Boatswain and mariners

The Boatswain acts as a liaison between the Mariners (sailors) and the Master of the ship, conveying orders and information between the two. The Boatswain and Mariners are minor characters adding to the suspense and foreshadowing in Act I. Through their hysterical predictions of certain death, the audience gets a feel for the severity of the storm in the opening scene of the play. Ariel preserves their lives and brings them to Prospero in Act V to aid in his return home.