The Tempest

The Characters

From left to right: Prospero, Miranda, Caliban, Ariel

Prospero

Prospero is a sorcerer who lives on a desert island with his daughter Miranda, a monster Caliban, Ariel - a spirit who serves him, and many other magical creatures.

Ralph Fiennes (aka Voldemort) as Pospero

Before he arrived on the island, Prospero was Duke of Milan, but he was betrayed by his evil, ambitious brother Antonio, and set adrift on a boat with his baby daughter. Thanks to a devoted friend, Gonzalo, Prospero had food and clothes and his precious books of magic and his magic staff in the boat. When he arrived on the island, he made it his home.

On the day the play begins, Prospero discovers that his brother Antonio, King Alonso, Sebastian (the King's brother), Ferdinand (the King's son) and Gonzalo are on a ship sailing nearby. He conjures up a storm to force them onto the island where he plans to get his revenge.

Miranda

Felicity Jones as Miranda in The Tempest (2010)

Miranda is Prospero's daughter, a young girl who has lived on the island nearly all her life. She has never seen other people except her father, and she does not remember how she came to the island. Prospero tells her everything after the Tempest. She finds Prince Ferdinand wandering alone, and the two fall in love - which has been Prospero's plan all along.

Ariel

Ben Whishaw as Ariel

Ariel is a spirit who serves Prospero. When Prospero came to the island, Ariel had been imprisoned by a wicked witch, Caliban's mother. Prospero saved him, but promised to set him free only after he had served him for a number of years. Ariel now wants to be set free because the time is up, but he has to help the sorcerer with his revenge. Ariel follows the castaways around the island, scaring them, or soothing them, leading them all the time towards Prospero.

Caliban

Caliban is a monster, the son of a wicked witch who used to live on the island. Caliban had been Prospero's pupil, and he had learnt to speak thanks to the sorcerer who treated him like a son. But one day he tried to harm Miranda and Prospero punished him by making him a servant. Now Caliban hates Prospero and wants nothing better than to get rid of him. After the Tempest, he meets Trinculo, the King's jester, and Stefano, the King's drunken butler. After getting drunk, Caliban thinks they are gods and convinces them to murder Prospero and rule the island.

Ferdinand

Prince Ferdinand

Prince Ferdinand is King Alonso's son. After the shipwreck, he is separated from his father and the other nobles by Ariel who lures him away with music. During his wanderings, Ferdinand meets Prospero and Miranda, who thinks that he is the most handsome person she has ever seen. Prospero pretends to be severe with him, and makes him gather wood. As he is doing so, Miranda comes to him and the two fall in love. Prospero is very pleased and tells Ferdinand that he has passed his test and can get engaged to Miranda. Then the sorcerer conjures up a magical engagement celebration for the couple, with goddesses and nymphs and spirits.

King Alonso

King Alonso is the King of Naples. He was in the plot to get rid of Prospero and give Milan to his evil brother Antonio. Now he is on the island, Alonso is heartbroken because he has lost his son and is afraid that he will never see him again. 

Gonzalo

Gonzalo is a good man, the nobleman who had helped Prospero and Miranda by giving them food and clothes and the magic books. When Ariel appears to the King and his nobles as a monstrous Harpy, Gonzalo is the only one who cannot see him and be frightened, because he has a clean conscience. Prospero wants to see him to thank him for all that he has done for him.

Antonio

Antonio is Prospero's evil and ambitious brother who stole Milan away from him and wanted him and Miranda to die in a small boat at sea. Even though he is now the Duke of Milan, Antonio is still not happy and plots with Sebastian, the King's brother, to kill the King.

Sebastian

Sebastian is the King's brother. He lets Antonio convince him to try to kill the King while he is asleep but Ariel wakes him up just in time. 

Sebastian and Antonio plotting to kill the King

Trinculo

Trinculo is the King's jester or clown, a comic character but also a bit of a villain. He wanders off all alone on the island and sees Caliban hiding under a cloak. Trinculo thinks that if he took such a monster back to Naples, he'd make a lot of money for showing him to people. When Stefano comes along, they get drunk and plot with Caliban to kill Prospero and rule the island. But Trinculo and Caliban do not get along, and Ariel plays a trick on them so that finally Stefano beats Trinculo up. Later on, he and his other two accomplices are chased by the spirits dressed as hounds and wolves.

Trinculo and Stefano running away from the wolves

Stefano

Stefano is another comic villain, King Alonso's butler and also a drunk. He comes across Trinculo and Caliban as he is wandering around aimlessly singing and drinking. He makes Caliban drunk and Caliban thinks that he is a god. Stefano tells him that he fell out of the moon and Caliban believes him. The butler likes the idea of ruling the island and he also wants to marry Miranda whom he has never seen. However, he is easily distracted, and wastes time trying on the beautiful clothes that Ariel and the spirits bring to stop them from reaching Prospero's cave and ruining his plans. The spirits then turn into dogs and wolves and chase Stefano and the others into a smelly pond until Prospero sends for them.