USURPATION
Which two characters draw their swords while King Alonso is sleeping?
Antonio & Sebastian
Who is the only character who serves Prospero because he loves him (or loves his daughter)?
Ferdinand
What shape does Ariel take to terrify the men in Act 3, Scene 3?
A Harpy
Who taught Caliban how to speak English?
Miranda/Prospero
Why does Shakespeare make them do this while the King is asleep? What does "Sleep" represent in this theme?
- They are not lazy
- Alonso is close to death
- They are cowards
It represents cowardice/vulnerability. Real kings fight face-to-face; Usurpers strike when the victim is helpless
Contrast Ferdinand’s "Service" with Caliban’s "Slavery." Why is Ferdinand happy to carry logs?
Ferdinand serves for Love (Choice), while Caliban serves out of Fear (Force).
Why does the food vanish just before the Harpy speaks? What does the "Vanishing Banquet" symbolize?
It symbolizes their Guilt or "False Hopes." They cannot eat (find peace) until they confess their sins.
Prospero says Caliban is "born bad" (Nature). But Caliban says he only learned how to curse because...
Prospero stole his island. This suggests his "evil" is Nurture (a reaction to being colonized).
How is Caliban’s plan to kill Prospero (Act 3) exactly the same as Antonio’s plan to kill Alonso (Act 2)?
Both involve killing a leader while they sleep to steal their "crown/island."
Caliban claims he wants "Freedom" (Act 2), but immediately does what with Stephano?
He kneels and kisses his foot/swears to be his subject. This shows the theme that "Servitude is a mindset"
Prospero uses magic to control everyone. Is his magic "Good" (White Magic) or "Bad" (Black Magic)? Give one piece of evidence.
Bad because he uses it to hurt Caliban with cramps
OR Good because he uses it to reveal the truth to the King."
Which version of Caliban makes it easier for the audience to sympathize with him, and why?
The human version. If he looks like a man, we see his slavery as cruel. If he looks like a fish, we see him as an animal.
Part A (Fact): In Act 2, Sebastian asks Antonio if his "conscience" hurts him for stealing his brother's crown. What is Antonio’s reply?
Part B (Theme): What does this reveal about the "Nature of a Usurper"?
- He says he doesn't feel it / "I feel not this deity in my bosom.
- To usurp power, one must kill their humanity/moral compass. Power requires sociopathy
Part A (Fact): Prospero threatens to imprison Ariel in an "Oak Tree" if he complains. Who imprisoned Ariel in a tree before Prospero came?
Part B (Theme): If both Sycorax (Bad) and Prospero (Good) use the same punishment, what is Shakespeare saying about "Power"?
- Power is always coercive. Even "good" masters use fear to control their servants
In Act 2, when looking at the island, Gonzalo sees "lush green grass," but Antonio sees "tawny (brown) ground." Why do they see the same reality differently?
- We see the world not as it is, but as we are. Gonzalo is optimistic (Good), so he sees green. Antonio is cynical (Rotten), so he sees rot
Part A (Fact): Prospero says he tried to treat Caliban with kindness until Caliban tried to do what to Miranda?
Part B (Theme): Prospero argues this proves Caliban is a "Born Devil" (Nature). But how might Caliban defend this action as "Survival"?
- Violate/Rape her
- In nature, the goal is to populate. Caliban wanted to "people the isle with Calibans." He was following biological instinct, not human morality.
Part A (Fact): Prospero hates Antonio for stealing his Dukedom. But who did Prospero steal the island from?
Part B (Theme): Explain the irony of Prospero’s anger.
- Caliban
- Prospero is a hypocrite. He complains about being a victim of usurpation, yet he is a usurper himself to Caliban
Part A (Fact): In Act 3, Ferdinand is carrying logs. In Act 2, Caliban is carrying wood. What is the difference in how they do it?
Part B (Theme): What defines "Slavery"—the action or the attitude?
- Ferdinand does it patiently/happily; Caliban does it while cursing/slowly
- The attitude. You are only a true slave if your spirit is broken. Ferdinand is free because his spirit is willing.
Part A (Fact): Gonzalo notices a miracle about their clothes after the shipwreck. What is it?
Part B (Theme): What does this symbolize about their journey?
(Think: Aside from a tool to quench thirst, what else does water do?)
- They are dry and "fresher than before."
- Baptism / Rebirth. The water didn't kill them; it cleansed them. They are being given a fresh start (if they take it).
Part A (Fact): Complete the quote: "Nurture can never stick on Nature." (As in a monster can never become anything else.)
Does the play support this statement? Is Caliban truly unchangeable?
Not really so far.