The Tempest: 3. Full fathom five
Prospero and Ariel - both invisible - travel around the island to inspect those washed ashore. The first group - the courtiers - are bickering and King Alonso believes his son, Ferdinand, to be dead. Elsewhere on the island Ferdinand is actually alive, but believes his father to have drowned.
The story
Prospero puts on his 'invisibility cloak' and goes with Ariel to inspect the island. On one side the courtiers have been washed up - Alonso, Antonio, Sebastian and Gonzalo - and they're bickering about who's in charge. Alonso - who lent his army to Antonio to overthrow Prospero - fears that his son, Ferdinand, must have drowned in the shipwreck. Ariel and Prospero go to another beach, where they find Trinculo (a jester) and Stephano (a butler) who've been washed ashore with a barrel of wine and are drunk. Then they find Ferdinand - who has not drowned - and Prospero instructs Ariel to 'put him through the wringer a bit'.
Characters in this episode
| Name | Who is... |
|---|---|
| Prospero | Once Duke of Milan |
| Ariel | A sprite of the island and Prospero's helper |
| Alonso | King of Naples and father of Ferdinand |
| Antonio | Prospero's brother - the usurper |
| Sebastian | Brother of Alonso and friend of Antonio |
| Gonzalo | An old, faithful friend to Prospero |
| Stephano | A butler with big ambitions |
| Trinculo | A jester |
| Ferdinand | Son of Alonso and a bit feeble |
In the song tutorial
| Timing | Content |
|---|---|
| 00 00 | Listening to the opening section of the song to become familiar with the slow, jazzy style and mood. |
| 01 44 | Learning the first four lines, beginning: 'Full fathom five, thy father lies...' Noting that the opening phrase only has two notes. Listening to Carrie sing then repeating with the choir. |
| 06 44 | Learning the next four lines, also beginning: 'Full fathom five, thy father lies...' starting with the third line ('And of his bones are corals made...') |
| 08 40 | Learning the ending of the song, beginning: 'And now all that remains...' Noting the change in rhythm. |
| 09 49 | Trying to add some vocal ad-libbing to the final section of the song, following the example of the song vocalist. |
| 11 33 | Standing up to sing 'Full fathom five' all the way through, including the ad-libbing at the end. |
Story questions
What are the names of the four courtiers?
Alonso - King of Naples
Antonio - brother of Prospero; Duke of Milan, having robbed Prospero of his title
Sebastian - brother of Alonso; friend of Antonio
Gonzalo - once a faithful friend to Prospero; it was Gonzalo who gave Prospero his science books
Why is Alonso in particular feeling unhappy?
Alonso believes that his son Ferdinand must have drowned during the shipwreck
Who else do Prospero and Ariel find on the island?
Stephano - a butler
Trinculo - a jester and friend to Stephano
Ferdinand - Alonso's son
Why is Ferdinand 'snuffling'?
He thinks his father - Alonso - has drowned
Why are none of the characters able to see Prospero?
He has put on his 'invisibility cloak' - one of the magic tricks he has learnt from his 'science' books
Resources
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Teacher's Notes
Guidance on all the content (pdf)
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Lyrics - Full fathom five
Download / print the music (pdf)
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Music - Full fathom five
Download / print the music (pdf)
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Pupils' pamphlet
Lyric sheets and activities (pdf)
