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Iris is the Greek goddess of the rainbow and also the messenger of the gods.
She appears in the masque in Act 4 Scene 1 to summon Ceres to celebrate Ferdinand and Miranda’s wedding.
Note that the actual goddess isn’t a character in The Tempest, but only portrayed by one of the spirits.
more the pity that some honest neighbours will not
make them friends. William Shakespeare – A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 3 Scene 1
What is this?
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What is this?
The Genius annotation is the work of the Genius Editorial project. Our editors and contributors collaborate to create the most interesting and informative explanation of any line of text. It’s also a work in progress, so leave a suggestion if this or any annotation is missing something.
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What is this?
The Genius annotation is the work of the Genius Editorial project. Our editors and contributors collaborate to create the most interesting and informative explanation of any line of text. It’s also a work in progress, so leave a suggestion if this or any annotation is missing something.
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Exposition is the writer’s means of supplying readers with background information about characters, setting, past events and any other things necessary to understanding the narrative.
It often occurs at the beginning of a work. In the conventional five-act structure of drama, the exposition occurs in the first act. A clear example of exposition occurs in The Tempest, which has a famously blatant exposition in Act 1 Scene 2.
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This phrase is Latin for “in the middle of things.” In literature, it is used to describe stories that begin in the middle of the action as opposed to including a conventional exposition.
It is an especially strong storytelling technique because it has the power to plunge the audience right into the middle of the action as soon as the narrative begins, which helps to “hook” the audience into the plot and the conflict.
One technique for supplying the information expositions normally give is using flashbacks.
This technique is a convention of epic poetry (e.g. The Iliad and The Odyssey), but since then it has been applied to all sorts of literature and cinema.
Have I given fire and rifted Jove's stout oak
With his own bolt; William Shakespeare – The Tempest Act 5 Scene 1
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Jove’s sacred tree was the oak, and Prospero is saying he split (“rifted”) an oak with Jove’s own lightning bolt.
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In addition to rapidly growing discolored grass, mushrooms also grow in rings overnight in fairy rings.
By moonshine do the green sour ringlets make, William Shakespeare – The Tempest Act 5 Scene 1
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Prospero here addresses fairies (“demi-puppets”), who he blames for creating fairy rings in the grass. This is a phenomenon in which discolored grass grows rapidly in a ring.
Of their afflictions, and shall not myself,
One of their kind, that relish all as sharply,
Passion as they, be kindlier moved than thou art? William Shakespeare – The Tempest Act 5 Scene 1
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What is this?
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Neptune was the Roman god of the sea, whose analogue in Greek mythology is Poseidon. In this instance, “Neptune” is a personification of the tide.
I wouldn’t say it is personification because personification is when a non-human does the actions or speaks like a human/person. In this case, the waves aren’t doing anything like a person, so it wouldn’t be personification. I would call this a use of allusion although I am not 100% sure. This is because the waves are being referred to something famous, like the Roman god Neptune.