This, the last act in the play, illustrates Prospero’s beneficence in forgiving his brother and his skill at regaining his lost power. Fernando and his father are reunited, Ariel gains his liberty, having successfully carried out Prospero’s wishes, and Prospero extends this freedom to Caliban who regrets having subjected himself to Stephano, “this dull fool.” (L. 297). Prospero and the foreigners plan their voyage back to Italy, where Fernando and Miranda’s marriage will take place.
Shakespeare does not give us any indication here of Caliban’s response to the foreigners’ exodus from the island, and students could conjecture at this point about his innermost feelings. Is he happy that they’re leaving? Will he miss these people even though he has been subjugated by them? How do students think his new language and worldly knowledge have altered his perceptions? It might be interesting to imagine that Caliban travels back to Italy with the Europeans in the light of the following quote from Montaigne, his account of a native of the New World’s visit to Europe:
Three of these people (New World natives) . . . were at Rouen at the time that the late King Charles the Ninth was there. The king talked to them a good while; and they were shown our fashions, our pomp, and the form of a fair city. After that someone asked their opinion and wanted to know what they had found most to be admired . . . They said . . . that they had observed that there were among us men full and crammed with all kinds of good things while their halves were begging at their door, emaciated with hunger and poverty; and that they thought it strange that these needy halves were able to suffer such an injustice, and that they did not take the others by the throat or set fire to their houses.
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Students can observe here several references to the magical qualities of Prospero’s robes and to his donning of the garments, including his “hat and rapier”, (L. 118) which he wore in Italy, symbolizing his relinquishing of power. The charm is extinguished when he states:
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. . . I’ll break my staff
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Bury it certain fadoms in the earth,
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And deeper than did ever plummet sound
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I’ll drown my book.
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(L. 5457)
As an exercise students can dramatize the stage direction which reads:
. . . they [Alonso, Sebastian, Antonio, Adrian, Francisco] all enter the circle which Prospero had made, and there stand charm’d
(L. 5658)
They can then react to Prospero’s statement:
. . . There stand, for you are spellstopp’d
(L. 6061)
Prospero grants Ariel his much desired liberty and Ariel’s song (L. 8893) describes his delight in controlling his life once again. The musical notation is included in the Arden edition, and a class singalong might follow with simple live or taped accompaniment:
(figure available in print form)
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Encourage students to contemplate what they would enjoy doing if they found themselves in Ariel’s situation, tasting freedom after a long period of subjugation. Their thoughts could be transposed into the text of a song, using the same tune as Ariel’s.
