The Tempest - Research, Story, My Character, Representations/Significance

THE TEMPEST:


In our classical theatre unit we are doing a main production and focusing on the play The Tempest. The Tempest is one of Shakespeare many plays written supposedly around 1610-11.



The Tempest, is based on an island in which Prospero a magician lives with his daughter Miranda. Prospero is the rightful Duchess of Milan however was commandeered by his brother Antonio who wanted the title for himself, but Prospero was helped by a good friend Gonzalo to get him and his daughter away in which they ended up on the island as a result.



Years into the future when Miranda is now 15 and Prospero has taken over the whole island as well as its inhabitants such as a grotesque island beast called Caliban in which he makes his slave. As well as other magical creatures on the island such as Ariel a magical sprite who had been trapped in a tree by Sycorax (previous ruler of the Island and Calibans Mother), Prospero freed him on the deal that Ariel would serve him.



At this time the King of Naples, Alonso as well as his son Ferdinand, his brother Sebastian, the duke of Milan Antonio, Gonzalo a friendly courtier and many other associates were travelling the seas on a ship back from the wedding of the Kings daughter Claribel to the King of Tunis. In this travel they embark a treacherous storm, throwing al the ships inhabitants into the sea, wrecking the ship just off the edge of the island.



Prospero and Miranda watched as the storm occurred and the ship wrecked. The people from the ship were dispersed around the island unscathed and completely dry.  Ferdinand, the kings son has been separated from the rest and the King fears him to be dead. Ferdinand meets Miranda, the pair instantly falling in love with one another, however Prospero puts him under a spell to work, to show that love can't come that easily.

On another part of the island, butler Stephano and Jester Trinculo were deposited from the wreck onto the island, where they meet Caliban who persuades to help him try to kill Prospero.


Simultaneously Antonio entices Sebastian to try and kill the King so that he will become King.

Ariel constantly leads them all towards Prospero. Eventually prospero approves of the marriage between Miranda and Ferdinand so sets him free. After putting the rest of them through different tests and punishing them, he leads them all to him. Prospero reveals himself, announces the betrothal of the young lovers, forgives the antagonists and announces that all the sailors are alive and the ship is in fine condition. He then proceeds to free Ariel before sailing back to Milan with all the others ready to take back his Dukedom.




In our version we have a female Prospero, Antonio, Sebastian and Gonzalo, so have become as a result Prospera, Antonia, Bastiana and Gonzala.

My character -

Gonzala -

Gonzala is a loyal, noble courtier from Milan, who is close with all the royals. She assisted Prospera and Miranda to escape and equipped them with lots of resources for survival such as books, clothes,  food, drinks like water and more necessities needed to live. She is very positive throughout the story trying to find the good out of everything even when everything is going wrong and is looking abysmal. Because of this she is constantly provoked and mocked by both Antonia and Bastiana.




My characters relationships -

Gondola have a range of relationships within the story, nearly every character has a connection in some way to her.



Within the royals, Gonzala has a strong friendship with the King, respecting him for his title as well as he is as a person, also them both being the elder ones of the group making them have more common grounds both mentally and physically. Throughout the play she is mainly concerned on helping him find his son and making sure that he doesn't lose hope and go into a star of misery.



With Antonia, she really despises the girl as knows what she did to Prospera and Miranda as well as continuously being the punch line of all her jokes. Throughout the story she is wary of Antonia and keeps an eye on her. However Gonzala may be elder than the others but she doesn't back when confronted or when someone offends the king, she has a lot of sass for an older character and always has a comeback fro Antonia and her witty comments.



Her relationship with Bastian is very similar to her one with Antonia however doesn't have as much against her as Antonia just that she's a bitch and mainly tries to ignore her presence like Antonia but still keeps an eye out just not as intensively as Antonia until the sleep scene in which she comes very aware of both the girls.



With Adriana she has a mutual affection with her as they are both not of royal backgrounds but are associated with them, as well as Gonzala being in that position that she interacts with people of all calibur giving her the connotation of being friendly and kind to all.



Role within the play/representations -

Gonzalas representations within the Tempest I think would be Loyalty, Wisdom and Positivity.

This is shown through her relationship with the King Alonso, continuously showing him support and backing him up as well as being insightful to their situation and making resourceful comments, but also likes to keep the mood up so the king doesn't sink into his melancholy over his son and not giving up.