The Tempest: 1. Rock the ship
Prospero and his daughter, Miranda, live in a cave on a desert island but they weren't born there. Once Prospero had been the Duke of Milan but twelve years ago he and Miranda were cast out to sea in a leaky boat full of holes. They were meant to die, but who would want to kill them?
The story
Prospero and his daughter, Miranda, live in a cave on a desert island. Twelve years before Prospero had been the Duke of Milan but he was overthrown and then he and Miranda - then just three years old - were put to sea in a leaky boat and left to die. Prospero has spent his time on the island learning magic and is an expert on 'just about everything'. A ship is passing the island returning to Italy from Africa and those onboard just happen to be those responsible for Prospero's situation. He summons his sprite helper, Ariel, and uses his magic to conjure up a storm to ship-wreck them.
Characters in this episode
| Name | Who is... |
|---|---|
| Prospero | Once Duke of Milan |
| Miranda | Daughter of Prospero |
| Ariel | A sprite of the island and Prospero's helper |
| Alonso | King of Naples and father of Ferdinand |
| Ferdinand | Son of Alonso, believed drowned |
| Antonio | Prospero's brother - the usurper |
| Sebastian | Brother of Alonso and friend of Antonio |
| Gonzalo | An old, faithful friend to Prospero |
In the song tutorial
| Content | Timing |
|---|---|
| 00 00 | Listening to Verse 1 of the song for inspiration |
| 01 21 | Learning Verse 1, beginning: 'Looks like we're going down...' and noting that the words begin on the second beat of the bar. Also noting the falling chromatic scale at the start of the song. |
| 06 59 | Learning Verse 2, beginning: 'The point of no return...' which is sung to the same melody as Verse 1 except for the first two lines. |
| 07 45 | Singing Verse 2 right through and adding backnig vocals - 'BVs' - for the words 'burn, burn, burn' and 'down, down, down' |
| 08 56 | Getting into two groups to either stamp or clap the rhymthm of the instrumental section - three claps followed by two stamps - before all joining together. |
| 10 58 | Standing up to sing 'Rock the ship' all the way through - Verse 1, Verse 2 and the instrumental. |
Story questions
Where did Prospero and Miranda live before coming to the island?
Milan - in Italy - where Prospero was the duke
How old was Miranda when they were abandoned at sea?
Just three years old
What journey is the ship making?
Those onboard are returning to Italy after attending a wedding in Africa
Who does Prospero summon to help him with his plan?
Ariel - a sprite and a native of the island - currently in the power of Prospero
What does Prospero say he wants to do to those onboard?
He says he wants to teach them a lesson
Resources
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Teacher's Notes
Guidance on all content (pdf)
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Lyrics - Rock the ship
Download / print the lyrics (pdf)
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Music - Rock the ship
Download / print the music (pdf)
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Pupils' pamphlet
Lyric sheets and activities (pdf)
