The Tempest

Prospero frees Ferdinand and explains that “all thy vexations / Were but my trials of thy love, and thou / Hast strangely stood the test” (4.1.5-7). Prospero consents to Ferdinand’s marriage with Miranda but warns the young man that, should he bed her before the wedding, theirs will be a barren and discordant marriage. Ferdinand assures Prospero that he wants a long and happy life with her.

Prospero instructs Ariel to bring forth Alonso and his court so that Prospero can perform “another trick” on them in the form of a lavish entertainment called a masque. He tells Ariel to summon two of his fellow spirits, and together they appear as goddesses: Iris, rainbow maker and messenger; Ceres, lady of agriculture; and Juno, queen of the gods. The three sing a song of blessing to the young couple and summon nymphs and “reapers” who perform an elegant dance.

Prospero, suddenly remembering the plot on his own life, interrupts the masque and dismisses the sprites and other island deities. Ferdinand worries at the sudden halt to the festivities, and Miranda agrees that her father is angrier than she’s ever seen him. The magician tells Ferdinand that the performers “Are melted into air, into thin air” (4.1.150), much as life itself—which, at its end, will also dissolve like a dream. Prospero is merely troubled by his own thoughts and will go for a walk “to still my beating mind” (4.1.163).

Ariel reports to Prospero that Caliban, Trinculo, and Stephano remain quite drunk, but that Ariel, invisible, lured them with soothing music to follow him to a dank pool nearby, where they are now up to their necks. Prospero has Ariel hang some showy clothing on a line, and they retreat to watch.

Trinculo and Stephano, led by Caliban, enter the cave. Caliban points to the inner room and urges them to kill the sleeping Prospero, but Stephano and Trinculo are dazzled by the clothing and try it on, already imagining themselves the rulers of the island. Impatient, Caliban warns them that Prospero will soon awaken and turn them into “barnacles, or to apes / With foreheads villainous low” (4.1.246-47). But Stephano first wants Caliban to help him carry off the clothing to where they’ve stashed the liquor.

Spirits shaped like hunting dogs enter the room and, as Prospero and Ariel urge them on, chase the three men outdoors. Prospero tells Ariel to continue the chase and give the three miscreants cramps and convulsions. He adds, “Shortly shall all my labours end” (4.1.262), meaning all his enemies will be dealt with and Ariel will be free.