Scene 2

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Summary of Act 2, Scene 2

Caliban expresses his anger at Prospero. He then meets Trinculo and Stephano - they all get drunk and become friends.

Caliban gets angry and meets Trinculo

A very angry Caliban opens scene 2. He recalls all of the 'torment' and torture he suffers at the hands of Prospero’s spirits.
He quivers in fear under his cloak when he thinks he hears one of Prospero’s spirits approaching.
Instead, the court jester, Trinculo, walks on stage. He sees a shape that makes him question: 'what have we here - a man or fish?'

Trinculo thinks about capturing Caliban

Trinculo thinks he can take Caliban back to civilisation and make money out of charging people to see him.
The native inhabitants of newly discovered places were often exploited back in England as a means to make money: 'they will lay out ten to see a dead Indian.'
When it turns out that Caliban is in fact an islander, Trinculo shares the cloak to hide from the oncoming storm.

Stephano arrives - they get drunk

The King’s butler, Stephano, then walks on stage and experiences the same ideas as Trinculo. He thinks he can charge people to see Caliban.
Stephano pokes Caliban. This is supposed to amuse the audience. The three characters (Stephano, Trinculo and Caliban) then work out who the others are. They celebrate by introducing Caliban to alcohol.
The three lower class characters then get drunk and provide a comedic scene for the audience. This contrasts with the seriousness of the previous scenes.

Caliban, Stephano and Trinculo join forces

Caliban swears allegiance to these fools by promising 'I swear upon that bottle to be thy subject' and 'I'll kiss thy foot'.
Caliban sees these men as a more desirable choice to Prospero, even though it is clear to the audience that they will probably treat him just as badly.

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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