The Tempest by William Shakespeare 9-11A

         The Tempest

Reasons for selection and synopsis
A powerful wizard, an airy sprite, a scheming brother and an evil
slave are drawn together by a violent storm on a long-forgotten
island in this classic tale of power, revenge and magic.
This is a stunning adaptation of Shakespeare’s final play. It is
written in accessible language and manages to capture the
excitement and wonder of the original play. This tale of magic
and mystery is brought to life by Tony Ross’s engaging black and
white illustrations.
You can watch an animated adaptation of the play here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learning/schoolradio/subjects/english/the_
tempest
Before reading…
Ask the children to look at the front cover. What do you think the
book will be about? What things can you see on the front cover?
What sort of story will it be? Who might enjoy it?
Now read the blurb – where any of your predictions correct? How
do the reviews on the back persuade you to read the book?

Look carefully at the cast list. Draw lines to match the name of the character to their role in the story.
Prospero                                 Prospero’s daughter
Miranda                                  Servant to Prospero
Caliban                                   A wizard and the rightful Duke of Milan
Ariel                                         Son to the King of Naples
Antonio                                   A cheeky, airy spirit who helps Prospero
Prince Ferdinand                  Prospero’s brother
Alonso                                     King of Naples

O, I have suffered
With those that I saw suffer! A brave vessel,
Who had, no doubt, some noble creature in her,
Dashed all to pieces!
Miranda, I.iii.

What might the ‘vessel’ be? Why does Miranda describe it as ‘brave’? What
has happened to the vessel? How do you know? Who might the ‘noble
creature’ be? How is Miranda feeling? Can you think of a phrase or group of
words that is similar in meaning to ‘dashed all to pieces’?

Pages 7 – 14

Vocabulary

The palm trees are ‘swaying like dancers’. What does this mean? Is this an
effective simile?
What is a ‘staff’? (pg 9) Can the word have more than one meaning?
Look at the following sentence. Can you replace the words in bold with synonyms?

‘he lifted the staff in his right hand, and forked lightning crackled…’
Can you find and copy a word on page 14 that means the same as ‘magical’?

Infer

Who is controlling the storm? How do you know?
Why is Miranda’s hair ‘whipping about her face’ (pg 10)?
What might Miranda be thinking and feeling as she watches the ship?
How do we know that Miranda is confused by her father’s comments on page 13?
Why do you think Prospero puts Miranda into an enchanted sleep?

Predict

Read to the end of page 11. What do you think will happen to the ship?
Read to the end of page 12. Where do you think the ship has vanished to?
What do you think the ‘wrong’ might be on page 13?

Explain

Explain why a wave might look like a ‘startled horse’ (pg 12).
During the storm, Prince Ferdinand is on board the ship and cries out, “Hell is
empty and all the devils are here”. Can you explain to a partner what this might mean?
Explain what Prospero might mean when he says, “Soon, my brother!” on page 14.

Retrieve

What evidence is there on page 7 that the storm is violent?
Use the description of Prospero on pages 8 and 9 to draw and label a picture of him.
What happens on page 13 when Prospero lowers his hands?

Summarise

Look at the illustration on page 11 of Prospero. Can you think of some words
to describe him and summarise your first impressions of him?
Can you summarise the events of these pages in three sentences?
Re-write the events on these pages from Miranda’s point of view.

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