summary of the Tempest

Prospero used to be the duke of Milan. Antonio, Prospero's brother, conspired with the Duke of Milan to usurp his throne. They basically set Prospero and his daughter out on a raft to be eaten by sharks or something. Fortunately Gonzalo leaves Prospero his handy magic books. Prospero and his daughter arrive on the island and Prospero sets up his magic kingdom. I suppose Gonzalo leaving the book helped save them but that is about it. Prospero is pretty excited to get his foes close to his magical realm. He creates the storm (Tempest) so he can get them on the island and set things straight. Once all the characters are scattered all over the island, the plot moves forward. Alonso fears he has lost his son in the storm. So, Alonso, Antonio, Alonso's brother Sebastian, and various lesser lords set off to find Alonso's son, the lost Prince Ferdinand. Meanwhile, somewhere on the island, the Prince thinks he is the only survivor. He isn't too sad because he has met Miranda and is all hot and heavy for her. There is a monster (Caliban) and a forest Nymph (Ariel) who are in servitude to Prospero but that gets sorted out, the rest of the story plays out like a typical Shakespearean comedy. They are all in the healing effects of the natural world. Prospero's revenge turns into compassion and, of course, love is in the air. Prospero gets his dukedom back and they all live happily ever after, more or less.