At last, Prospero renounces the anger and resentment that marked his tone throughout the play, especially in scene 2 of the first act. Bates, Rheanna. Millions of books are just a click away on BN.com and through our FREE NOOK reading apps. The Question and Answer section for The Tempest is a great As for Antonio and Sebastian, they are not satisfactorily redeemed by the end of the play, and Prospero's forgiveness, though openly and freely declared at first, is almost rescinded when he finally addresses the pair. I'm not anactor but I might consider that stage makeup is a part of the actor's personality or alter ego when they are performing hence it is very personal. Sycorax, the witch whom Prospero takes every opportunity to disparage but whom he resembles in his use of force, manipulative use of his magic, and past history, is actually based upon Ovid's portrayal of Medea; and, the relation between Prospero and Sycorax/Medea becomes more apparent in Prospero's speech, based upon the words of Medea. Nevertheless, it remains disconcerting that the sense of a new beginning that arises at the end of the play should be tinged with dishonesty. Ariel, who projects delicacy and eagerness in all that he does, is a spirit of the air. Even more foreboding is Miranda’s accusation that Ferdinand has cheated: “Sweet lord, you play me false” (V.i.). Miranda and Ferdinand’s engagement may help bring an end to the conflict of the previous generation, but a disagreement that arises during their game of chess in the final act suggests that new conflicts may hover on the horizon. Their attempt is foiled by Ariel. The Tempest ends with a general sense of resolution and hope. Chess is a game about regicide, meaning the assassination of a king. Although Prospero does finally accept Caliban, he also still regards Caliban as being "as disproportioned in his manners as in his shape"; Prospero upholds his civilized superiority over this native, though to acknowledge Caliban and to also dislike his ways of being are completely contradictory views. At the play's end, everyone is ready to head back to Naples, where Miranda and Ferdinand will get hitched before old Prospero retires to Milan. A major theme running through the entire work is forgiveness versus vengeance; Prospero causes the tempest out of a wish for revenge, but by the end of the work, he decides to forgive the crimes against him, fabricated or otherwise. Medea and Sycorax represent a dark side of magic that is also present in Prospero; Prospero uses his magic for devious, selfish, and questionable purposes, and with him, it is difficult to separate the good-intentioned magic he uses from the bad. The The Tempest quotes below are all either spoken by Sebastian or refer to Sebastian. Caliban apologizes to Prospero for taking the foolish Stephano as his master, and Prospero, at last, acknowledges Caliban, and takes him as his own. His previously conciliatory tone turns threatening, as he says he could "justify them traitors" if he wished to do so (V.i.128). After four acts in which Prospero uses magic to split up, disorient, and psychologically torture his enemies, in the final act he lures everyone to the same spot on the island and forgives Alonso and Antonio for their betrayal twelve years prior. After despairing that his son is dead, Alonso finds out that his son Ferdinand is indeed alive, and the two are reunited; then, Ferdinand and Miranda's engagement is announced, and is approved before the whole party by Alonso and Prospero. First of all, the very fact that they are playing chess may bode ill. Ariel reports that he has confined them, spellbound, in a grove of trees. It's unclear whether Prospero's comment about Caliban suggests that he sees him as his property, or that he takes some responsibility for what has happened to Caliban. These "ringlets" that he is referring to are fairy rings, or small circles of sour grass caused by the roots of toadstools; according to folk tales, these rings were made by fairies dancing. By William Shakespeare. Previous Next . Prospero, with his somewhat sinister studies in magic and strange powers, is a figure reminiscent of an alchemist as well, though his experiments are more involved with human nature than metallurgy. The remark could have been spurred purely by the briefly worded reunion of Alonso and his son Ferdinand; however, coming so soon after Sebastian's less-than-exuberant remark, and with so little buildup, it is unlikely that Miranda's remark can be construed in a purely positive way. Alonso expresses complete penitence, asking Prospero to "pardon me my wrongs"; and he achieves some sort of reconciliation with Prospero, through his willingness to cooperate with Prospero's wishes of reconciliation. With the major conflict between Prospero and Alonso resolved, Prospero breaks his staff and gives up magic in preparation for his return to Milan. What do you think she means by this statement. Alonso and Prospero are reconciled after Alonso declares his remorse and repents his wrongs to Prospero and Miranda, and Prospero finally wins back his dukedom from Antonio. Prospero's first words suggest an alchemic metaphor; the words "gather to a head" denote things coming to a climax, but also liquid coming to a boil, and Prospero's "project" is a kind of scientific experiment as well. Suddenly appearing "midnight mushrooms," as Prospero calls them, were thought to be another sign of fairies' overnight activities. Prospero is finally aligned with Medea, a representation of dark magic, like Sycorax, in this act, further complicating his characterization. Shakespeare's comedies might be considered to have "happy endings"; but, the conclusions of these plays, even more so than with tragedies like Hamlet, are rarely simple in their implications, or harmonized in their meaning and tone. Allusions to classical literature also appear in this act, but this time to Ovid rather than Virgil. He is pretty happy. Cheating in a game is not as serious as political betrayal. Revise and learn about the plot of Shakespeare’s play, The Tempest with BBC Bitesize KS3 English Literature. In the end, the play's concern with political legitimacy is resolved by the disinheritance of the usurper, though it is unresolved in the case of Caliban. SparkNotes is brought to you by Barnes & Noble. Ariel enchants the group to put most of them to sleep: What do Antonio and Sebastian try to do to Gonzalo and Alonso while they are asleep to kill them? resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. Prospero invites everyone to pass one last night in the island at his dwelling, and promises to tell the story of his and Miranda's survival, and of the devices of his magic. Alonso, who thought his son had died in the shipwreck, feels completely renewed when he sees that Ferdinand has, in fact, survived. The circle of forgiveness remains unresolved by the end of the play, but, in a moment of irony, Prospero believes that closure has been reached. As with many of Shakespeare's comedies, with which this play is loosely grouped, the resolution is anything but cut and dry.
what happens to sebastian at the end of the tempest