The Tempest

Roles

• Ferdinand - Young Adult (20-35), Male

About this piece

Ferdinand carries firewood while thinking about Miranda

Summary

The play starts with a storm hitting a ship that carries the King of Naples, Alonso, his son Ferdinand, Alonso's brother Sebastian, Antonio the Duke of Milan and two servants, Trinculo and Stefano. In the second scene we find Miranda with her father Prospero on the shore of an island close to the shipwreck. Miranda asks her father to help the people on the ship. After Prospero confesses that he is actually responsible for the shipwreck (using his magic powers), he tells her the story of his and her past, of how they got to the island. He used to be the Duke of Milan until his brother Antonio, with the help of the King of Naples, usurped his position and he was forced to flee to the island with his daughter. We are then introduced to two servants of Prospero, Ariel and Caliban. Ariel is a spirit servant who carries out Prospero's magic. We learn that he was actually the one that made the ship sink in the beginning of the play. The other servant is Caliban, the son of the witch that rules the island before Prospero's arrival. Caliban is always cursing Prospero and Miranda for the way they treat him. Prospero sends Caliban to get firewood. In the meanwhile Ariel leads Ferdinand to Miranda by charming him with his music. We learn that Prospero's plan is to have his daughter marry Ferdinand. The two, however, fall in love too quickly and Prospero decides to imprison Ferdinand by accusing him of pretending to be the Prince of Naples. In the first scene of ACT III we find Ferdinand doing Caliban's job, that is carrying firewood. Instead of complaining like Caliban always does, Ferdinand is happy even if he has to do such a menial job. He knows Miranda is thinking about him and that inspires him to work.

Tone

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