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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the banquet scene reveal about Alonso, Sebastian and Antonio?

2. What does Prospero say about Caliban's distorted looks?

3. What does Prospero comment on in regard to Antonio and Sebastian?

4. Who does Alonso recognize Trinculo and Stephano as?

5. Who does Ariel bring back at Prospero's request?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Act V, Scene I, why does Prospero whisper to Antonio and Sebastian that he knows of their plans to kill Alonso?

2. Why does Prospero, in Act IV, Scene I, decide to torment Trinculo, Stephano and Caliban rather than continue his revenge on Antonio?

3. In Prospero's soliloquy after the magical performance, what is the significance of his reference to the nature of being and the nature of life?

4. How does Gonzalo's understanding about Antonio's and Sebastian's plan reveal a similarity between himself and Ferdinand and Miranda?

5. What is Stephano's ulterior motive in the plan to murder Prospero?

6. Describe the tempest and how it is developed metaphorically throughout the play and eventually ended.

7. How does Ariel meddle with the Stephano, Trinculo and Caliban trio in Scene II of Act III?

8. How does Ariel instill remorse in some of the characters when he appears following the banquet?

9. How does Caliban reveal his humane side in Act III, Scene II?

10. What spirits does Prospero summon for the magical performance when he sees Ferdinand getting too close to Miranda?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

"We are such stuff/As dreams are made on." Who says this in a famous soliloquy in "The Tempest?" What is the meaning of this verse? What is its significance in regard to the rest of the play?

Essay Topic 2

What is the importance of the exposition within a story? What does it do? Where in The Tempest is the exposition? Think about character development, plot and foreshadowing of events to come. Cite examples from the play's exposition that accomplish these objectives.

Essay Topic 3

What is the purpose of the musical scenes in The Tempest? What do they do for the plot? The characters? The audience? Cite examples from the play and bear in mind Shakespeare's contemporary period.

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