11.2.4
Comedy - Quotes
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Quotations Showing Comedy
While most of the comedy in The Tempest come from the lower class characters, there are some moments of comedy from the more refined characters - such as Miranda and Prospero.
Miranda's wit
- Act 1, Scene 2: 'Your tale sir, would cure deafness.'
- This is funny because her father is lecturing her and asks her if she's listening - her response if witty because she's essentially saying, of course, I can hear you, even a deaf person could hear you.
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Miranda's confusion
- When Miranda is told that 'Thy father was the Duke of Milan and/ A prince of power,' she replies, 'Sir, are you not my father?'
- Miranda is clearly not following the story, even though she's been told repeatedly to listen carefully. Perhaps she is confused by her father's tale.
Comedy from drunk characters
- Caliban begs to 'lick thy [Stephano’s] shoe'.
- Trinculo calls Caliban a 'deboshed fish' and 'half a fish and half a monster'.
1Key Words
2Context & Overview
2.1Context & Overview
3Act 1
3.1Act 1 Analysis
4Act 2
4.1Act 2 Analysis
5Act 3
5.1Act 3 Analysis
6Act 4
6.1Act 4 Analysis
7Act 5
7.1Act 5 Analysis
8Key Characters
8.1Major Characters
8.2Minor Characters
9Themes
10Authorial Method
10.1Authorial Method
11Recap: Main Quotes
11.1Characters Quotes
Jump to other topics
1Key Words
2Context & Overview
2.1Context & Overview
3Act 1
3.1Act 1 Analysis
4Act 2
4.1Act 2 Analysis
5Act 3
5.1Act 3 Analysis
6Act 4
6.1Act 4 Analysis
7Act 5
7.1Act 5 Analysis
8Key Characters
8.1Major Characters
8.2Minor Characters
9Themes
10Authorial Method
10.1Authorial Method
11Recap: Main Quotes
11.1Characters Quotes
Practice questions on Comedy - Quotes
Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.
- 1What does Caliban drunkenly say he'll do to Stephano's shoe?Multiple choice
- 2What happens after Caliban drinks?True / false
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