Stephano

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Stephano Character Summary

Stephano works for King Alonso as his butler. He is presented as an opportunist who only cares about himself.

Comedic character

Stephano works with Trinculo to provide comic relief after some quite highly tense dramatic scenes, which was typical of theatre productions in the Jacobean era.
Like Antonio and Sebastian, Stephano and Trinculo want more than is rightly theirs.
Stephano and Trinculo do not want to kill Prospero because they believe it is right or just. They merely want to remove him so they have space to gain power in a world where they would otherwise have none.

Stephano and power

In Act 2, Scene 2, Caliban turns to Stephano as his new master, hoping he will overthrow Prospero.
Caliban promises to 'kiss thy foot./ I prithee, be my god.' The audience would find this very funny as they are aware of Stephano’s lowly status and so the ridiculousness of Caliban comparing him to a godly status.
In Act 3, Scene 2, Stephano is tempted by the notion of becoming 'king' of the island, a position of power he would never even have dreamt to be possible.

Key Quotations - Stephano

Here are three key quotations that highlight aspects of Stephano's character:

'He shall not suffer indignity'

'He shall not suffer indignity'
- Stephano is also a servant. So when he considers taking Caliban, he promises that he will be treated well because Stephano knows what it's like.

'Wit shall not go unrewarded'

'Wit shall not go unrewarded while I am king.'
- Stephano seems a bit wild and hedonistic as a king - unlike Alonso or Prospero who value knowledge far more than anything else.

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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