The Tempest Characters

Miranda

The daughter of Prospero, (blank) was brought to the island at an early age and has never seen any men other than her father and Caliban, though she dimly remembers being cared for by female servants as an infant. Because she has been sealed off from the world for so long, (blank)’s perceptions of other people tend to be naïve and non-judgmental. She is compassionate, generous, and loyal to her father.

Ariel

Prospero’s spirit helper. (blank) is referred to in most criticism as “he,” but his gender and physical form are ambiguous. Rescued by Prospero from a long imprisonment at the hands of the witch Sycorax, (blank) is Prospero’s servant until Prospero decides to release him. He is mischievous and ubiquitous, able to traverse the length of the island in an instant and to change shapes at will. He carries out virtually every task that Prospero needs accomplished in the play.

Caliban

Another of Prospero’s servants. (blank), the son of the now-deceased witch Sycorax, acquainted Prospero with the island when Prospero arrived. (blank) believes that the island rightfully belongs to him and has been stolen by Prospero. His speech and behavior is sometimes coarse and brutal, as in his drunken scenes with Stephano and Trinculo (II.ii, IV.i), and sometimes eloquent and sensitive, as in his rebukes of Prospero in Act I, scene ii, and in his description of the eerie beauty of the island in Act III, scene ii (III.ii.130-138).

Ferdinand

Son and heir of Alonso. (blank) seems in some ways to be as pure and naïve as Miranda. He falls in love with her upon first sight and happily submits to servitude in order to win her father’s approval.

Alonso

King of Naples and father of Ferdinand. Alonso aided Antonio in unseating Prospero as Duke of Milan twelve years before. As he appears in the play, however, he is acutely aware of the consequences of all his actions. He blames his decision to marry his daughter to the Prince of Tunis on the apparent death of his son. In addition, after the magical banquet, he regrets his role in the usurping of Prospero.

Antonio

Prospero’s brother. (blank) quickly demonstrates that he is power-hungry and foolish. In Act II, scene i, he persuades Sebastian to kill the sleeping Alonso. He then goes along with Sebastian’s absurd story about fending off lions when Gonzalo wakes up and catches (blank) and Sebastian with their swords drawn.

Sebastian

Alonso’s brother. Like Antonio, he is both aggressive and cowardly. He is easily persuaded to kill his brother in Act II, scene i, and he initiates the ridiculous story about lions when Gonzalo catches him with his sword drawn.

Gonzalo

An old, honest lord, (blank) helped Prospero and Miranda to escape after Antonio usurped Prospero’s title. (blank)’s speeches provide an important commentary on the events of the play, as he remarks on the beauty of the island when the stranded party first lands, then on the desperation of Alonso after the magic banquet, and on the miracle of the reconciliation in Act V, scene i.

Stephano & Trinculo

(A), a drunken butler, and (B), a jester, are two minor members of the shipwrecked party. They provide a comic foil to the other, more powerful pairs of Prospero and Alonso and Antonio and Sebastian. Their drunken boasting and petty greed reflect and deflate the quarrels and power struggles of Prospero and the other noblemen.

Sycorax

Caliban’s mother and a powerful witch. She never appears in the text because she dies several years before the events of the play begin. She was one of the only native inhabitants on the island on which Prospero and Miranda are stranded.

Ceres

One of the spirits summoned by Prospero during the masque celebrating Miranda and Ferdinand’s impending marriage. (blank) is a goddess of agriculture and fertility, and her presence in the masque is a blessing for the young couple.

Iris

One of the spirits summoned by Prospero during the masque celebrating Miranda and Ferdinand’s impending marriage. She is the goddess of the rainbow and the messenger of the gods, which means she bridges the gap between the mortal world and the magical world.

Juno

One of the spirits summoned by Prospero during the masque celebrating Miranda and Ferdinand’s impending marriage. She is the queen of the gods and the goddess of marriage. Her blessing of Miranda and Ferdinand symbolizes the prosperous union between the two families.