The Tempest: Key Quotations (OCR A Level English Literature)

Key Quotations

The best way to revise quotations is to group them by character, or theme. Below you will find definitions and analysis of the best quotations, arranged by the following themes:

• Power and control

• Magic and illusion

• Loss and betrayal

Power and control

The play centres around the concept of power lost and gained, often due to characters’ ability to seize brief moments during which they have control, or by using their knowledge to overpower others. The Tempest challenges authoritarian power which oppresses and limits the autonomy of others, particularly in the context of invasion.

“What cares these roarers for the name of king?” Boatswain, The Tempest, Act I Scene I

Meaning and context

• In the first scene, during the storm, the boatswain explains to Alonso that the waves do not obey kings

• This introductory scene presents the more knowledgeable sailors who are ignored by the noblemen and King of Naples, Alonso, which contributes to the shipwreck:

  • The captain and boatswain try to navigate the storm and ask the noblemen to stay below which they refuse to do

Analysis

• Shakespeare introduces the theme of power and control in the exposition:

  • The storm, which symbolises loss of control, foreshadows the play’s themes on the disruption of order 

  • The storm is created by Prospero to wreak havoc and restore his own power by taking away the power of those on the ship

• This scene mocks the arrogance of the noblemen and subverts social order:

  • The sailors deliver orders to the king which is a reversal of roles

  • They explain the limitations of human power and social hierarchy on the sea

Paired Quotations:

“Thy father was the Duke of Milan/A prince of power” Prospero, The Tempest, Act I Scene II

“And these, mine enemies, are all knit up/In their distractions. They now are in my power” Prospero, The Tempest, Act III Scene III 

Meaning and context

• Prospero tells Miranda, his daughter, that he was the Duke of Milan before they came to the island

• He explains to her that he has used his power to create the storm, but he is justified as he was betrayed by those on the ship

• Later, in the climax of the play, Prospero reflects, in an aside, that he has full control over the other characters 

Analysis

• The third person reference to himself (as he tells Miranda of his former title) is dramatic:

  • Prospero’s self-importance is mocked when Miranda asks him, in reply, if he is not her father

  • This also conveys the theme of power to the audience, presenting leaders as human (simply perceived as fathers to their children)

• The alliteration of “Prince” and “Power” highlights ideas regarding human control within social constructs:

  • The line is dramatic, speaking again to the value Prospero attributes to titles

• In the climax of the play, Prospero reflects on the consequences of his manipulative actions:

  • He is pleased that he has restored his sense of power now that he controls all events on the island

  • He describes how his “high charms” afford him this power

  • He speaks in a self-congratulatory manner

• The imagery of “knit” alludes to the web of deceit he has created:

  • He describes his enemies as tangled up in distractions, which has allowed him to control them 

“My library/ Was dukedom large enough.” Prospero, The Tempest, Act I Scene II 

Meaning and context 

• Here, Prospero explains to Miranda that upon his arrival on the island, his library represented a new sense of personal control

• This line connects Prospero’s power to the knowledge gained from his library

• Later in this scene he repeats his love for books and that he values them more than his dukedom

Analysis

• Prospero’s metaphor, that his library affords him a sense of power, illustrates the play’s themes regarding control gained by knowledge

• His repetition that he values his books more than his title contrasts with his actions, making this line ironic:

  • Questions are raised as to the way Prospero uses the knowledge gained through his books to regain his title and wreak revenge on those who took it 

Paired Quotations:

“For I am all the subjects that you have,/Which was first mine own king” Caliban, The Tempest, Act I Scene II

“No name of magistrate./Letters should not be known” Gonzalo, The Tempest, Act II Scene I

Meaning and context

• In this scene, Caliban expresses frustration that Prospero has taken control of the island

• He tells Prospero that he is the only subject in his “kingdom” as nobody else lives on the island

• He reminds Prospero that he was once “king” of the island

• Later in the play, Gonzalo describes how he would rule if he was in power:

  • He lists a range of things he would declare as worthless, such as the power of authority to control men

Analysis

• Caliban uses language which presents him as able to communicate on an equal level to Prospero:

  • The metaphor of a kingdom describes social hierarchies which are foreign to the culture of the island

  • In this way he is able to use a semantic field which Prospero understands

  • This presents him as intelligent and powerless, purely due to Prospero’s oppressive control

• Gonzalo’s character contributes to the theme of power and control in the play:

  • He describes a Utopian society without authority or ranking

  • In this way he raises questions about social order and authoritarian control 

Magic and illusion

Shakespearean comedies, such as The Tempest, revolve around thwarted plans and romantic dilemmas, raising questions, via trickery and illusion, about what is real and what is false. Comedies, however, resolve these problems by the end with a wedding or marriage. The Tempest ends with marriage too. As well as this, in the final scene, Prospero pleads to the audience to release him from a spell so as to resolve any illusions witnessed in the play. 

