Overview of Shakespeare's 'The Tempest'

'The Tempest' Is About Power Relationships

In "The Tempest," Shakespeare draws on enslaver/servant relationships to demonstrate how power—and its misuse—works. In particular, control is a dominant theme: Characters battle over control over each other, the island, and Milan—perhaps an echo of England’s colonial expansion in Shakespeare’s time.

With the island in colonial dispute, the audience ​is invited to question who the rightful owner of the island is: Prospero, Caliban, or Sycorax—the original colonizer from Algiers who performed "evil deeds." Both good and evil characters search for power in the play, as this article demonstrates.

Is Prospero Good or Bad?

"The Tempest" raises some difficult questions when it comes to Prospero's character. He is the rightful Duke of Milan but was usurped by his brother and sent on a boat to his death—luckily, he survives. In this way, he is a victim trying to reclaim what is rightfully his. However, Prospero takes some cruel actions throughout the play, particularly toward Caliban and Ariel, making him appear villainous.

Thus, the extent to which he is a victim or a perpetrator is not clear and largely left for the audience to debate.

Caliban Is a Monster...Or Is He?

Another character in "The Tempest" who is left undefined is Caliban. He is introduced to us as a savage, but a more sympathetic reading shows him to be more complex. Caliban has certainly been treated like an enslaved person by Prospero, but is that cruelty or fair punishment for attempting to rape Miranda? As an island-born son of a colonist, does he get to call himself a native and, as a result, fight back against the colonial Prospero? Or does he have no claim to the land either?

Caliban is a delicately constructed character: Is he a man or monster?

'The Tempest' Is a Magical Play

As previously noted, "The Tempest" is largely considered Shakespeare's most magical work—and with good reason. The play opens with a huge magical storm capable of shipwrecking the main cast, and the survivors are magically distributed across the island. Magic is used throughout the play by various characters for mischief, control, and revenge, driving the plot forward. Meanwhile, not everything is what it seems on the island; appearances can be deceptive, and characters are often tricked for the amusement of Prospero.

'The Tempest' Asks Difficult Moral Questions

Morality and fairness are themes that run through the "The Tempest," and Shakespeare's treatment of them is particularly interesting. The colonial nature of the play and ambiguous presentation of fairness may even point to Shakespeare's own political views.

'The Tempest' Is Classified as a Comedy

Strictly speaking, "The Tempest" is classified as a comedy. However, you'll notice that you don't find yourself in fits of laughter while reading or watching.

Shakespearean comedies are not "comic" in the modern sense of the word. Rather, they rely on comedy through language, complex love plots, and mistaken identity. Still, though "The Tempest" does share many of these characteristics, it is quite a unique play in the comedy category. When compared to a classic comedy play like "A Midsummer Night's Dream," you see that the elements of tragedy in "The Tempest" make it toe the line between these two genres.

What Happens in 'The Tempest'

This condensed breakdown of Shakespeare's "The Tempest" crams the complex plot into a single page for easy reference. Of course, it's no substitute for reading the play in its entirety.