A story of shipwreck and magic, The Tempest begins on a ship caught in a violent storm with Alonso, the king of Naples, on board. On a nearby island, the exiled Duke of Milan, Prospero, tells his daughter, Miranda, that he has caused the storm with his magical powers. Prospero had been banished twelve years earlier when Prospero's brother, Antonio—also on the doomed ship—conspired with Alonso to become the duke instead. Prospero and Miranda are served by a spirit named Ariel and by Caliban, son of the island's previous inhabitant, the witch Sycorax.
On the island, castaways from the wreck begin to appear. First is Alonso's son Ferdinand, who immediately falls in love with Miranda. Prospero secretly approves of their love, but tests the pair by enslaving Ferdinand. After secretly watching Miranda and Ferdinand exchange vows, Prospero releases Ferdinand and consents to their marriage.
Other castaways who appear are Trinculo and Stephano, Alonso's jester and butler, who join forces with Caliban to kill Prospero and take over the island. The nobles from the ship search for Ferdinand and are confronted with a spectacle including a Harpy, who convinces Alonso that Ferdinand’s death is retribution for Prospero’s exile.
Having all his enemies under his control, Prospero decides to forgive them. Alonso, joyously reunited with his son, restores Prospero to the dukedom of Milan and welcomes Miranda as Ferdinand’s wife. As all except Caliban and Ariel prepare to leave the island, Prospero, who has given up his magic, bids farewell to the island and the audience.
Early printed texts
The Tempest was printed for the first time in the 1623 First Folio, and that text serves as the source for all subsequent editions.
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First Folio (1623)
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Second Folio (1632)
Picturing The Tempest
As part of an NEH-funded project, the Folger digitized thousands of 18th-, 19th-, and early 20th-century images representing Shakespeare’s plays. Some of these images show actors in character, while others show the plays as if they were real-life events—telling the difference isn't always easy. A selection of images related to The Tempest is shown below, with links to our digital image collection.
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William Haviland as Prospero (late 19th or early 20th century)
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Robert Bensley as Prospero (18th century)
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Constance Benson as Miranda (1900)
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Miranda (late 19th or early 20th century)
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Herbert Beerbohm Tree as Caliban (1904)
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Pamela Colman Smith watercolor of Caliban (20th century)
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Louisa Maria Peach as Ariel (1831)
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Louis Rhead illustration of Ariel (early 20th century)
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Arthur Rackham drawing of Ariel imprisoned in a tree (Act 1, scene 2; early 20th century)
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Miranda and Ferdinand (1892)
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Ferdinand and Miranda playing chess (Act 5, scene 1; 1795)
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Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo (Act 4, scene 1; 19th century)
More images of The Tempest can be seen in our digital image collection. (Because of how they were cataloged, some images from other plays might appear in the image searches linked here, so always check the sidebar to see if the image is described as part of a larger group.)
