Alonso

English Lit: AQA GCSE The Tempest, topic 8.1.6

Alonso Character Summary

Alonso is King of Naples and head of the royal party that finds themselves on a ship in a treacherous tempest in Act 1, Scene 1.

In Act 1, we find out about Alonso’s role in Prospero’s downfall.
On an annual visit to Antonio, Alonso agreed to support a plan to draw up an army to march on Prospero and drive him out, allowing Antonio the room to move in as Duke of Milan.
We also hear from Sebastian and Antonio that they were on the ship, returning from the wedding of Claribel, Alonso’s daughter, and an African Prince.
It is suggested that this union was purely for political gain on Alonso’s behalf, quite similar to what Prospero does with his daughter Miranda.

In Act 2, Alonso insists on 'mak[ing] further search / For my poor son' despite his obvious exhaustion from the trauma of the shipwreck.
At the start of Act 2, he shows his grief: 'O thou mine heir / Of Naples and of Milan, what strange fish / Hath made his meal on thee?'
You could argue that Alonso is distraught purely because his 'heir' is apparently dead. But the fact that his thoughts seem suicidal - 'the best is past' and 'I wish / Myself were mudded in that oozy bed / Where my son lies' - imply that his distress is genuine as a father, not merely as a King.

When faced with Ariel as a harpy and reminded of his crimes against Prospero, Alonso is evidently distraught, calling 'O it is monstrous, monstrous!'
In Act 5, Alonso seems to be genuinely sorry for the wrong he did Prospero. His repentance results in him being forgiven. Prospero charges him: 'Most cruelly / Didst thou, Alonso, use me and my daughter.'
At this, Alonso asks for mercy, 'thou pardon me my wrongs' and reinstates Prospero as Duke of Milan.

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

'The name of Prosper. It did bass my trespass. / Therefore my son i' th' ooze is bedded, and / I'll seek him deeper than e'er plummet sounded, / And with him there lie mudded.'
- Alonso admits what he has done wrong - something that Sebastian and Antonio seem incapable of. Both Prospero and Alonso are much more self-aware.

'Thy dukedom I resign and do entreat / Thou pardon me my wrongs. But how should / Prospero / Be living and be here?'
- Alonso is willing to seek forgiveness and admit his wrongdoings. He also seems a little clueless as he cannot understand how Prospero was exiled.

'If this prove / A vision of the Island, one dear son / Shall I twice lose.'
- It seems too good to be true that Ferdinand is not dead. Alonso is cautious that this all might be a trick of the island. It also shows how deeply he felt the loss of his son that he cannot bear to go through it again.