Name:
Teacher:
Class:
Date:
V
I
t
Ac
Focus Activity: Think of a time in your life when exercising self-control really paid off.
Do not
disclose the specifics, but use this situation as a basis for creating a list of general steps to follow that
would help a person assess a situation, examine potential consequences, and exercise self-control.
Directions: While watching The Tempest, answer the following questions.
1. Summarize Prospero’s warning to Ferdinand and Miranda at the beginning of Act 4. What
characters have been guilty of the weakness Prospero warns against?
2. How are Stephano and Trinculo distracted from their plot? What does this show about their natures?
3. Prospero says, at the end of Act 4, “At this hour / Lies at my mercy all mine enemies”? Do you think
that Prospero will take revenge on the men who wronged him? Why or why not? Give evidence
from Act 4 to support your answer.
4. The beginning of this Act concerns two of the play’s key themes, the importance of selfcontrol and the conflict between reason and passion. Review your answer to the Focus
Activity. In what ways has Prospero himself not always shown the complete self-control he praises?