A Tempest

Ferdinand sings and works at the start of Scene 1, and Caliban supervises him. Miranda approaches and offers to help Ferdinand. He responds to her offer by asking for her name, and after she tells him that her father will not allow her to tell him her name, Caliban quietly informs Ferdinand that her name is Miranda. Prospero approaches to interrupt Ferdinand, and he asks Caliban to finish the work; Caliban protests but capitulates. Prospero and Ferdinand move away as it starts to rain, and though Caliban hears voices in the distance, he stops working and “make[s] [himself] scarce” (40).

Scene 2 introduces Trinculo and Stephano, Alonso’s jester and butler. They have survived the shipwreck, and they sing and drink as they individually approach Caliban, who has taken shelter beneath a wheelbarrow. Trinculo mistakes Caliban for an Indian, but he is unable to discern if Caliban is dead or alive. If Caliban is dead, Trinculo will steal his clothes; if he is alive, Trinculo will “sell him to a carnival” (41). When Stephano sees Caliban, he too believes him to be a “Nindian” whose potential value is high.