Act I Cards

Act I Plot Overview

A violent tempest strikes a ship carrying European nobles; Prospero explains his exiled past to Miranda

The Tempest's Purpose

Prospero uses Ariel to create the storm to bring his political enemies to the island without harming anyone on board.

Prospero's Usurping

Antonio conspired with King Alonso of Naples to overthrow Prospero as Duke of Milan twelve years ago and set him and Miranda adrift.

Gonzalo's Kindness

Gonzalo secretly loaded Prospero and Miranda's boat with food

Ariel's Debt

Prospero freed Ariel from a cloven pine tree where the witch Sycorax had trapped him

Caliban's Hostility

Caliban claims the island belongs to him through his mother Sycorax

Ferdinand and Miranda

Ferdinand is guided by Ariel's music to Miranda

Prospero's Test

Prospero pretends to distrust Ferdinand and forces him into hard labor so Ferdinand values Miranda more deeply and doesn't win her too easily.

Who actually raised the tempest?

Ariel generated the storm under Prospero's orders to bring his old political enemies to the island.

Why didn't Antonio kill Prospero twelve years ago?

Antonio and Alonso didn't kill Prospero openly because the people of Milan loved him too much.

Who saved Prospero and Miranda from dying at sea?

Gonzalo provided them with provisions

Why is Caliban bitter about his current situation?

He claims the island was his inheritance from Sycorax

Why does Prospero act harshly toward Ferdinand?

To test Ferdinand and ensure that winning Miranda too easily does not lessen her value to him.