The Tempest

by William Shakespeare

The Tempest: Situational Irony 1 key example

New! Understand every line of The Tempest.
Read our modern English translation.
Act 1, scene 2
Explanation and Analysis—The Role of Language:

Language is a prominent motif in The Tempest. In Act 1, Scene 2, Caliban curses Prospero for teaching him his language:

You taught me language; and my profit on't
Is, I know how to curse. The red plague rid you
For learning me your language!