4.1.1
Overview
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Overview of Act 2
Here is an overview of the key ideas and themes of Act 2:
Gonzalo's speech - Utopian society
- Gonzalo’s lengthy speech of a utopian society highlights the flaws in the British society of Jacobean England.
- 'I'th' commonwealth...' / 'no name of magistrate' / 'riches, poverty and use of service none' / 'produce without sweat or endeavour' / 'innocent people'.
Antonio's ambition
- In this Act, we see the ambition of men such as Antonio - who wishes to overthrow his King.
- Antonio manipulates 'worthy Sebastian' into a discussion of taking his brother Alonso’s crown, much like Antonio’s betrayal of Prospero years earlier.
- Even though Prospero is not on stage, the audience’s sympathy for Prospero grows further during this Act. This is because they witness the 'evil nature[s]' within these characters.
Exploitation of Caliban
- Trinculo and Stephano both plan to take Caliban away and use him for profit back home - by displaying him for money.
- Caliban trusts these men, only because they are slightly nicer to him than Prospero.
- The audience can see that Caliban is being exploited (taken advantage of) by these men, so they may feel some sympathy for him.
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 Overview
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- 1What do Stephano and Trinculo want to do to Caliban?Multiple choice
- 2Gonzalo's Speech - Utopian SocietyPut in order
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