Scene i: The opening shipwreck scene is prefaced by Shakespeare with the stage directions "a tempestuous noise of thunder and lightning is heard." We are aboard a sailing ship in uncharted waters and in the midst of a violent storm, the thunder and lightning being but the first brace of the special effects that fill the play. Apart from the ship's captain and crew, there are five major male characters on board: Alonso, the King of Naples; his son, the young man Ferdinand; his brother, Sebastian; Antonio the Duke of Milan; and a counselor to the King, Gonzalo. In this brief scene, while the King and his son are at prayers below, Antonio and Sebastian curse the sailors as fools and drunkards who are unable to hold the ship together in the storm; the "good counselor" Gonzalo refrains from this useless carping. But the ship splits and all of its passenger and crew are dumped into the violent seas off Prospero's Island.

     Scene ii: The setting now moves to dry land, to what we shall refer to as Prospero's Island, and there we see Prospero himself, the brother of Antonio and once the Duke of Milan himself, speaking with his daughter, Miranda. She has witnessed the shipwreck off the coast of the Island, knows that her father's magic caused the storm, and is empathetically disturbed by the suffering at hand. Prospero, a master sorcerer and the ruler of the Island's strange inhabitants (which include sprites like Ariel and the half-human monster Caliban), assures her that no harm has been done, that all of those aboard the ship are now safe on the Island. Prospero then discloses to Miranda why he has caused the storm and what her actual background is. We learn that Miranda came to the Island when she was only 2 years old. Prior to that, Prospero had been the Duke of Milan. His brother Antonio, however, with King Alonso's approval, took over Prospero's estate and then set him adrift in a leaky craft with his infant daughter. Had it not been for Gonzalo's provision of food and water, they would have died; instead, they reached the exotic island where Prospero now reigns, Gonzalo having preserved Prospero's book of magic. The time is now right, he tells her, to bring his "perfidious" brother and his accomplices (King Alonso and his brother Sebastian), to a reckoning of sorts. Beyond this, Prospero is silent about what his plans are. Miranda falls asleep and the winged-sprite Ariel enters. It is through Ariel that Prospero has caused the storm, and Ariel tells his master that he has carried out his instructions to a tee. We then learn that when Prospero came to the Island, Ariel had been imprisoned in a tree stump for refusing to carry out the evil orders of its ruler at the time, the "hag-witch" Sycorax. Prospero used his magic to free Ariel on the condition that the sprite now serve him; Ariel wants to be freed from this bond and Prospero assures him that he will release him from service once his plan for Antonio and the others has been carried out. Prospero gives Ariel additional instructions, telling him to become invisible to the shipwrecked mortals. The sprite departs, Miranda wakes up, and Prospero summons another one of the Island's fabulous denizens, Caliban, the son or spawn of Sycorax, whom the master magician has already described as "a freckled whelp, hag born), not honor'd with/A human shape" (ll.282-283). Caliban too is under Prospero's magic, consigned to menial labor that he performs in a resentful, surly way for fear of being pinched by spirits under the magician's command. We learn that Prospero enslaved Caliban because the "abhorr'd slave" tried to rape Miranda. Caliban expresses no remorse for his lust, saying that he wished he had "peopled else/This island with Calibans" (ll.349-350). After Prospero sends Caliban to gather some wood, Ariel returns with the youthful Prince of Naples, Ferdinand, entranced by the sprite's piping and songs. Ferdinand is the first human that Miranda has seen since she was a baby and she immediately falls in love with him; for his part, Ferdinand is charmed by Miranda's almost supernatural beauty and charm. Her father approves of their love but he wishes to test the young man (and his love for Miranda) by first putting him to hard labor. As part of the test, Prospero tells his daughter that Ferdinand is actually a poor example of a young man. He then sends Ariel on another mission.

Act II

     Scene i: On another part of the island, King Alonso is in despair, believing that his son Ferdinand has been lost at sea. Gonzalo tries to console him, saying that Ferdinand may still be alive, but Antonio and Sebastian mock these false hopes, asserting that the king's son must be dead. Invisible to all of them, Ariel arrives and puts Alonso and Gonzalo asleep. As they lay in slumber, Antonio suggests to the king's brother Sebastian that this is a perfect opportunity to murder Alonso and (with his son dead) for Sebastian to become the next king. Sebastian eventually gets Antonio's drift, they draw their swords, but before they can strike the king and Gonzalo, Ariel (still invisible) returns and rouses the intended victims from their sleep. Unaware of the plot against him, King Alonso and the other three men continue their search for Ferdinand.

     Scene ii: On yet another part of the island, Caliban encounters one of the king's shipwrecked court, the jester Trinculo. Trinculo is amazed by Caliban and is unable to say whether the monster is a man or a fish. When thunder roars, Trinculo becomes frightened and hides under Caliban's cloak. Just then, another comic character, the court butler Stephano appears, and it is apparent from his songs and the bottle that he carries with him that Stephano is drunk on wine that he salvaged from the ship. Seeing Trinculo and Caliban in the same outercloak, Stephano thinks he is in the presence of a single, two-headed creature. The confusion is resolved and Stephano gives some wine to Caliban. Caliban is elated with its effects, he offers to serve Stephano and Trinculo as gods, saying that he will exchange his old master Prospero for these new masters as the trio sallies forth toward more bottles of wine.

Act III

     Scene i: Back at Prospero's cell, we see Ferdinand carrying a heavy pile of wood. While the young man rebels in words at this menial servitude, he is still happy to perform the task because his beloved Miranda is nearby. Miranda enters; the lovers affirm their ardor for each other; eavesdropping, Prospero is pleased by Ferdinand's attitude, is glad that his daughter has found a worthy husband-to-be, but then says that he must keep his grand plan on schedule.

     Scene ii: Going back to the drunken trio of Caliban, Trinculo and Stephano, the monster becomes displeased by Trinculo and says that he will only serve Stephano. He proposes that Stephano kill Prospero and seize the source of his magical powers, his sorcerer's book, taking Miranda as his bride and then naming Trinculo and Caliban as his Viceroys. Cloaked by invisibility, Ariel appears to us on stage and sets the three at odds with each other through insulting asides. The sprite then plays a tune on his tabor and pipe, and leads these three fools along.

     Scene iii: On another part of the island, the King and his company search for Ferdinand. Now invisible himself, Prospero causes a magic banquet to appear attended by spirits in many Shapes. When Sebastian and Antonio move toward the goods that they have brought with them, however, the spirits and the banquet vanish into thin air. Disguised as a harpy, Ariel addresses Alonso, Antonio, and Sebastian as "three men of sin." He reveals that the man whom they wronged a dozen years ago, Prospero, has brought them to this island to exact revenge. He tells them that they will be tormented by spirits under Prospero's command until they repent, atone for their misdeeds, and disown evil-doing. The men are amazed by this as a still-hidden and unheard Prospero congratulates Ariel and Gonzalo approves of the justice that is now at hand.

Act IV

     Scene i: The only scene of Act IV takes place in front of Prospero's cell. The magician apologizes to Ferdinand for having been so hard on him and reveals that the enforced labor ordeal was a test of the youth's character and love for Miranda. Ferdinand has passed the test and Prospero calls forth a series of ancient goddesses (Iris, Ceres, and Juno) all of whom bless the union of Ferdinand and Prospero's daughter. Nymphs and musicians lend further revelry to the festive scene. Almost as an afterthought, Prospero then remembers that Caliban and his new masters are plotting to kill him. He arranges for Ariel to bring them to his cell and to place some regal garments in their path. Seeing these beautiful clothes, Trinculo and Stephano move immediately to put them on, but Caliban is angry with them, realizing that this is one of Prospero's tricks and fearing the punishment that the magician will inflict on him once the assassination plan has gone awry. Prospero unleashes spirits in the form of hunting dogs who chase after the three plotters. With this out of the way, Prospero says that since his brother, the king, and Sebastian are now at his mercy, the final phase of the plan is at hand: he will be merciful toward all of his enemies and will release Ariel from bondage soon.

Act V

     Scene i: Again the only scene of the act, the final movement of the play remains at Prospero's cell. Ariel reports to Prospero that his enemies are now captured after their harrowing experience, while the good and loyal Gonzalo is grief-stricken by Ferdinand's apparent death. Prospero again affirms his promises to be merciful, to free Ariel, and then to leave the Island and his magical powers behind when he returns to his rightful place in human society as Duke of Milan. He sheds his sorcerer's robes and dons his Duke's noble attire. Antonio, Alonso, and Sebastian arrive in Ariel's tow and once their senses have been restored, they learn that Prospero, the man whom they wronged, is behind the bizarre travails that they have suffered. They are penitent, Prospero forgives them, and, in return, his brother and the king recognize him as the rightful ruler of Milan. Alonso's grief over Ferdinand comes to an end when Prospero reveals the young man with Miranda and their wedding plans are announced. Some of the minor characters, including the captain of the wrecked ship, arrive and marvel at the scene before them, and we learn that the ship itself has been miraculously repaired (it is through Ariel that this final marvel has occurred). Prospero invites virtually everyone (save the drunken trio and Antonio) into his cell for a wedding celebration that includes a dance or masque. He then makes good on his promise of freeing Ariel and recites the play's closing epilogue speech to the audience, asking them to free him from the bond of producing more shows for their amusement.