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Structure
Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 30 general entries.
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Tempest
| At the beginning of the play, the ship's master cries 'yarely or we run ourselves aground'. What does 'yarely' mean? | The Tempest
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briskly. He's telling the boatswain to speak to the mariners. The boatswain himself uses the word 'yare' as an adjective in Act 5: 'our ship...is tight and yare and bravely rigg'd.'
| Why does Gonzalo take comfort from the boatswain? | The Tempest
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He was born to be hanged, not drowned. Gonzalo, clutching at straws.
| Of which Italian city state had Prospero been duke before being banished to the island? | The Tempest
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Milan. Due to the demands of iambic pentameter, the word Milan should always be ponounced Millen on stage, rather than Mil-AN.
| Who provided Prospero and Miranda with the necessities for survival on the island? | The Tempest
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Gonzalo. Prospero throughout the play speaks affectionately of {Gonzalo;} it is worth remembering when critics accuse Prospero of being an aloof and autocratic figure.
There's wood enough within. Caliban is concealed in his den at this point - at The Globe in the early 17th century, the den would have been situated at the back of the stage, enhancing the drama of Caliban's entrance.
| When Ariel sings 'Full fadom five thy father lies', to whom does the word 'father' refer? | The Tempest
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Alonso. Alonso, of course, is not drowned - ironically, he is simultaneously bewailing the loss of his son.
| Who tries to console Alonso with a speech beginning 'Sir, he may live: I saw him beat the surges under him...'? | The Tempest
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Francisco. Other than this speech, Francisco has only three other words in the {play;} some critics have inferred that there is therefore a 'lost' version of The Tempest in which Adrian and Francisco had a much more prominent part, their goodness paralleling the wickedness of Antonio and Sebastian.
| What major flaw does Sebastian identify in Gonzalo's description of his Utopian commonwealth? | The Tempest
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No sovereignty on the island and yet he would be king of it. Dear old Gonzalo - he deserves better than to be the butt of Antonio and Sebastian's constant gibes. His 'I'th'commonwealth' speech draws heavily from Montaigne's 'Des Cannibales'
| For which creature does Trinculo initially mistake Caliban? | The Tempest
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fish. It is Caliban's rather dubious scent as he lies beneath his 'gaberdine' that leads Trinculo to make his mistake.
| What phrase does Stephano use when he invites Trinculo and Caliban to drink from his wine bottle? | The Tempest
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Kiss the book. Stephano's ample supplies of wine have come from the 'butt of sack' that he used as a lifeboat during the tempest.
| What phrase does Ariel, feigning Trinculos' voice, use to infuriate Stephano and Caliban? | The Tempest
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Thou liest. This scene is derivative of the 'echo-scene' which was a staple of the commedia del'arte.
| What two instruments are played by Ariel, prompting Caliban's 'Be not afeard, the isle is full of noises' speech? | The Tempest
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tabor and pipe. A tabor was a small drum, worn at the side.
| Ariel appears to the three men of sin as a harpy. What is a harpy a cross between? | The Tempest
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a woman and an eagle. The best description of the harpy I have ever read comes in Book 3 of Virgil's Aeneid: 'No monster is more grim than the Harpies: no stroke of divine wrath was ever more cruel and no wickeder demon ever soared upwards from the waters of Styx. They are birds with girls' countenances and a disgusting outflow from their bellies. Their hands have talons and their faces are always pallid with hunger.'
| What does Propspero use to chase away Stephano, Caliban and Trinculo? | The Tempest
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spirits in the shape of dogs and hounds. The critic Thorndike has seen in the hunting scene a kind of 'anti-masque', that should be looked at in conjunction with the wedding masque that immediately precedes it.
| At what game are Ferdinand and Miranda discovered by Prospero? | The Tempest
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chess. An interesting moment. Might the fact that the young lovers are discovered playing chess hint that the unification of Milan and Naples may not proceed as smoothly as anticipated?
| What does Sebastian rather surprisingly exclaim when he sees Ferdinand and Miranda? | The Tempest
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A most high miracle!. Hitherto, Sebastian has seemed a snide and cynical figure. Can we at this point, though, see the genuine relief of a fond uncle? If so, it places his earlier, extraordinarily harsh apportioning of blame upon Alonso for Sebastian's death - 'the fault's your own!' - in a slightly kinder context.
| How many times does Antonio speak in Act Five Scene 1 (the last scene of the play)? | The Tempest
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Once. His virtual silence suggests that the reconciliation between the two brothers is superficial at best.
| Which character does Miranda fall in love with? | The Tempest
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Ferdinand. She describes him as "a thing divine".
Caliban. Prospero says: "Thou didst seek to violate the honour of my child".
| How long have Prospero and Miranda lived on the island? | The Tempest
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12 years. "Miranda, twelve years since thy father was Duke of Milan..."
Caliban. "This island's mine, by my mother Sycorax" Caliban says.
Prospero. He has magic powers from studying his books.
| Which three men are being referred to in this quote?
"You three men of sin did supplant good Prospero..." | The Tempest
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Antonio, Alonso and Sebastian. Prospero forgives the men at the end of the play.
a tree. He was imprisoned by Sycorax and freed by Prospero.
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