Overview
English Lit: AQA GCSE The Tempest, topic 4.1.1
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.
Test yourself on Overview
What do Stephano and Trinculo want to do to Caliban?
Gonzalo's Speech - Utopian Society