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Ariel took rather too much pleasure in tormenting an ugly monster called Caliban, because he was the son of his old enemy Sycorax. Caliban was employed like a slave, to fetch wood, and do the most laborious offices; and Ariel had the charge of compelling him to these services.
With the help of these spirits, Prospero could command the winds, and the waves of the sea. By his orders they raised a violent storm, in the midst of which, he showed his daughter a fine large ship, which he told her was full of living beings like themselves. “Oh my dear father,” said she, “if by your art you have raised this dreadful storm, have pity on their sad distress. See! the vessel will be dashed to pieces. Poor souls! they will all perish.
“Be not so amazed, daughter Miranda,” said Prospero; “there is no harm done. I have so ordered it, that no person in the ship shall receive any hurt. What I have done has been in care of you, my dear child. You are ignorant. Can you remember a time before you came to this cell? I think you cannot, for you were not then three years of age.
Explanation:
Ariel took immense joy in torturing an ugly monster Caliban. Caliban was the son of his old enemy Sycorax.
Sycorax had imprisoned Ariel in the bodies of large trees. So Ariel gave Caliban a lot of responsibilities and treated him like a slave. Caliban was compelled to carry woods and perform the most difficult chores. As Ariel was the chief of the good spirits, he could force Caliban to perform his responsibilities.
Caliban
After telling about the roles and responsibilities of Ariel, the narrator stated that with the help of all the good spirits, Prospero was able to control the winds and the waves of the sea. When Prospero ordered the spirits to produce a storm, they raised a violent storm in the sea.
A violent storm in the sea
Meanwhile, Prospero showed his daughter a large ship, telling her that it was full of human beings just like them. He made the statement because Miranda hadn't seen any other human face before. After hearing that, Miranda felt pity for the living beings on the ship. She pleaded with her father to stop the storm and show mercy on those poor people. She told him to rescue them since the ship would be shattered if he didn't help them. She also stated that they were poor souls and that if the situation continued, they would all die.
A large ship stuck in the storm
When Prospero saw his daughter's distress, he responded, "Don't worry, my child, nothing bad is going to happen." He claimed he had given the order so that no one on board would be hurt. Furthermore, he stated that all he had done was solely for Miranda's benefit. He then asked her whether she remembered when she came to the cell. He further stated that he believes she was unaware of those events because she was less than three years old when they arrived on the island.
Meaning of the difficult words:
| S.No | Words | Meanings |
1 | Pleasure | A feeling of happy satisfaction and enjoyment |
2 | Tormenting | To cause a person or animal to suffer or worry |
3 | Monster | Any imaginary frightening creature, especially one that is large and strange |
4 | Slave | A person who is legally owned by someone else and has to work for that person |
5 | Laborious | Needing a lot of time and effort |
6 | Storm | An extreme weather condition with very strong wind, heavy rain, and often thunder and lightning |
7 | Dreadful | Causing fear, shock, or suffering |
8 | Distress | A feeling of extreme worry, sadness, or pain |
9 | Perish | To die, especially by a ship wreck or by accident or to be destroyed |
10 | Ignorant | Not having enough knowledge, understanding, or information about something |
Reference:
State Council of Educational Research and Training (2018). Term-1 English Standard-10. The Tempest- William Shakespeare (pp. 21-27). Published by the Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation.
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