Scene by Scene Questions:

Prescribed Text: The Tempest by William Shakespeare

The Tempest

The Tempest explores many multidimensional discoveries through the

disruption of order represented in the play. The Tempest depicts both
unexpected and planned discoveries that have been realised through the use
of magic. The audience is encouraged to suspend their disbelief and
immerse themselves in the transformation of characters to broaden their own
understanding of discoveries and to speculate about their own experiences
resulting in a deepened understanding of themselves and their world including
the creation of varied and new values.

Act 1 scene 1

Discoveries can be sudden and awaken new possibilities

The disruption of social order is first represented in the orientation of the play
as the members of the royal court are challenged by the ship’s crew when
they encounter a tempest.

1. Where does Scene 1 take place?

2. Relationships and the representation of power are explored throughout
the play. How does the Boatswain challenge the authority of the king
and the courtiers?
3. Predict the fate of the occupants of the ship.
4. What do the characters discover about themselves, their world and
others in this scene?
5. What does Shakespeare want the audience to discover in this scene?

Act 1 scene 2 – power, control, colonisation, usurpation, love

Shakespeare continues to challenge the role of authority through the

disruption of the natural order as the royal court is ship wrecked. Prospero’s
art (magic) is prominent and he enlightens the audience of his past through
regaling his story to his daughter Miranda of his usurpation and loss of control
over Milan. This allows for the forward story to continue as the audience
becomes aware of Prospero’s plan of revenge through his dealings with
Ferdinand.
Shakespeare reveals a parallel plot of usurpation as Prospero tricks Caliban
into being his slave and takes control of Ariel. Shakespeare explores the
impact of colonisation through the characters pursuit to gain control and
power in their perspective situations. And finally, Shakespeare explores the
discovery of love and its impact on individuals as well as the role and
expectation of women in Elizabethan society.
 1. How is Miranda’s responsiveness to the suffering of others revealed?
What does this emotional response reveal to the audience about her
character?
2. The audience and Miranda become aware of Prospero’s past
concurrently? How do we know it is an unhappy event? What do we
learn?
3. Prospero’s story is one of usurpation. What point is being made here
about power and how it should be exercised?
4. Prospero’s brother Antonio deceived and usurped Prospero. Analyse
Prospero’s language when he describes his brother. How does this
position the audience with the events and characters?
5. Prospero makes reference to Antonio’s ambition and his own ambition
with his study. What do the audience and Miranda learn about ambition
and its consequences?
6. The audience progressively discovers that Prospero is a man of his
magic and power. How does Ariel become Prospero’s
servant? Describe the relationship between Ariel and Prospero?
7. Shakespeare explores parallel plot points with Prospero being usurped
by his brother and Prospero’s usurping of the native Caliban. How
does Prospero maintain his control and power over Caliban?
8. How has Shakespeare depicted Caliban? What does the audience
discover about colonisation for the natives and the colonisers?
9. Ferdinand is grieving the loss of his father and he now believes he is
the King of Naples. Ariel is singing two songs, what is the impact of the
songs on Ferdinand?
10. Ferdinand and Miranda meet for the first time. How does their reaction
to each other fit Prospero’s plan?
11. The audience first becomes aware of the treatment of women in the
Elizabethan context with Prospero reference to his wife, ‘thy mother
was a piece of virtue,’ and Prospero questioning Miranda of her
understanding of the events, ‘Dost thou attend me?- . Ferdinand then
enquires, ‘O, if a virgin, / And your affection not gone forth, I’ll make
you / The Queen of Naples’ What is the expectation of women and how
are they treated?
12. Prospero does not want the love match to happen so easily and he
applies restrictions on Ferdinand. How does Ferdinand react to this?
How does Ferdinand and Miranda’s speech suggest that the power of
love conquers all?

Act 2 scene 1 – power and control, usurpation, social class

The shipwrecked courtiers are located on a remote part of the island. The
entourage is divided into two groups; the first group is supportive of Alonso in
his grief while Sebastian and Antonio are less supportive and mock
individuals. Shakespeare explores the interactions between the two groups
using a parallel plot of usurpation as Antonio and Sebastian plan to kill the
King of Milan, Alonso and his servants.

