Scene 1
English Lit: AQA GCSE The Tempest, topic 4.1.2
Summary of Act 2, Scene 1
Sebastian, Antonio and Gonzalo bicker. Ariel plays tricks on them in this scene.
Gonzalo gives a speech
- The Act opens with Gonzalo giving a speech - about how lucky and grateful they should be that they survived.
- He still believes his son and only heir, Ferdinand, has been lost at sea.
- King Alonso insists that he cannot 'be merry' as Gonzalo 'beseech[es]'.
- Sebastian (the King’s brother) and Antonio (Prospero’s brother) remind the King that if he had not insisted they take his daughter to marry her African husband, Ferdinand would not have been on the ship (and so still alive).
Sebastian mocks Gonzalo
- Antonio and Sebastian are also very rude to Gonzalo. They speak in asides (speeches to the audience alone) and mock a character who the audience are growing quite fond of.
- Sebastain mocks Gonzalo - 'The latter end of the commonwealth forgets the / beginning.'
- The hypocrisy of the speech suggests that Gonzalo's idealism is unrealistic. It quashes (puts down) any rebellious ideas and instead shows support for the monarchy (and one of Shakespeare’s most important patrons - King James).
Ariel plays tricks on the men
- Ariel appears on stage (invisible to all but the audience) and puts all except Sebastian and Antonio to sleep.
- Antonio manipulates 'worthy Sebastian' into a discussion of taking his brother Alonso’s crown, much like Antonio’s betrayal of his brother years earlier.
Antonio encourages regicide
- Antonio encourages Sebastian to commit regicide (murder of the king) - 'my strong imagination sees a crown dropping upon thy head'.
- Ariel wakes Gonzalo just in time.
Growing sympathy for Prospero
- Even though Prospero is off stage, the audience’s sympathy for Prospero grows further as they witness the 'evil nature[s]' within these characters.
Test yourself on Scene 1
Who makes a speech in Act 2, Scene 1?
Who can see Ariel in Act 2, Scene 1?