The Tempest, Act 3 Scene 3 — Summary & Analysis

What happens

The shipwrecked courtiers wander the island, exhausted. Antonio and Sebastian seize the opportunity to plot Alonso's murder, planning to kill him and Gonzalo while they sleep. As they draw their swords, Ariel intervenes, singing a warning that awakens Gonzalo. The conspirators pretend they heard lions roaring, and Alonso, desperate to find his son, leads the group away to continue searching.

Why it matters

This scene crystallizes the play's moral architecture. Antonio, who betrayed Prospero twelve years ago, is utterly unchanged by shipwreck or magic. He seduces Sebastian into plotting regicide with the same ease he once seized Milan—demonstrating that catastrophe does not reform the guilty. The conspiracy is presented as almost casual: Antonio recognizes his own ambition in Sebastian and simply transfers the logic of usurpation to Naples. Prospero's magic observes all this without judgment, merely protecting the king through Ariel's intervention. The scene asks whether evil is inherent or circumstantial, and offers a bleak answer: some men are incapable of remorse regardless of suffering.

Ariel's intervention is crucial yet limited. The spirit prevents immediate murder but cannot change hearts or force genuine repentance. Ariel sings a warning that wakes Gonzalo—the one truly virtuous courtier—rather than Alonso himself. This underscores a key tension in the play: magical power can constrain evil actions but cannot erase evil intention. Antonio and Sebastian live to scheme again. The scene also deepens our understanding of Prospero's position. He has orchestrated this entire situation, watching his enemies' worst impulses unfold on his island. His choice to forgive them later becomes even more significant—not because they deserve it, but because he must consciously choose mercy over the punishment they have earned.