Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

IRIS

in The Tempest — Shakespeare, William

Metadata

PlayThe Tempest
AuthorShakespeare, William
Year (catalogued)1623
First performance1611
Decade1620s
GenreComedy
Play typeAdult Professional
CompanyKing's Men
Speech prefix(es)Iris. | Ir.
Words297
Characters1744
Typicality0.45 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA11954.1
BritDrama no.1652
ClusterCluster 24 — Gods, cupids & celestial agents

Important excerpts

No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).

Full speech

You Nymph's called Nayades of y e windering brooks, With your sedg'd crowns, and euer-harmelesse looks, Leave your crisp channels, and on this greenland Answer your summons Juno do's command. Come temperate Nymph's, and help to celebrate A Contract of true Love: be not too late. You Sunburned Sicklemen of August weary, Come hither from the furrow, and be merry, Make holly day: your Ryestraw hats put on, And these fresh Nymph's encounter every one In Country footing. Ceres, most bounteous Lady, thy rich Leas Of Wheat, Rye, Barley, Fetches, Oats and Peas; Thy Turphie-Mountaines, where live nibbling Sheep, And flat Medes thetchd with Stover, them to keep: Thy banks with pioned, and twilled brims Which spongy April, at thy hest betrims; To make cold Nymphs chased crowns; & thy broome-groues; Whose shadow the dismissed Bachelor loves, Being lasse-lorne: thy pole-clipt vineyard, And thy Sea-marge stirrile, and rockey-hard, Where thou thy self dost air, the Queen of that Sky, Whose watery Arch, and messenger, am I. Bids thee leave these, & with her sovereign grace, Here on this grass-plot, in this very place To come, and sport: here Peacocks fly amain: Approach, rich Ceres, her to entertain. A contract of true Love, to celebrate, And some donation freely to estate On the blessed Lovers. Of her society Be not afraid: I met her deity Cutting the clouds towards Paphos : and her Son Doue-drawn with her: here thought they to have done Some wanton charm, upon this Man and Maid, Whose vows are, that no bed-right shall be paid Till Hymen's Torch be lighted: but in vain, Marses hight Minion is returned again, Her waspish headed son, has broke his arrows, Swears he will shoot no more, but play with Sparrows, And be a Boy right out.

Plot summary

Plot — The Tempest
Twelve years ago, Prospero, Duke of Milan, was deposed. He devoted himself to his studies, leaving the management of the state to his brother Antonio. Antonio conspired with Alonso, King of Naples: he was installed as Duke in exchange for accepting the suzerainty of Naples over Milan. The people’s love saved Prospero from assassination; he was put to sea with his magic books and his infant daughter Miranda. He arrived on a Mediterranean island once ruled by an Algerian witch, released the spirit Ariel whom she had imprisoned in a tree, and took in her son Caliban as a household servant. Now, Alonso is passing the island when his ship encounters a tempest raised by Ariel, who creates the illusion of a shipwreck. The passengers come to shore in separate groups; Alonso and Ferdinand, father and son, are made to think one another dead. Ariel sees to 1611 it that Ferdinand meets Miranda and falls in love with her; but Prospero, seeking to test his love, makes him carry logs. After Ariel charms Alonso to sleep, Antonio persuades Sebastian to kill him and seize the Neapolitan throne; but Ariel warns the sleeping Gonzalo and the murder is forestalled. Prospero’s spirits serve the group a banquet, which disappears when they attempt to eat it; disguised as a harpy, Ariel reminds them of their treachery to Prospero, identifies this as the cause of their current disaster, and drives them out of their minds. Meanwhile, the butler Stephano has come ashore on a butt of wine. The liquor makes Caliban transfer his allegiance, and together they plot to murder Prospero, making Stephano king of the island. Prospero is satisfied with Ferdinand: he and Miranda are betrothed, and spirits present a masque of Ceres to celebrate the occasion. During the performance, Prospero remembers that he has Caliban’s conspiracy to deal with. Stephano and his associates are distracted by some elegant garments left outside Prospero’s cell, and driven away by spirits in the shape of dogs; Caliban realizes that he has given his loyalty to a fool. Prospero tells Ariel that he does not intend to take revenge on Alonso and Antonio, and promises him his freedom. Ariel brings the shipwrecked King, Duke, and courtiers before him, and their senses are restored. The remorseful Alonso gives up his claim to Milan. Prospero reclaims the dukedom from Antonio, then reveals Ferdinand, alive and engaged to Miranda: the future kings of Naples will be Prospero’s descendants. The ship proves to be undamaged.…