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The TempestPlay by William Shakespeare

Flashcards for The Tempest

39 cards · 10 characters · 12 key quotes · 5 symbols · 12 literary devices. Nothing is saved and nothing is asked for — close the tab and the deck resets.

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Characters · 10

  1. Alonso

    Alonso, King of Naples, is a figure of authority who is deeply affected by guilt and grief in Shakespeare's The Tempest.

    character

  2. Antonio

    Antonio, the Duke of Milan, is the play's main human villain and drives its central backstory.

    character

  3. Ariel

    Ariel is Prospero's airy spirit-servant in Shakespeare's The Tempest, serving as the main vehicle for the play's magic and its moral guide.

    character

  4. Caliban

    Caliban is the island's original inhabitant and Prospero's enslaved servant in Shakespeare's The Tempest.

    character

  5. Ferdinand

    Ferdinand is the Prince of Naples and the son of King Alonso.

    character

  6. Gonzalo

    Gonzalo is Alonso's elderly, loyal advisor and the moral compass of The Tempest.

    character

  7. Miranda

    Miranda is the young, sheltered daughter of Prospero and the moral center of The Tempest.

    character

  8. Prospero

    Prospero is the rightful Duke of Milan and the mastermind behind every event in Shakespeare's The Tempest.

    character

  9. Stephano

    Stephano is a drunken butler in Shakespeare's The Tempest, serving as the ringleader of the play's low comic subplot.

    character

  10. Trinculo

    Trinculo is Alonso's court jester, shipwrecked on Prospero's enchanted island alongside the rest of the Neapolitan party.

    character

Key quotes · 12

  1. “The rarer action is in virtue than in vengeance.”

    This line is spoken by Prospero in Act 5, Scene 1 of Shakespeare's The Tempest.

    Prospero · Act 5

  2. “Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises, sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.”

    These lyrical lines are spoken by Caliban to Stephano and Trinculo in Act III, Scene 2 of Shakespeare's The Tempest.

    Caliban

  3. “We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.”

    This famous line is delivered by Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan and master sorcerer, in Shakespeare's The Tempest.

    Prospero · Act IV

  4. “Our revels now are ended.”

    This famous line is delivered by Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan and a master sorcerer, in Act IV, Scene 1 of Shakespeare's The Tempest.

    Prospero · Act IV

  5. “Hell is empty and all the devils are here.”

    This striking line is delivered by Ariel, the spirit servant of the sorcerer Prospero, in Act I, Scene 2 of Shakespeare's The Tempest.

    Ariel (quoting Ferdinand) · Act I

  6. “You taught me language, and my profit on't is I know how to curse.”

    This powerful line is delivered by Caliban, the island's native inhabitant, to Prospero and Miranda in Act 1, Scene 2 of Shakespeare's The Tempest.

    Caliban

  7. “What's past is prologue.”

    This line is spoken by Antonio in Act II, Scene 1 of Shakespeare's The Tempest, directed at Sebastian as he tries to convince him to murder his sleeping brother, King Alonso, and take the throne of Naples.

    Antonio · Act II

  8. “Now I will believe that there are unicorns.”

    This line is spoken by Antonio in Act III, Scene iii of Shakespeare's The Tempest.

    Antonio · Act III

  9. “Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows.”

    This line is delivered by Trinculo, the jester, in Act 2, Scene 2 of Shakespeare's The Tempest.

    Trinculo · Act 2

  10. “I am your wife, if you will marry me; if not, I'll die your maid.”

    This declaration is made by Miranda to Ferdinand in Shakespeare's The Tempest.

    Miranda · Act III

  11. “O brave new world, that has such people in't!”

    This exclamation comes from Miranda, the sheltered daughter of the exiled sorcerer Prospero, in Act V, Scene 1 of Shakespeare's The Tempest.

    Miranda · Act V

  12. “We know what we are, but know not what we may be.”

    This line, spoken by Ophelia during her descent into madness, actually comes from Shakespeare's Hamlet (Act 4, Scene 5), not The Tempest.

    Ophelia · Act 4

Symbols · 5

  1. Ariel as Spirit of Freedom

    In The Tempest, Ariel represents the ideal of pure freedom—a spirit constantly pushing against limitations and longing for liberation.

  2. Caliban's Enslavement

    In The Tempest, Caliban's enslavement highlights the violence and moral contradictions inherent in colonial power.

  3. Prospero's Books and Staff

    In The Tempest, Prospero's books and staff represent the influence of knowledge, art, and humanity's control over nature and destiny.

  4. The Island

    In The Tempest, the island represents a space for power, illusion, and transformation.

  5. The Storm (Tempest)

    In Shakespeare's The Tempest, the storm stands out as the most powerful symbol of Prospero's magical authority and his ability to manipulate power.

Literary devices · 12

  1. Metaphor

    Shakespeare fills The Tempest with metaphors that blur the lines between art and nature, power and illusion.

  2. Allegory

    The Tempest offers a rich allegorical interpretation where Prospero represents the Renaissance artist-magician, his island symbolizes the colonial New World, and the storm signifies a violent upheaval of political order.

  3. Dramatic Monologue

    Several speeches in The Tempest serve as dramatic monologues, revealing character under pressure through extended self-revelations.

  4. Imagery

    Water imagery flows throughout The Tempest, starting with the opening storm and continuing to Prospero's epilogue.

  5. Personification

    Ariel’s song "Full fathom five thy father lies" brings the sea to life as a powerful agent of change: "Those are pearls that were his eyes; / Nothing of him that doth fade / But doth suffer a sea-change / Into something rich and strange."

  6. Symbolism

    Prospero's books and staff are the play's most powerful symbols.

  7. Irony

    Dramatic irony fills The Tempest because the audience, like Prospero, knows that the storm is created while the shipwrecked characters think they are facing death and chaos.

  8. Blank Verse

    Shakespeare gives noble characters their lines mostly in unrhymed iambic pentameter, while the comic subplot featuring Stephano, Trinculo, and Caliban's drunken scheme is delivered in prose.

  9. Allusion

    Gonzalo's utopian speech in Act II references Montaigne's essay 'Of Cannibals,' adopting its idea of a society 'by contraries' — free from sovereignty, commerce, and toil.

  10. Motif

    Sleep and waking emerge as a recurring theme that blurs the lines between reality and magic.

  11. Enjambment

    Shakespeare employs enjambment in The Tempest to express psychological overflow—those moments when a character's thoughts or feelings spill over the confines of a single line.

  12. Apostrophe

    Prospero's decision to give up magic comes across as a heartfelt address to the spirits of nature: "Ye elves of hills, brooks, standing lakes, and groves, / And ye that on the sands with printless foot / Do chase the ebbing Neptune."