The Tempest Act I Journal Entries

Tsvetan Wrote:
It has been a little bit confusing so far, but overall I don’t think I’m lost. I know what’s going on and even though the language is hard I understand most of it.

I noticed that Shakespeare chose to make it very romantic, with kind of a fairy tale love, because Prospero’s daughter, Miranda and Ferdinand fell in love with each other the moment they met. It seemed like it was a part of Prospero’s grand scheme, so I think that there might be some magic involved there. Other than that I’m very curious now what Prospero’s plan is, because he was pretending to be upset by the love between his daughter and Ferdinand, yet he said that everything is going according to plan. I was also surprised to see how verbose Caliban is, considering he learned to speak pretty late in his life, after Prospero taught him.

Chloe Wrote:
When I read this on my own it was difficult for me to understand and my mind just could not grasp the words or make any sense of them. I felt like I was just reading the words and going back and forth between the characters not understanding the situation or conversations. However once we read it aloud in class my understanding for it definitely deepened. It was easier to distinguish the characters and their attitudes as they were finally separated and their own person as opposed to me reading every one and getting mixed up in my mind. The language also became a little clearer, I mean there is still some confusion and frustration over it seeing as how it is completely different but I could slowly get used to reading it. I think reading aloud helped the language to become clearer because it was getting broken up by each character saying their own lines and as a group we were able to go over what was happening. When you read a play to yourself especially Shakespeare it’s just a bunch of words that run on and on with no clarity.

So far the play isn’t that bad. It isn’t my personal favorite and I wouldn’t choose to read this on my own but I could get into it as long as we continue to go over it now and then. What I like about this play and many that Shakespeare has written is that he uses universal themes in his works of literature. I love how you can always find something to relate to and compare it to other situations or readings to better understand it. It’s also funny to think about how were this written in a language we understood better they are actually really interesting stories.

I’m most excited or interested to see how Prospero plans on getting his title back and having everything work out to his liking. The fact that he uses magic to do so surprised me as I didn’t think that would be a theme in this play. The few of Shakespeare’s works that I have read or heard of or been exposed to somehow don’t usually have magic as being part of them, I saw Shakespeare more into people and their interactions between one another. I also like Miranda because so far she is the only female character we have come across and she seems to have some secrets of her own or an interesting mind due to the fact she remembers her past when she shouldn’t. I would like to see this play performed by professionals I have a feeling it would be much more enthralling. However I know it will surprise me in the end and by then I will be interested greatly it is just hard to get through.

Josh Wrote:
The first thing I have to comment on, however obvious it may be, is the difficulty of understanding some of the words in context the first time I read a line. I believe that reading the text out loud as it is intended to be read makes comprehending the action much easier. However, at other times I find the unfamiliar dialect entertaining. Some lines which stood out to me were on page 851, where Prospero asks Miranda, "Dost thou attend me?" to which Miranda replies, "Sir, most heedfully." Another example is on page 864, where Miranda makes a comment about a spirit and Prospero responds with, "No, wench. It eats, and sleeps, and hath such senses as we have, such." The more I read, the more I find Shakespearian or Elizabethan English to be comical.

Nicole Wrote:
I like that the play begins in a frantic state on a boat during a dangerous storm that is caused by the Tempest. Though Shakespeare brings many characters into the story all at once, the reader can quickly get a sense of these characters' personalities. I guess we do see who people really are in times of panic.
It is interesting that Shakespeare decided to use a time of panic to introduce his characters. I am guessing that we are seeing the worst side to these characters because of the situation. Shakespeare seems to have given us their normally hidden sides to examine first. But the mariners still try to hide their fear of the storm for some peculiar reason that intrigues me, unless they are just plain cowardly. I am also curious to know why Gonzalo believes that Boatswain should be hanged and not drowned. What kind of act has Boatswain committed to make a man believe such a thing?

Everett Wrote:
As far as Act I of The Tempest goes, I can't tell what or how it'll go. No signs of romance have flickered through characters yet, but I can make a few uneducated guesses...

Like a lot of Shakespeare's writing, I bet the love between two characters will be forbidden or frowned upon. Even plays that are not romance, contain forbidden factors to them. For example, I recently went to the play Macbeth, which has to do with a desire to have power and control, a power that is not entitled to them, so they take matters into there own hands. It seems like the major conflict in most of his work is a forbidden desire for someone or something. In Tempest, I'm predicting the Duke's daughter falling in love with the king's son. The Duke and his daughter live on an island, in a cave, which makes me assume he was banished and punished for something. The King may have had say

Another factor of Macbeth and so far in The Tempest, is the fact that I can hardly understand what it is that is being said. Macbeth made absolutely no sense to me with the language so foreign and sophisticated. The Tempest hasn't been quite as bad, but at the same time that is because we read the first act together and analyzed it together. I think that going through The Tempest in class rather than at home is the best way for myself to get what is going on without falling behind or completely misunderstanding the text.

Otherwise, it's a little too early to decide whether I like The Tempest or not, but I am approaching it positively.

Katherine Wrote:
So far, I am having trouble understanding some parts of the play, but other than that, I am enjoying the play. My favorite part so far in act I, scene I, when Boatswain is telling the people of higher class that they need to go down stairs because they are in his way. The fact that this low class person is being sarcastic and out right rude to these people shows that Boatswain does not care about what class he belongs to, he will speak his mind regardless. The people of the higher class were definitely bothered by his remarks and felt offended. My favorite line is when Sebastian says to boatswain “A pox o’ your throat, you bawling, blasphemous in-charitable dog!” (847). I do not know why exactly I like this line but I just thought it was a funny thing to call someone. I guess I’m just not used to hearing language like that. Over all I like the play I’m just having trouble following what is going on.

