What happens in Act V of The Tempest?
Act V begins with Prospero, still dressed in his magician's robes, hearing from Ariel that the shipwrecked courtiers—Alonso, Gonzalo, Sebastian, and Antonio—are trapped and grieving in the lime grove. Ariel quietly mentions that he would feel pity for them if he were human, which leads Prospero to make a crucial choice: to replace vengeance with mercy. He dismantles his magic circle, frees the enchanted lords, and faces them one by one: gently comforting the remorseful Alonso, coldly forgiving the unapologetic Antonio and Sebastian, and reuniting Alonso with Ferdinand, who is found playing chess with Miranda. Miranda's well-known exclamation upon seeing the gathered courtiers carries a layer of irony that only Prospero can fully grasp. The Boatswain and mariners are called from their enchanted slumber; Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo are brought in, humbled and sober, with Caliban renouncing his drunken escapades. Prospero expresses his plan to drown his book, reclaim his dukedom, and sail to Naples. He grants Ariel his freedom, and in the Epilogue, he steps out of the narrative entirely to ask the audience for their applause, as that is the only magic left for him.
Analysis
Act V showcases Shakespeare's most tightly crafted resolution, deserving of careful examination. The act revolves around a crucial moral turning point: Ariel—a spirit rather than a human—embodies the empathy that ultimately influences Prospero. By making this non-human entity the moral guide, Shakespeare presents a quietly radical twist. Prospero's renunciation speech ("Ye elves of hills…") draws from Ovid's Medea, yet its ending—"this rough magic / I here abjure"—flips the original narrative, substituting the sorceress's desire for power with intentional self-denial.
The chess scene acts as a miniature theatre within the theatre: Ferdinand and Miranda appear as if on stage, their game symbolizing the political union of Naples and Milan. Miranda's amazement is sincere; the dramatic irony lies in the fact that her "brave new world" is filled with the same corrupt courtiers Prospero has been trying to escape for twelve years.
Caliban's final words—"I'll be wise hereafter, / And seek for grace"—do not promise easy redemption; the conditional phrasing keeps his vow uncertain. Shakespeare avoids providing closure on the colonial issue, even as he neatly ties up other storylines.
The Epilogue blurs the lines between character and actor, magic and theatre, reshaping the entire play: Prospero's "art" has always been about performance, and the audience's applause is the one release he cannot summon for himself. The shift in tone from authority to pleading is complete and deeply unsettling.
Key quotes from Act V
“O wonder! / How many goodly creatures are there here! / How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world / That has such people in't.”
Miranda speaks upon seeing the assembled Neapolitan courtiers for the first time, her awe unmarked by any knowledge of their treachery.
“But this rough magic / I here abjure; and when I have required / Some heavenly music—which even now I do— / … I'll break my staff, / Bury it certain fathoms in the earth, / And deeper than did ever plummet sound / I'll drown my book.”
Prospero delivers his renunciation of sorcery before releasing the enchanted lords from the magic circle.
“Now my charms are all o'erthrown, / And what strength I have's mine own, / Which is most faint.”
Prospero speaks the Epilogue directly to the audience, having shed his ducal robes and his magical authority alike.
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Create an accountSign inVocabulary in Act V
- goodly
- Fine, admirable, and pleasing in appearance or character; Miranda uses it to express her wonder at seeing so many impressive-looking human beings at once.
- beauteous
- An archaic form of 'beautiful,' used in elevated or poetic speech to describe something of striking loveliness or excellence.
- brave
- In this period usage, 'brave' means splendid, fine, or admirable — not courageous. Miranda is marvelling at how magnificent and wonderful the new world seems to her.
- abjure
- To formally and solemnly renounce or give up something, especially a power or belief; Prospero publicly swears to abandon his magic arts forever.
- fathoms
- Units of depth used in measuring water or underground distance, each equal to six feet; Prospero will bury his staff very deep in the earth.
- o'erthrown
- An archaic contracted form of 'overthrown,' meaning defeated, destroyed, or stripped of power; Prospero says his magical charms have been undone.