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Act V. Scene I. - Before the Cell of Prospero.
Miranda: "O, wonder! How many goodly creatures are
there here! How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,
/ That has such people in 't!"
Prospero brings everyone except Caliban, Stephano
and Trinculo before him in a circle. Spellbound, he
verbally reprimands several of the men who exiled him.
Prospero tells Ariel that he will soon be free and that
that he will miss him. Prospero also intends to destroy
his ability to use magic.
Making his presence known, Prospero forgives King
Alonso, and tells Sebastian and Antonio he will keep
secret their plan to kill Alonso, forgiving both.
The famously sweet scene of Ferdinand playing chess
with Miranda occurs. Prospero forgives Stephano and
Trinculo. Caliban is embarrassed that he followed a
fool (Trinculo). Caliban is given his freedom. Prospero
announces that in the morning they will all set sail
for Milan. Ariel is set free.
Prospero now dressed in his magic robes, is accompanied
by Ariel. His plan is coming to it's conclusion, "Now
does my project gather to a head:" (now my project or
plan gathers to its head or conclusion), (Line 1).
Prospero asks Ariel about the status of the King and
his followers. Ariel tells him that they are "Confin'd
together" (confined together) in the same way as Prospero
had earlier commanded Ariel; they are in the "line-grove"
which borders Prospero's cell and will not move until
Prospero demands it. The King and his brother Sebastian
and Antonio are distracted, the rest, largely mourning
over them, including "'The good old lord Gonzalo:'"
(Line 14).
Prospero commands Ariel to release them (Lines 20-32).
Prospero now alone, explains that he will soon break
his magic staff, and drown his magic book once his final
task is complete. He also recalls all the magic feats
he was capable of on this island (Lines 33-56).
Ariel now returns, bringing with him Alonso, Gonzalo,
Sebastian, Antonio, Adrian and Francisco. All enter
into a circle, Prospero has made and now Prospero speaks
to his "spell-stopp'd" (spell-stopped or spellbound)
audience (Line 61).
He praises Gonzalo and reprimands Alonso for his cruel
actions against him and his daughter (Line 72). He decides
to forgive both his brother Antonio and Sebastian who
would "have kill'd your king [King Alonso];" (Line 78).
Noting that not one of his spellbound audience "would
know [recognize] me" (Line 83), Prospero commands Ariel
to fetch his hat and rapier from his cell. He also reminds
Ariel to be quick, for soon he will be free.
Ariel returns, singing and Prospero tells Ariel how
much he will soon miss him (Lines 93-100). He commands
Ariel to now to head to the ship invisibly and bring
"the master and the boatswain" of the ship
to Prospero.
Prospero now makes his presence known to the King and
his followers. The King, now deeply embarrassed, disgraced
and remorseful of his actions, proclaims loudly his
guilt to Prospero and returns to Prospero his dukedom
of Milan (Lines 112-120).
Speaking only to Sebastian and Antonio, Prospero makes
it very clear that he knows what they were going to
do to their King. Prospero however will keep this a
secret.
"I here could pluck his highness' [Alonso's] frown
upon you, / And justify you traitors: at this time /
I will tell no tales" Prospero darkly warns (Line 126).
Prospero even forgives his brother (Lines 130-134)
but tells him that he will "require / My dukedom of
thee [you], which, perforce, I know, / Thou [you] must
restore" (Line 132).
Alonso now mourns for his son. Prospero joins him,
mourning for his lost daughter (she will soon be married
to Ferdinand), (Lines 138-171).
Alonso is confused, but the entrance to Prospero's
cell now opens to find the sight of Ferdinand and Prospero,
sweetly playing chess together.
Ferdinand greets his father and Miranda remarks on
the beauty of mankind: "O, wonder! How many goodly creatures
are there here! How beauteous mankind is! O brave new
world, / That has such people in't!" (Lines 181-183).
Alonso asks Ferdinand about Miranda, whom Ferdinand
explains he has taken for his wife thinking his father
dead. Alonso now gives his blessing (Lines 185-197)
and Prospero tells Alonso to forget the past. "Let us
not burden our remembrances / With a heaviness that's
gone" Prospero says (Line 199).
Ariel now returns, bringing in an amazed Master and
Boatswain who explains that they have now found "Our
king and company:" and that their ship is now fit for
sea (Line 221).
Prospero tells Alonso not to question these strange
happenings too deeply (Line 246) and Prospero now tells
Ariel to set "Caliban and his companions free;" (Line
252).
Caliban, Trinculo and Stephano are brought in, wearing
their stolen clothing. Antonio remarks that one of them
(Caliban) "Is a plain fish, and, no doubt, marketable"
(is a plain fish and no doubt marketable or capable
of earning money), (Line 266).
Prospero tells King and company of Caliban's mother
(Line 269) and now Trinculo and Stephano who are both
extremely drunk are told to return their clothes back
to where they found them (Line 298).
All three are remorseful, especially Caliban who is
especially embarrassed that he took a drunkard for a
god, saying that, "I'll be wise hereafter, / And seek
for grace. What a thrice-double ass / Was I, to take
this drunkard for a god, / And worship this dull fool!"
(Lines 294-296).
Prospero now invites the King and his followers to
stay the night in his cell where he will tell them of
his time on the island. In the morning they shall all
set sail for Milan and Prospero now tells Ariel that
he is free.
Epilogue:
Prospero asks the audience to free him to travel
back to Naples reclaiming his life as the right Duke
of Milan.
Prospero, now without any magic powers, asks his audience
to let him travel to Naples. Asking to be released from
his island by the audience's hands (clapping), Prospero
asks for prayer so that at the audience's indulgence,
Prospero may at last be set free.
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