Scene 2
English Lit: AQA GCSE The Tempest, topic 5.1.3
Summary of Act 3, Scene 2
Stephano, Trinculo and Caliban plan Prospero's downfall. Ariel listens in on their plans.
The men plan Prospero's downfall
- The scene begins with drunken Caliban, Trinculo and Stephano planning Prospero’s downfall.
- Caliban identifies knowledge as causing his enslavement. So the books should be the first to burn.
Caliban dreams of being free
- Caliban dreams of a world in which he no longer has to be 'subject to a tyrant'. But to escape this, he must promise his allegiance to another. So he turns to the lowest of the civilised world in Stephano.
- Just like Antonio and Sebastian earlier in the play, Caliban, Trinculo and Stephano plot to murder their ruler. This highlights the potential for evil and violence in mankind.
Caliban connects with the island
- Ariel listens to all of this plotting, ready to report back to Prospero.
- Mysterious music is then heard as the three men sing. This unnerves Stephano and Trinculo at first. But Caliban understands it and has a connection with nature on the island: 'The isle is full of noises,/ Sounds, and sweet airs.'
- Caliban takes great comfort from the island’s 'noises' which colonisation has disturbed.
Test yourself on Scene 2
What is the first thing Caliban thinks they should do in Act 3, Scene 2?