Paired Quotations:

“I have with such provision of my art/So safely ordered” Prospero, The Tempest, Act I Scene II 

“I must obey. His art is of such power it would control my dam’s god” Caliban, The Tempest, Act I Scene II

Meaning and context

• Prospero tells Miranda he has full control over his magic, which he calls his “art”:

  • He says he can ensure nobody on the ship was harmed in the storm

• Later in the scene, Caliban refers to Prospero’s magic as so powerful that he could enslave the gods Caliban worships (gods of nature)

Analysis

• Shakespeare shows Prospero’s arrogance as he believes he has power to control human life against the power of nature:

  • This is ironic, as later in the play, Prospero realises his power is limited and has consequences 

• He refers to magic as “art”, here and elsewhere in the play:

  • This is indicative of magic as learned knowledge (an art form)

  • His reference to his books and library connects magic to knowledge 

  • Shakespeare often challenges Jacobean attitudes to magic, presenting it as knowledge gained from particular disciplines 

• However, Caliban’s attitude to Prospero’s magic illustrates the dangerous power magic holds:

  • His comparison of Prospero’s power with those of the island gods raises questions about abuse of power, in particular, regarding colonisation 

  • His short sentence highlights his feelings of resignation

“Be not afeared; the isle is full of noises,/Sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.” Caliban, The Tempest, Act III Scene II

Meaning and context

• In this scene Caliban reassures Stephano and Trinculo that the island is full of spirits but they are harmless

• Here, Caliban refers to the mysterious music they hear

• Ariel, the invisible nymph, has created an illusion and sings in order to lure the men

Analysis

• Caliban’s speech is rich in imagery and he speaks in unrhymed iambic pentameter:

  • This in itself conveys the theme of illusion as he is described as a monster and a savage

  • Here, audiences see Caliban’s love of the island and his comfort and familiarity with it

  • The sibilance of “sound” and “sweet airs” contributes to the magical quality of the scene

  • Caliban’s poetic speech presents him as a sensitive and intelligent character: 

• Caliban conveys the theme of illusion and magic positively in this scene which provides light relief

Paired Quotations:

“As I foretold you, were all spirits, and/Are melted into air, into thin air;” Prospero, The Tempest, Act IV Scene I

“We are such stuff/As dreams are made on” Prospero, The Tempest, Act IV Scene I

Meaning and context

• In the resolution, Prospero relinquishes control and surrenders his magical powers

• He explains that the characters and events are all spirits which have disappeared

• He ends his soliloquy stating that the play is similar to life: it is transitory and fades away like spirits in the air

Analysis

• Prospero’s repetition of “into air, into thin air” emphasises the illusory nature of the characters 

• The verb “melted” connotes to a vanishing or changing substance, which in this case alludes to the characters in the play

• The speech ends with a metaphor comparing life to a dream, in that it is short and fleeting 

• The imagery highlights themes regarding man’s illusion of power and control

Loss and betrayal

The Tempest presents the reactions of characters dealing with loss and betrayal on a small island. The setting contributes to a claustrophobic mood as characters lose and try to regain identity and dignity in the context of schemes and secrets. Shakespeare illustrates the way characters’ feelings of betrayal and loss can lead to equally treacherous actions. 

“By foul play, as thou sayst, were we heaved thence,” Prospero, The Tempest, Act I Scene II 

Meaning and context

• In this scene, Prospero tells Miranda that the reason they came to the island is because he was betrayed and had his dukedom taken by his brother 

• His reference to “foul play” suggests Prospero views betrayal as corrupt and unjust

Analysis

• Prospero’s use of the phrase “foul play” hints at the deception behind betrayal

• His use of the dynamic verb “heaved” emphasises the physical and violent exile to the island 

• This line is ironic as the audience witness, as he speaks, Prospero engaging in foul play by creating a storm to crash the ship

“And then I loved thee,/And show’d thee all the qualities o’ th’ isle,” Caliban, The Tempest, Act I Scene II

“brain him,/Having first seized his books, or with a log/Batter his skull” Caliban, The Tempest, Act III Scene II

Meaning and context

• Caliban expresses his sense of betrayal and loss as he tells Prospero he once loved him and helped him survive on the island

• Later, in Act III Scene III, Caliban plots with Stephano to betray Prospero:

  • First, he is to reduce Prospero’s power by taking his books

  • Then he is to hit him over the head

  • He gives Stephano a list of instructions:

Analysis

• Shakespeare develops the theme of betrayal in the exposition showing audiences Caliban’s distress in an emotive line:

  • Informing the audience that Caliban loves Prospero and helps him thrive when he first arrives on the island presents Caliban in a sympathetic light

  • This explains Caliban’s disgruntlement under Prospero’s assumed control 

• Shakespeare presents the dangerous consequences of Caliban’s strong sense of loss and betrayal in Act III Scene III:

  • His violent language vividly illustrates the consequences of betrayal

  • Caliban instructs Stephano to first take away his knowledge before hitting him on the head

  • Caliban fervently lists all the ways Stephano and Trinculo can kill Prospero:

  • The pun within the phrase “brain him” is humorous:

Paired Quotations:

“You are three men of sin, whom Destiny,/That hath to instrument this lower world” Ariel, The Tempest, Act III Scene III

“The rarer action is/In virtue than in vengeance” Prospero, The Tempest, Act V Scene I 

Meaning and context

• In the climax, Ariel confronts Sebastian, Alonso and Antonio who draw their swords

• Ariel tells the noblemen they are sinful for bringing violence and duplicity to the island

• Later, in the play’s resolution, Prospero admits that it is better to be merciful and forgive than to seek revenge

Analysis

• Ariel’s speech is earnest and sophisticated and uses religious language and abstract nouns:

  • The capitalisation of “Destiny” highlights the idea of inevitable accountability as the men are told that it was their fate to come to the island 

  • Ariel hints at the men’s fate, which consists of earthly consequences for their immorality:

• Ariel alludes in this speech to the noblemen’s uncivilised and inhuman nature:

  • This is ironic: the noblemen think the island is savage 

• Prospero’s religious language in the final scene mirrors Ariel’s here, perhaps suggesting the nymph has influenced Prospero 

• The alliteration of “vengeance” and “virtue” associates the play’s theme of betrayal and loss with the idea of morality and compassion