Bobby Wrote:
From reading The Tempest so far, the language is presented itself to be a challenge for me. Though I have read Hamlet, I did not remember the Shakespearean language to be this difficult. I have noticed since it is a romance play, some similarities with Romeo and Juliet such as love at first sight and forbidden love. Though it may not be clear if it is really forbidden because when Ferdinand and Prospero met, it seemed at first Prospero did not mind that Miranda and Ferdinand took a liking to each other. I think that’s only because it might be part of his plan. He has a tight control over his subjects and is the cause of the storm that shipwrecked his brother and the king of Naples. I predict that he has a sinister plan to either get revenge on his brother or take back his title of duke.

A question I have is why does Prospero tell his past to his daughter now? From the text, it seems like Miranda is a young adult or near that age. I also wonder why at that particular moment he decided to reveal the past to her, a time when he caused the storm to sink the King’s ship. It mentioned that Ferdinand is only the third man she has seen. Miranda does not seem to get out much or leave her home. A characteristic shared by Denver from Beloved.

Zeehan Wrote:
As I was reading scene two of part one, the story reminded me of Hamlet a lot, which made me think that Shakespeare uses the same themes in his plays, such as disloyalty, jealousy, love, and revenge. Relating to Hamlet, when Prospero told Miranda the story of how Antonio betrayed him and became powerful, it reminded me of how Claudius killed his own brother for the throne. Through reoccurring actions such as these in his plays, Shakespeare is probably suggesting that jealousy and betrayal is in human nature, which is caused by desire of power and money. The language of the story made it rather difficult and longer to read. Also like in Hamlet, both of the kings were kind of naïve, and trusted their brothers, who were very jealous and cunning. Also like Hamlet, ghosts help the protagonist take revenge from the antagonist, except in the tempest Arial had to do it because it was his punishment for his crime. I really don’t like Prospero because he thinks too highly of himself, he still can’t accept the fact the he is not in his royal state anymore. He thinks that everyone loves him and that he is responsible for all the good things that happened to people. I hated the way he spoke to Caliban so condescendingly. But I guess that’s how people acted with slaves at that time. It’s surprising however, the way Caliban speaks. This is believable because he only learned to behave and act the way his master taught him to. In the end, I was confused. Did Prospero want Miranda and Ferdinand to fall in love? If so, why did he disapprove of it in front of Miranda. Is Prospero using his daughter to get his revenge?

Julie Wrote:
I can understand why many people found this play to be confusing. But I truly don't find it that confusing. Perhaps it is the fact that I have seen more Shakespeare plays that I can remember or that I have read so many plays that I can easily visualize what's going on. I love the characters. The Boatswain in particular I find hilarious. To be able to have such a witty attitude even while their boat is sinking. Its just so great. When I was reading his character in class, I have to admit, it was fun. All of the kings servants are great. To be on a sinking ship and not care about their lives are in danger simply because one of them has a feeling is great. Shakespeare can be very funny when he wants to be. Personally, I find it to be so interesting. Its actually funny in certain points. It's a very well written play and I would love to see it preformed, or even be part of the performance. Out of all of the plays I have seen I don't think that The Tempest is one of them. I wish I had however. I did find the first act rather short though. It's not really how I'm used to seeing acts split up. Oh well. I can tell that I will enjoy this play.

Stacey Wrote:
The first act opens with a violent storm. There is a lot of confusion and tension aboard the ship. The passengers are divided between two groups, the royal passengers and the crewmembers (mariners). While the storm is raging, so are the dispositions of the passengers. The royals act crude and demanding. They create complete chaos on the upper deck, not allowing the boatswain who is an expert sailor to do his job. He orders against their will for the nobles to go down under deck and leave him to do his job without distraction. At this time it is clear that friction is brewing. The nobles resist authority, and disrespect the boatswain whose main concern is guiding everyone to safety. The passengers include Alonzo, King of Naples, his brother Sebastian, and Antonio, Duke of Milan. This scene brings a lot of frenzy among the passengers and crew.

Simultaneously, as scene two unfolds, the “real” Duke of Milan, Prospero and his daughter Miranda are introduced. As they watch the Tempest from the island, Prospero recalls the events that took place during the last twelve years. Apparently, his brother Antonio plotted to overthrow him. He had him and Miranda put on a boat, drifting through the seas. They somehow landed on this island. Prospero has managed to become knowledgeable in magic, so there is no coincidence as to why this Tempest has taken place. It was indeed no act of nature, but the magical powers of Prospero to plot this situation. He planned this to seek revenge against his brother.

Sherry Wrote:
I felt, as usual when ever reading a play, that it's quite hard to envision or imagine the full effect of the scene. I didn't really like or enjoy rather, the opening of the play. I just wanted to skip it and get to a meaningful part. But it's just like a book, the beginning is always difficult but every word counts and holds significance.
After reading further I noticed that you can pick out certain traits of the characters. Pretty much, a strong presence of characterization was in fact clear and in your face so you can see what to expect from them. Or how to place them in categories of statute and personality I suppose. Upon my statement, I enjoyed the attitude of Boatswain because I believe people aren't greater or superior because of a title they carry. And he certainly portrayed that attitude toward Gonzalo and the other men of the court. Gonzalo also stood out to be ignorant and far fetched in a sense that he wishes cruelty or death on to someone who is merely trying to save lives. I think Boatswain was justified to say what he did because at a moment of danger, everything is put to the side and you got to fight for yourself. It can't be the important put first.

Besides that, I think the relationship between Miranda and Prospero, is a little strange. Could be the language back then or just me. What also stood out to me was Prospero's attitude toward Ferdinand. It's kind of hard for me to know how he is speaking, what tone since I'm reading it. Seems to like, waver in my mind. And it's hard to tell if something he's saying is good or bad.