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The Tempest

Chapter 2: Dramatis Personæ

By William Shakespeare

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About This Book

An exiled ruler who lives on a remote island uses magic and an obedient spirit to strand the sailors who wronged him, orchestrating encounters that force recognition, confession, and reconciliation. The ruler’s daughter responds with compassion while a resentful native and two drunken interlopers create darker and comic countercurrents. Courtly figures who survive the wreck confront their mistakes as staged enchantments reveal hidden motives and loyalties. Across five acts the drama examines authority, forgiveness, the ethics of power and colonization, and the porous boundary between illusion and theatrical artifice.

Contents

ACT I

Scene I. On a ship at sea; a tempestuous noise of thunder and lightning heard.

Scene II. The Island. Before the cell of Prospero.

ACT II

Scene I. Another part of the island.

Scene II. Another part of the island.

ACT III

Scene I. Before Prospero’s cell.

Scene II. Another part of the island.

Scene III. Another part of the island.

ACT IV

Scene I. Before Prospero’s cell.

ACT V

Scene I. Before the cell of Prospero.

Dramatis Personæ

ALONSO, King of Naples
SEBASTIAN, his brother
PROSPERO, the right Duke of Milan
ANTONIO, his brother, the usurping Duke of Milan
FERDINAND, Son to the King of Naples
GONZALO, an honest old counsellor
ADRIAN, Lord
FRANCISCO, Lord
CALIBAN, a savage and deformed slave
TRINCULO, a jester
STEPHANO, a drunken butler
MASTER OF A SHIP
BOATSWAIN
MARINERS

MIRANDA, daughter to Prospero

ARIEL, an airy Spirit

IRIS, presented by Spirits
CERES, presented by Spirits
JUNO, presented by Spirits
NYMPHS, presented by Spirits
REAPERS, presented by Spirits

Other Spirits attending on Prospero

SCENE: The sea, with a Ship; afterwards an Island.