the-tempest-key-quotations

Key Quotations

The best way to revise quotations is to group them by character, or theme. Below you will find definitions and analysis of the best quotations, arranged by the following themes:

• Power and control

• Magic and illusion

• Loss and betrayal

Power and control

The play centres around the concept of power lost and gained, often due to characters’ ability to seize brief moments during which they have control, or by using their knowledge to overpower others. The Tempest challenges authoritarian power which oppresses and limits the autonomy of others, particularly in the context of invasion.

Meaning and context

• In the first scene, during the storm, the boatswain explains to Alonso that the waves do not obey kings

• This introductory scene presents the more knowledgeable sailors who are ignored by the noblemen and King of Naples, Alonso, which contributes to the shipwreck:

  • The captain and boatswain try to navigate the storm and ask the noblemen to stay below which they refuse to do

Analysis

• Shakespeare introduces the theme of power and control in the exposition:

  • The storm, which symbolises loss of control, foreshadows the play’s themes on the disruption of order 

  • The storm is created by Prospero to wreak havoc and restore his own power by taking away the power of those on the ship

• This scene mocks the arrogance of the noblemen and subverts social order:

  • The sailors deliver orders to the king which is a reversal of roles

  • They explain the limitations of human power and social hierarchy on the sea

Paired Quotations:

Meaning and context

• Prospero tells Miranda, his daughter, that he was the Duke of Milan before they came to the island

• He explains to her that he has used his power to create the storm, but he is justified as he was betrayed by those on the ship

• Later, in the climax of the play, Prospero reflects, in an aside, that he has full control over the other characters 

Analysis

• The third person reference to himself (as he tells Miranda of his former title) is dramatic:

  • Prospero’s self-importance is mocked when Miranda asks him, in reply, if he is not her father

  • This also conveys the theme of power to the audience, presenting leaders as human (simply perceived as fathers to their children)

• The alliteration of “Prince” and “Power” highlights ideas regarding human control within social constructs:

  • The line is dramatic, speaking again to the value Prospero attributes to titles

• In the climax of the play, Prospero reflects on the consequences of his manipulative actions:

  • He is pleased that he has restored his sense of power now that he controls all events on the island

  • He describes how his “high charms” afford him this power

  • He speaks in a self-congratulatory manner

• The imagery of “knit” alludes to the web of deceit he has created:

  • He describes his enemies as tangled up in distractions, which has allowed him to control them 

Meaning and context 

• Here, Prospero explains to Miranda that upon his arrival on the island, his library represented a new sense of personal control

• This line connects Prospero’s power to the knowledge gained from his library

• Later in this scene he repeats his love for books and that he values them more than his dukedom

Analysis

• Prospero’s metaphor, that his library affords him a sense of power, illustrates the play’s themes regarding control gained by knowledge

• His repetition that he values his books more than his title contrasts with his actions, making this line ironic:

  • Questions are raised as to the way Prospero uses the knowledge gained through his books to regain his title and wreak revenge on those who took it 

Paired Quotations:

Meaning and context

• In this scene, Caliban expresses frustration that Prospero has taken control of the island

• He tells Prospero that he is the only subject in his “kingdom” as nobody else lives on the island

• He reminds Prospero that he was once “king” of the island

• Later in the play, Gonzalo describes how he would rule if he was in power:

  • He lists a range of things he would declare as worthless, such as the power of authority to control men

Analysis

• Caliban uses language which presents him as able to communicate on an equal level to Prospero:

  • The metaphor of a kingdom describes social hierarchies which are foreign to the culture of the island

  • In this way he is able to use a semantic field which Prospero understands

  • This presents him as intelligent and powerless, purely due to Prospero’s oppressive control

• Gonzalo’s character contributes to the theme of power and control in the play:

  • He describes a Utopian society without authority or ranking

  • In this way he raises questions about social order and authoritarian control 

Magic and illusion

Shakespearean comedies, such as The Tempest, revolve around thwarted plans and romantic dilemmas, raising questions, via trickery and illusion, about what is real and what is false. Comedies, however, resolve these problems by the end with a wedding or marriage. The Tempest ends with marriage too. As well as this, in the final scene, Prospero pleads to the audience to release him from a spell so as to resolve any illusions witnessed in the play. 

Paired Quotations:

Meaning and context

• Prospero tells Miranda he has full control over his magic, which he calls his “art”:

  • He says he can ensure nobody on the ship was harmed in the storm

• Later in the scene, Caliban refers to Prospero’s magic as so powerful that he could enslave the gods Caliban worships (gods of nature)

Analysis

• Shakespeare shows Prospero’s arrogance as he believes he has power to control human life against the power of nature:

  • This is ironic, as later in the play, Prospero realises his power is limited and has consequences 

• He refers to magic as “art”, here and elsewhere in the play:

  • This is indicative of magic as learned knowledge (an art form)

  • His reference to his books and library connects magic to knowledge 

  • Shakespeare often challenges Jacobean attitudes to magic, presenting it as knowledge gained from particular disciplines 

• However, Caliban’s attitude to Prospero’s magic illustrates the dangerous power magic holds:

  • His comparison of Prospero’s power with those of the island gods raises questions about abuse of power, in particular, regarding colonisation 

  • His short sentence highlights his feelings of resignation

Meaning and context

• In this scene Caliban reassures Stephano and Trinculo that the island is full of spirits but they are harmless

• Here, Caliban refers to the mysterious music they hear

• Ariel, the invisible nymph, has created an illusion and sings in order to lure the men

Analysis

• Caliban’s speech is rich in imagery and he speaks in unrhymed iambic pentameter:

  • This in itself conveys the theme of illusion as he is described as a monster and a savage

  • Here, audiences see Caliban’s love of the island and his comfort and familiarity with it

  • The sibilance of “sound” and “sweet airs” contributes to the magical quality of the scene

  • Caliban’s poetic speech presents him as a sensitive and intelligent character: 

• Caliban conveys the theme of illusion and magic positively in this scene which provides light relief

Paired Quotations: