The Tempest has a range of moods that vary from dark and fearful to whimsical and magical to hopeful and happy. The opening sequence conveys a mood of darkness, violence, and fear, as Alonso, Antonio, and Gonzalo fight for their lives in a terrible storm. In Act 1, Scene 1, Miranda looks on and begs her father to stop it:
If by your art, my dearest father, you have
Put the wild waters in this roar, allay them.
The sky, it seems, would pour down stinking pitch,
But that the sea, mounting to the welkin's cheek,
Dashes the fire out. O, I have suffered
With those that I saw suffer: a brave vessel,
Who had, no doubt, some noble creature in her,
Dash'd all to pieces.
This initial scene creates a dark, tense mood that might make the audience initially question the play's status as a comedy.
Later in the play, Ariel's songs and speeches lend the play a whimsical mood, even though his interactions with Prospero are tinged with his longing for freedom. Thus, readers may feel torn between admiration for Ariel's magic and sympathy for the constraints that require him to perform it.
The play's ending imbues the story with a hopeful and happy mood. Prospero stops using his magic and desires to escape from the island. Miranda and Ferdinand plan to get married in Act 3, Scene 1:
Hence, bashful cunning!
And prompt me, plain and holy innocence!
I am your wife, if you will marry me;
If not, I'll die your maid: to be your fellow
You may deny me; but I'll be your servant,
Whether you will or no.
From the middle of the play to its end, then, the many conflicts begin to resolve themselves. This completely upends the initial mood of darkness and leads to a light, happy ending in which all characters are satisfied with their fates.
The Tempest has a range of moods that vary from dark and fearful to whimsical and magical to hopeful and happy. The opening sequence conveys a mood of darkness, violence, and fear, as Alonso, Antonio, and Gonzalo fight for their lives in a terrible storm. In Act 1, Scene 1, Miranda looks on and begs her father to stop it:
If by your art, my dearest father, you have
Put the wild waters in this roar, allay them.
The sky, it seems, would pour down stinking pitch,
But that the sea, mounting to the welkin's cheek,
Dashes the fire out. O, I have suffered
With those that I saw suffer: a brave vessel,
Who had, no doubt, some noble creature in her,
Dash'd all to pieces.
This initial scene creates a dark, tense mood that might make the audience initially question the play's status as a comedy.
Later in the play, Ariel's songs and speeches lend the play a whimsical mood, even though his interactions with Prospero are tinged with his longing for freedom. Thus, readers may feel torn between admiration for Ariel's magic and sympathy for the constraints that require him to perform it.
The play's ending imbues the story with a hopeful and happy mood. Prospero stops using his magic and desires to escape from the island. Miranda and Ferdinand plan to get married in Act 3, Scene 1:
Hence, bashful cunning!
And prompt me, plain and holy innocence!
I am your wife, if you will marry me;
If not, I'll die your maid: to be your fellow
You may deny me; but I'll be your servant,
Whether you will or no.
From the middle of the play to its end, then, the many conflicts begin to resolve themselves. This completely upends the initial mood of darkness and leads to a light, happy ending in which all characters are satisfied with their fates.
