Act I

Scene I
    The play begins in media res, as the viewer is brought aboard the ship of Alonso, King of Naples. The tempest is violently tossing the ship around, as the noblemen beg the crew to save their lives. Meanwhile, the Boatswain works with urgency, shouting orders, moving to and fro, trying desperately to man the boat despite all the distractions. He catches many insults from the frantic nobles as his mariners pray for their lives. The noblemen take a little comfort in their premonition that the Boatswain was born to be hanged, but the Act ends with the fate of the crew uncertain.





Scene II The second scene unveils a lot of backstory for the Island’s inhabitants and visitors. Prospero offers his daughter, Miranda, a girl who has been stranded on the Island her whole life, a long discourse on how he was once the Duke of Milan, how his brother Antonio stole the Dukedom while he was immersed in his studies, and how this storm has drawn his enemies to their very shore. After Miranda falls asleep, Prospero summons Ariel in one famous line, confirming the spirit’s success in sparking the Tempest. Prospero also calls in Caliban for an update on his chores, not without reminding him what a monster he is. Later, Ferdinand, who washed up on shore by himself, encounters Miranda, and he immediately falls in love. Prospero is less than hospitable at first, but near the end of the Act has become a little more partial towards Ferdinand. Symbolism The storm represents Prospero's rage against his brother, the violent tremors were built up during years of exile. When the noblemen reach the shore feeling cleaner than when they left the shores of Africa, it demonstrates a sort of baptism, a mark of cleanliness needed for a fresh start. Caliban represents the dark history left on the island by Sycorax, as well as the scum of humanity when the play is examined as a treatise on society.