1. The audience is already aware of Gonzalo’s support toward Prospero

when he was usurped. How is he also supportive of the people he
serves in the beginning of this scene? What does this reveal about his
character?
2. Sebastian and Antonio team up to mock Gonzalo. How and why do
they do this? Use quotes and techniques to support your response.
3. Why is Gonzalo amazed at their garments?
4. How is Alonso’s loss and grief concerning his children represented?
5. Sebastian reveals his malice with barely hidden racism in his criticism
of Alonso’s choice to marry Claribel to the King of Tunis. How does
Sebastian further hurt Alonso’s feelings in this speech?
6. Sebastian and Antonio’s malevolence is juxtaposed against Gonzalo’s
goodwill and support. What is Gonzalo’s utopia and how does his
description display his humanity?
7. What effect does Ariel’s music have on the group?
8. How does Antonio use imagery to suggest to Sebastian that he could
be King of Naples?
9. What is Sebastian’s initial reaction to this request?
10. How does Antonio convince Sebastian to go along with his plan?
11. Antonio culminates his convincing with “‘ ….And let Sebastian
wake.’”. What is the meaning of this? Who else does Antonio decide
they should kill and why?
12. Antonio symbolically refers to his clothing ‘And look how well my
garments sit upon me,’ to show his content in his position as the Duke
of Milan. How does Antonio value his position and the power he gains
from it?
13. How does Prospero control the ending of this scene?
14. What does the audience discover about humanity and individual’s
pursuit to gain power and control?

Act 2 scene 2 - power and control, colonisation, oppression and

freedom
Caliban’s meeting with Stephano and Trinculo further illustrates the rigid
social class system and individual’s perception of hierarchy and privilege in
society. Caliban’s inferiority is noted as is his desire for a better life and his
freedom from oppression. Ironically, he switches his allegiance from one
controlling master to another who also has ill intentions.

1. The Tempest explores the harsh treatment of colonisers on native

inhabitants and the rigid class system present in Europe and
 Elizabethan England. How does Shakespeare reveal Prospero’s
inferior treatment of Caliban?
2. How and why does Prospero control Caliban?
3. Trinculo and Stephano are a jester and butler respectively. What are
their first thoughts when they discover Caliban? How does this further
reinforce Prospero’s treatment of Caliban as being acceptable in this
time period?
4. How does Shakespeare humorously represent this meeting?
5. What does Caliban first think of when he encounters Trinculo and
Stephano?
6. Quote the derogatory language used by Trinculo and Stephano to
describe Caliban?
7. Caliban realises that the pair are not sprites ‘That’s a brave god, and
bears celestial liquor. I will kneel to him’ and ‘ I’ll swear upon that bottle
to be a true subject, for the / liquor is not earthly.’ How is this allegiance
reflective of Caliban’s allegiance to Prospero?
8. Caliban goes from being a servant of Prospero to being a servant of
servants. What does he promise he will do for his new masters?

Act 3 scene 1 – love

Miranda and Ferdinand confess their love to each other. Social status and
expectation is overturned with Ferdinand completing manual labour and
Miranda asking him to marry her.

1. Ferdinand is forced to undertake manual labour. How is contrast used

to show that Ferdinand is accepting of his work as thoughts of Miranda
make it enjoyable?
2. Miranda pleads with Ferdinand to have a break. He replies ‘I’d rather
crack my sinews, break my back,’ How does this reflect his love for
Miranda?
3. How is Ferdinand’s love for Miranda and belief that she is without equal
revealed?
4. Miranda declares her love for Ferdinand. How does she reveal this?
And what does she reveal about herself in the process?
5. Ferdinand further professes his love for Miranda. How is imagery used
to reveal the depth of his love?
6. Does Miranda’s proposal challenge values of the time period?
7. What is discovered about love and its influence on individuals?

Act 3 scene 2 – usurpation, power and control

Caliban, Stephano and Trinculo are very drunk by this point in the play, and
they provide comic moments that explore the theme of usurpation previously
seen more seriously in Act 2, Scene 1. Stephano’s attempts to behave like a
king provide moments of both parody and satire as Trinculo’s pointed
comments on their intelligence frame the scene. Caliban seeks to further his
own ends through proposing the murder of Prospero, while Ariel creates
trouble as only an invisible sprite can.

1. Which lines show Stephano’s attempt to act like a king?

2. Why do you think Shakespeare may have chosen these actions to
satirically represent what it means to be a king?
3. What do you think are Caliban’s motivations for suggesting Stephano
kill Prospero?
4. What does Shakespeare want the audience to discover about the
nature of power in this scene?
5. How does Shakespeare show that Prospero still has the ultimate power
on the island?

Act 3 scene 3 - usurpation, power and control

Alonso the king and his loyal servant Gonzalo are exhausted and stop to rest.
Antonio and Sebastian take the opportunity to plan the murder of the king that
night. Prospero provides a feast for the weary and hungry men, only to have
Ariel descend as a harpy and reveal the plot to overthrow the king, removing
the feast table before any had the opportunity to partake.

