Prospero is the central protagonist of The Tempest. He is the rightful Duke of Milan who was exiled to an island by his usurping brother. At the beginning of the play, Prospero uses his magic powers to conjure a tempest that causes his enemies' ship to wreck near the island. Throughout the play, Prospero seeks to regain his dukedom by manipulating the events and characters through his magic. He tests his daughter Miranda's love interest Ferdinand and torments his slave Caliban. By the end, Prospero's scheming results in forgiveness and reconciliation between the characters, allowing him to resume his rightful place as the Duke of Milan.

1. English research assignment
2012

3. BASIC INFORMATION
Character name: Prospero
Sex: Male
Play: The Tempest
Where the play is set: an island off Naples,
Italy
Genre: Dramatic Fantasy , Magic

4. CAST/CHARACTERS
 Prospero • Trinculo
 Miranda
• Stephano
 Ariel
• Boastwain
 Ferdinand
• Caliban
 Alonso
 Antonio
 Sebastian
 Gonzalo

5. PLOT SYNOPSIS
Prospero, the duke of Milan and a powerful
master of the arcane arts, was banished from
Italy to an abanded island by his usurping
brother, Antonio, and Alonso, the king of
Naples. As the play begins, Antonio and
Alonso come under Prospero’s magic power
as they sail past his island. Prospero seeks to
use his magic to make these lords repent and
restore him to his rightful place

6. IS HE AN PROTAGONIST OR
ANTAGONIST
Prospero is the central figure in the
play; he sets up all of the action, and
exerts his influence over the events
in some way. Despite interacting
differently with different characters,
Prospero is the central pivot in the
play, as events turn around him.

7. CONFLICTS DURING THE PLAY
Person vs. society: Prospero explains to
Alonso king of Naples he is the rightful duke of
Milan
Person vs. nature: he is a magician that has to
bend the elements to create the tempest so he
is fighting nature
Person vs. person: Ferdinand lover of Miranda
is fighting Prospero to prove that he is worthy
foe his daughter so he does the tasks set by
Prospero

8. GENRE
The play is a magic/fantasy romance. This
romance is between two of the main
characters Miranda and a lord called
Ferdinand. Whist this is going on Prospero
is trying to regain his rightful place by
outwitting the lords using magic. He tests
Ferdinand love for Miranda by sending him
on tasks

9. RISING ACTION
Prospero creates the tempest
causing his enemies ship to wreck
and its passengers to be
dispersed about the island

10. CLIMAX
Alonso and his party stop to rest and
Prospero causes a banquet to be set out
before them. Just as they are about to eat
Ariel appears in the shape of a harpy and
accuses them of their treachery against
Prospero Alonso is overwhelmed with
remorse

11. FALLING ACTION
Prospero brings Alonso before him and
forgives them. Prospero invites Alonso and
his company to stay the night before
everyone returns to Italy the next day.
Where Prospero will reassume dukedom

12. COMIC OR DRAMATIC RELIEF
Shakespeare's plays often include a comic
scene to release the dramatic tension. In the
play the tempest Trinculo is one of the comic
relief characters in the play the tempest.
Trinculo is the court jester who is afraid of
thunder and despite Caliban stinking and is
already wearing it. Another comic character in
the play the tempest is Stephano. Stephano is
a comic drunk who mistake Caliban for a four
legged animal.

13. THE DRIVING FORCE
The driving force of the plot is driven by my
character Prospero. Prospero duke of Milan and
a powerful magician was banished from Italy by
his usurping brother Antonio and Alonso king of
Naples. As the play begins, Antonio and Alonso
come under Prospero magical power as they sail
past his island. Prospero seeks to use his magic
to make these lords repent and restore him to his
rightful place.

14. WHAT RELATIONSHIPS DO THEY HAVE
WITH OTHER CHARACTERS
Prospero has a relationship between himself and his
daughter.
This is shown in the quote “awake, dear heart, awake.”
Prospero also has a bad relationship with Caliban
This is shown in the quote “all the infections that the sun
sucks up from bogs, fens, flats, on Prospero fall”
Prospero has a good relationship has a good relationship
with the character Ariel.
This is shown in the quote “why that’s my spirit”

15. WHAT MOTIVATIONS DRIVE YOUR
CHARACTER
The motivation the character Prospero of
the character Prospero is that he is the
rightful duke of Milan and he wants to get
his title back

16. HOW DOES BEHAVE TOWARDS TO
OTHERS
He behaves towards Caliban as if he was
a slave as shown in the quote “we’ll visit
Caliban, my slave”
He behaves towards his spirits as if they
were servants of him as shown in the
quote “come away, servant, away.”

17. HOW IS HE INFLUENCED BY
OTHERS
Prospero is influenced by the love
between Miranda and Ferdinand and
becomes more relaxed about the
relationship between them as sown in
the quote “take my daughter”
Prospero is influenced by his usurping
brother Antonio as he is banished from
Italy to an abanded island

18. DOES HE DRIVE THE CONFLICT OR IS
HE A VICTIM OF IT
He drives the conflict between several different
several different people like when he puts the
king to sleep and the two lords plan to kill the
king as shown in the quote “draw thy sword”
He also drives the conflict towards himself with
Caliban because he treats him so badly. This is
shown in the quote “thou most lying slave.”

19. WHAT IS HE LIKE AT THE END OF THE
PLAY
Prospero achieved many things in the play
Take for instance finding a good lover for Miranda
as shown in the quote “all thy vexations were but
trials of thy love, and thou last strangely stood the
tests
He also achieved the main force that was diving
him through the play and that was to restore his
rightful place as the duke of Milan. As shown in the
quote “thy dukedom I resign, and do entreat thou
pardon me my wrongs.”

20. BIBLIOGRAPHY
www.sparknotes.com
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tempest
bloggingshakespeare.com/the-tempest-comic-characters-strange-
bedfellows
http://www.shmoop.com/tempest/protagonist.html
Book- Shakespeare the animated tales the tempest by Leon Garfield
Book- Top ten Shakespeare stories by Terry Deary
Book-No fear Shakespeare the tempest

21. THE END