The Tempest: 5. Barracuda
Prospero's slave creature, Caliban, meets up with comedy duo Trinculo and Stephano. It's not long before the three of them are planning to kill Prospero and take over the island, with Stephano dreaming of marrying Miranda...
The story
Sebastian and Antonio are stepping forward to murder Alonso when Ariel appears and whispers in the ear of the sleeping Gonzalo. Gonzalo wakes with a shout of 'God save the King!' and Alonso now wakes as well...and queries the drawn dagger. Antonio thinks quickly and blames wild animals and both Alonso and Gonzalo are reassured. Elsewhere on the island Stephano and Trinculo have become friends with Caliban - half-man, half-sea-creature. Caliban also wants freedom from Prospero and with the two others plots to kill his master while he sleeps.
Characters in this episode
| Name | Who is... |
|---|---|
| Antonio | Brother of Prospero - the usurper |
| Sebastian | Brother of Alonso and friend to Antonio |
| Alonso | King of Naples and father of Ferdinand |
| Gonzalo | An old, faithful friend to Prospero |
| Ariel | A sprite of the island and Prospero's helper |
| Caliban | Half-man, half-sea-creature |
| Stephano | A butler with big ambitions |
| Trinculo | A jester |
In the song tutorial
| Timing | Content |
|---|---|
| 00 00 | Listening to the opening section of the song to become familiar with the style and the mood. |
| 01 40 | Learning Verse 1, beginning: 'I'll be your royal sovereign...' Listening to Carrie sing a line and then repeating with the choir. Then dividing into two groups to sing alternate lines. |
| 03 18 | Learning the chorus, beginning: 'And I would be Your Majesty...' Noting the subtle rhythms. At 04 23 singing the chorus right through. |
| 04 47 | Singing Verse 1 and the chorus right the way through. Noting the music introduction, to know when to start the verse. |
| 05 46 | Learning Verse 2, beginning 'You are my royal master...' and also Verse 3, beginning: 'I'd love to do my duty...' Adopting a voice for Caliban. |
| 07 30 | Learing the extended chorus which follows Verse 3. Dividing into two groups, with one group singing the bracketed words (eg 'bada-boom'). |
| 10 55 | Singing 'Barracuda' right through, adding instruments if available. |
Story questions
Why does Gonzalo suddenly wake up?
Ariel wakes him by whispering in his ear
How does Antonio explain his drawn dagger?
He blames lions...and then monsters...coming to kill the king - and Alonso and Gonzalo believe him
Who have Stephano and Trinculo made friends with?
Caliban - a strange creature, part-man and part-sea-monster. Caliban is another creature native to the island who is in Prospero's power and Caliban is hoping for revenge
What do the three friends plan to do with Prospero and Miranda?
Caliban reveals that Prospero sleeps every afternoon so they plan to go up to the cave, take his books, then his staff and then 'bonk him on the head'. And Stephano says he will marry Miranda!
Why are their plans not likely to succeed?
Because Prospero in his invisibility cloak sees everything...and besides, Stephano and Trinculo have been drinking a lot of wine
Resources
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Teacher's Notes
Guidance on all the content (pdf)
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Lyrics - Barracuda
Download / print the lyrics (pdf)
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Music - Barracuda
Download / print the music (pdf)
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Pupils' pamphlet
Lyric sheets and activities (pdf)
