Music & Illusion

Music

Music and songs are present in this play more so than any other Shakespearian work. The music allows the audience to escape to the foreign land.

Ariel suspended

In Act 1, Scene 2, Ferdinand hears music and Ariel’s singing. These bring him comfort: 'The ditty does remember my drown'd father. / This is no mortal business, nor no sound / That the earth owes. I hear it now above me.'
The idea of the music coming from 'above me' suggests that the actor playing Ariel is being suspended from the ceiling of the stage. This increases the excitement for the audience.

Plans revealed

In Act 2, Scene 1, Ariel enters, playing 'solemn music' that makes Gonzalo and King Alonso fall asleep while keeping Sebastian and Antonio awake.
- It is in this scene that their true qualities and worth are revealed.
- But their plot is unsuccessful as Ariel yells 'Awake, awake!' in Gonzalo’s ear.
- Again, Ariel is invisible to the characters on stage. It is only the audience who appreciate Ariel as the one preventing regicide (the killing of the King) from taking place on stage.

Native vs foreigners

In Act 3, Scene 2, Ariel mimics the drunken songs of Caliban, Trinculo and Stephano with his flute and tabor, which scares and unnerves the Europeans.
Caliban is familiar with the magical tunes of Ariel and other sprites because he is a native of the island.
The long vowel sounds within this speech have an almost lyrical quality that links him to the supernatural beings that roam the island.

Singing for freedom

In Act 5, Scene 1, Prospero promises that Ariel’s 'liberty' is soon to come. Ariel sings as he dresses his master for the final time: 'Merrily, merrily shall I live now / Under the blossom that hangs on the bough.'
The repetition of the adverb 'merrily' and the imagery of the 'blossom' indicates the joy Ariel is experiencing because he is soon to join the other free sprites in the natural beauty of the island.

Music and true personalities

Music is closely linked to truth. It allows characters’ true personalities to be revealed.
Music is also interconnected with Ariel. Music adds to the magical quality of both the sprite and the island.

Increasing the entertainment value

Props and backdrops were limited on the Jacobean stage.
So the musical element increases the entertainment value of the play.

Illusion

Shakespeare’s key priority was to engage the audience. He achieved this by creating a theatrical spectacle.

The storm and the harpy

The magical storm opening the play and the harpy in Act 3, Scene 3 use sound effects to build dramatic tension.
- Act 3, Scene 3 is the climax of the play. It opens with Ariel creating the illusion of a banquet to taunt the hungry royal entourage.
He then appears on stage in the form of a harpy, which is a creature from Greek mythology made up of a woman’s head and a bird of prey’s body.
A harpy typically carries out acts of revenge. This is Ariel’s job here, at the climax of Prospero’s plot.

The banquet

On stage, the costume and sound effects in the banquet scene (Act 3, Scene 3) would have used some of the latest stagecraft techniques to make sure it was a memorable scene for the audience.
The 'three men of sin' are reminded of their 'foul deed' in 'supplant[ing] good Prospero'. But unlike the stories from Greek mythology, this harpy does not cause physical harm and instead warns that 'a clear life' must be led from here on if the men are to escape divine (Godly) wrath.

The masque

Act 4, Scene 1 is the most spectacular of all the scenes in The Tempest. A masque is performed on stage.
The three classical goddesses Iris, Ceres and Juno appear on stage in brilliantly flamboyant (extravagant) and colourful costumes
- Iris represents the rainbow and is a messenger between the gods in Heaven and humans on Earth.
- Ceres is associated with fertility.
- Juno is the goddess of marriage and childbirth.

Form of the masque

Together, the trio’s blessings on this 'contract of true love' (between Ferdinand and Miranda) indicates the truth of the young couple’s emotions.
The fact that the masque is written in rhyming couplets makes it stand out against the more naturalistic blank verse used in the rest of the play. Shakespeare clearly wants this scene to stand out.

Dreams

The impermanence of the theatre is likened to the shortness of life as Prospero offers Ferdinand some fatherly advice towards the end of Act 4, Scene 1: 'such stuff / As dreams are made on.'
This also links to the end of the play when the royal party are told that their ship is fine, as if nothing had happened.
- This makes the whole day on the island seem like a 'dream' to the characters.

1Key Words

1.1Key Words

1.1.1Key Words 1

1.1.2Key Words 2

1.1.3Key Words 3

1.1.4Key Words 4

2Context & Overview

2.1Context & Overview

2.1.1Overview

2.1.2Context

3Act 1

3.1Act 1 Analysis

3.1.1Overview

3.1.2Scene 1

3.1.3Scene 2

4Act 2

4.1Act 2 Analysis

4.1.1Overview

4.1.2Scene 1

4.1.3Scene 2

5Act 3

5.1Act 3 Analysis

5.1.1Overview

5.1.2Scene 1

5.1.3Scene 2

5.1.4Scene 3

6Act 4

6.1Act 4 Analysis

6.1.1Overview

6.1.2Scene 1

7Act 5

7.1Act 5 Analysis

7.1.1Overview

7.1.2Scene 1

7.1.3The Epilogue

8Key Characters

8.1Major Characters

8.1.1Prospero

8.1.2Miranda

8.1.3Caliban

8.1.4Ariel

8.1.5Ferdinand

8.1.6Alonso

8.2Minor Characters

8.2.1Antonio

8.2.2Stephano

8.2.3Sebastian

8.2.4Gonzalo

8.2.5Trinculo

9Themes

9.1Major Themes

9.1.1Power

9.1.2Magic

9.1.3Status, Race & Pronouns

9.1.4Comedy

9.1.5Freedom vs Servitude

9.1.6Revenge

10Authorial Method

10.1Authorial Method

10.1.1Genre & Time

10.1.2Music & Illusion

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