• Prospero – the rightful Duke of Milan
• Miranda – daughter to Prospero
• Ariel – a spirit in service to Prospero
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The Tempest begins with the spectacle of a storm-tossed ship at sea, and later there is a second spectacle—the masque. A masque in Renaissance England was a festive courtly … See more

Date
It is not known for certain exactly when The Tempest was written, but evidence supports the idea … See more

The Theatre
The Tempest is explicitly concerned with its own nature as a play, frequently drawing links between Prospero's art and theatrical illusion. The shipwreck was a spectacle that Ariel performed, while Antonio and … See more

Act I
Twelve years before the action of the play, Prospero, formerly Duke of Milan and a gifted sorcerer, had … See more

The Tempest first appeared in print in 1623 in the collection of 36 of Shakespeare's plays entitled, Mr. William Shakespeare's … See more

Genre
Romance: Shakespeare's romantic narrative appears in the characters themselves and the … See more