William Shakespeare's The Tempest Act One, Scene One

William Shakespeare's The Tempest Act One, Scene One

This scene introduces the play, and is set during on a ship during a

ferocious storm. The passengers are the royal party of the King of

Naples, and include the King Alonso, his brother Sebastian, the Prince

Ferdinand, and the King's counsellors, Gonzalo and Antonio.

The storm, which begins the play, isn't real, but has been conjured by

Prospero, a magus, to lure the passengers to his island. This storm is

also representation of the metaphorical storm which involves the

tumultuous emotions of the play's characters as it continues. The

island where Prospero lives is used by Shakespeare as it is completely

isolated, and so any action which takes place on it is completely

removed from outside influences and complications.

The crew of the ship are busily trying to combat the storm, working

together, representing the "ship of state", and emphasising the idea

that the subjects need to work together, but also the storm represents

the buffeting of the ship of state, and society, by its own actions.

When the royal party appear and demand to take over the running of the

ship and begin ordering the mariners around, Shakespeare introduces

the idea of the nature of authority, questioning whether the King

should have absolute power all the time, or give command to someone

far more experienced than he, showing that the play will be a test of

true characters.

The boatswains commands reflect the urgency of the situation in their

short, exclamatory sentences

"My Hearts! Yare! Yare! Take in the topsail!"

The boatswain also talks in prose, to show that he is a less important

characte...

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...is fate with courage "The wills above be done, but I would

fain die a dry death".

Therefore this scene is very effective in introducing the themes, such

as the ship of state, and how a person's actions reflect it, and the

nature of authority, and how power can be used well or abused. Another

symbolism introduced here and prevalent through the play is the storm,

as it introduces the play as being quite turbulent, not only in the

action of the actual storm itself, but also that the emotions of the

characters in the play will also become very chaotic. It also

introduces the characters and hints at their true natures - it shows

the King to be used to being in charge, and very authoritarian, his

brother Sebastian and Antonio to be selfish and rude, but Gonza to be

kind and respectful, as reflected in the rest of the play.