1. What is the effect of the spirits, the music and the magically appearing
table on the exhausted travellers?
2. What was Prospero’s intent in the instructions given to, and followed
by, Ariel?
3. How has Shakespeare depicted Prospero’s power in this scene?
4. Why do you think Shakespeare placed this scene immediately after the
previous scene?
5. What does Shakespeare want the audience to discover about human
nature in this scene?

Act 4 scene 1- love, magic, revenge

Prospero approves of the relationship between Ferdinand and Miranda, he
organises the masque to show the spirits enacting his plans and hopes for the
newly formed couple. The representation of the love match is a precursor to
Prospero’s forgiveness and readiness to move on. Prospero avenges the plot
to kill him by carrying out further torture to the trio of Caliban, Trinculo and
Stephano.

1. Prospero is informing Ferdinand that he approves of his relationship

with Miranda, ‘Have given you here a third of mine own life, /or that for
which I live’ and ‘Thou wast that did preserve me’ (Act 1
 Scene2). What does this reveal about the filial relationship between
Miranda and Prospero?
2. Prospero delivers two warnings to Ferdinand about controlling his lust
before marriage. Quote the warnings. How do these warnings further
enhance the filial relationship and Prospero’s command of the
situation?
3. Prospero organises a masque to bless the union of Ferdinand and
Miranda. Shakespeare uses intertextuality of classical mythology to
reveal his intention with this union. How does Iris, the goddess of the
rainbow and Cere, the goddess of harvest symbolically represent
Prospero’s intentions?
4. How does the absence of Venus and Cupid reinforce Miranda’s and
Ferdinand’s love for each other?
5. Prospero remembers the plot to kill him and he is set to anger. How is
Prospero reflective of human nature in this speech? Is this the
beginning of his contemplation of reconciling all that has passed? Of
Prospero discovering his place in his world?
6. Prospero has decided that he cannot do any more to improve Caliban’s
nature. How is this represented when Prospero hears how Ariel
tortured the group?
7. Stephano and Trinculo are fascinated with the garments. What is
Caliban’s response to their foolery?
8. Prospero has foiled the murder plot and is satisfied, ‘At this hour / Lies
at my mercy all mine enemies’. How has Prospero taken control of the
trio?

Act 5 scene 1 – forgiveness, reconciliation, fate

Prospero has everyone meet near his cave where he reveals his forgiveness
to the people who have wronged him. He reconciles the past, gives Ariel his
freedom and asks the audience for his own freedom so as to move forward.
Gonzalo appeals to fate playing a part in the newly informed understandings
and insights of all characters.

1. Prospero demands Ariel report on the progress of his plans. How does
Ariel’s response soften Prospero’s approach?
2. Prospero indicates, ‘The rarer action is / In virtue, than in vengeance.’
How does this epiphany reveal he has changed and discovered a way
for all to move forward in the world?
3. In the ensuing speech what does Prospero promise he is going to
do? Is this in contrast to his previous actions to gain power and
control?
4. Prospero addresses all the members of the King’s party. How does
Shakespeare manipulate tone in this speech? Consider whom
Prospero is addressing and the language he uses.
5. Ariel imagines what his freedom will entail. What is this? Do you think
he will be the ruler of the island? Why?
6. Alonso realises that it is Prospero. What does Alonso ask for? Is he
granted this wish?
7. Prospero is in control of the situation. How does he address Antonio
and Sebastian? Does he forgive them of their traitorous ways?
8. Alonso informs Prospero of his grief and Prospero says he recently lost
his daughter and leads Alonso to Ferdinand and Miranda. Why does
Alonso say, ‘I / must ask my child for forgiveness!’?
9. How is dramatic irony used in Miranda’s response to the visitors to the
cave?
10. How does Prospero further profess his forgiveness?
11. How does Gonzalo profess his joy of the preceding events? Does he
believe they have all benefited from the events? Would you agree with
Gonzalo?
12. The Boatswain and the trio are all ushered to the cave by Ariel. All is
resolved and Prospero promises to regale the story and everyone will
return to Naples in the morning. Prospero concludes this positive
speech with, ‘ where / Every third thought shall be my grave.’ What
does Shakespeare mean by this?
13. Summarise the epilogue. Why does Prospero ask the audience for
forgiveness?
14. What has Prospero discovered about interacting with others and the
world around him?
15. What does the audience discover about the other characters in the
denouement of the play?