she displays a meek and emotional nature. O, I have suffered / With those that I saw suffer! she says of the shipwreck

ARIELProsperos spirit helperRescued by Prospero from a long imprisonment at the hands of the witch Sycoraxable to travel the length of the island in an instant and to change shapes at will.He carries out virtually every task that Prospero needs accomplished in the play. He is the source of Prospero's magical powers, causing the tempest and many of the conspiracies in the play, and works for Prospero somewhat against his willHe is an intelligent, capable servant, and is finally freed by Prospero for his devoted service

CALIBANProsperos dark, earthy slave, frequently referred to as a monster by the other charactersCaliban is the son of a witch-hag and the only real native of the island Caliban believes that the island rightfully belongs to him and has been stolen by ProsperoHis speech and behavior is sometimes coarse and brutal, as in his drunksometimes eloquent and sensitive, as in his rebukes of Prospero in Act I, scene ii, and in his description of the eerie beauty of the island in Act III

6

FERDINANDSon and heir of AlonsoHe falls in love with Miranda upon first sight and happily submits to serve as a slave in order to win her fathers approvalProspero finally declares him worthy, and the engagement is at last approved by both Prospero and Alonso.

ALONSOKing of Naples and father of FerdinandOne of the conspirator who unseated Prospero from his dukedomHe blames his decision to marry his daughter to the Prince of Tunis on the apparent death of his sonAfter the magical banquet, he regrets his role in the usurping of Prospero

ANTONIOProsperos brotherAntonio quickly demonstrates that he is power-hungry and foolishhe persuades Sebastian to kill the sleeping Alonso He then goes along with Sebastians absurd story about fending off lions when Gonzalo wakes up and catches Antonio and Sebastian with their swords drawn.

SEBASTIANAlonsos brother Like Antonio he is both aggressive and cowardlyHe is easily persuaded to kill his brotherhe initiates the ridiculous story about lions when Gonzalo catches him with his sword drawn.

GONZALOAn old, honest lordGonzalo helped Prospero and Miranda to escape after Antonio conspiracyGonzalo is optimistic, good-tempered, and loyalhe is one of the unquestionably good characters in the play, with no apparent dark side in him

TRINCULOA consistently drunken jokerHe is a servant of Alonso's and brought ashore in the shipwreckHe is a dull fool mostly, not capable of any real action, and providing a good deal of comic reliefTrinculo does become a part of Caliban's plan to murder Prospero and take over the island

STEPHANOTrinculo's friend, a consistently drunken butlersomehow Caliban takes him on as a new master, thinking that he has some magical powersHe agrees to Caliban's plot to make him ruler of the island, and gain him the favors of Mirandalike Trinculo he is not cunning, and is completely incapable of carrying out the plan