Stephano ( ) is a boisterous and often drunk butler of King Alonso in

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's play, '' The Tempest''. He, Trinculo and

Caliban Caliban ( ), son of the witch Sycorax, is an important character in William Shakespeare's play '' The Tempest''. His character is one of the few Shakespearean figures to take on a life of its own "outside" Shakespeare's own work: as Russell ...

plot against

Prospero Prospero ( ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of William Shakespeare's play '' The Tempest''. Prospero is the rightful Duke of Milan, whose usurping brother, Antonio, had put him (with his three-year-old daughter, Miranda) to sea ...

, the ruler of the island on which the play is set and the former Duke of Milan in Shakespeare's fictional universe. In the play, he wants to take over the island and marry Prospero's daughter, Miranda. Caliban believes Stephano to be a god because he gave him wine to drink which Caliban believes healed him.The Tempest: Entire Play

Character traits and analysis

Boisterous and often drunk, Stephano is willing to be regarded as a Lord by Caliban, although for much of the play Caliban appears to be in control, specifically Act 3, Scene 2. Stephano is rather gullible. He believes, particularly in the aforementioned scene, everything Caliban says. As shown in Act 4 Scene 1, he is easily distracted. (see 'The Plan' below). He makes false promises to Trinculo and Caliban, but in his intoxicated state he usually believes the promises himself.

The plan

The plan Stephano, Trinculo and (mostly) Caliban formulate is to wait for Prospero to take his afternoon sleep, then burn his magic books as without the. he is powerless. He is weak without them. They then plan to cut his 'wezand' (throat), drive a stake through his heart or beat him to death. Stephano is then to marry Miranda and become king of the island, and he promises to appoint Trinculo and Caliban as

Viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning "k ...

s Their plan is foiled, and their vanity exposed, when flashy clothes are left out as a trap by Prospero's loyal servant

Ariel Ariel may refer to: Film and television *Ariel Award, a Mexican Academy of Film award * ''Ariel'' (film), a 1988 Finnish film by Aki Kaurismäki * ''ARIEL Visual'' and ''ARIEL Deluxe'', 1989 and 1991 anime video series based on the novel series ...

. The

usurper A usurper is an illegitimate or controversial claimant to power, often but not always in a monarchy. In other words, one who takes the power of a country, city, or established region for oneself, without any formal or legal right to claim it as ...

s, except Caliban, who urges them to continue with the plan, are distracted by the clothes. This means Prospero can chase them away with a pack of magic spirit-dogs.

Fellow plotters

Stephano plots against Prospero with Caliban and Trinculo. He is already friends with Trinculo, Alonso's Jester, whom he probably met at the palace. In the play, Trinculo finds Caliban hiding under a cloak and thinks he had been struck by lightning. Hearing a storm in the distance, he hides with him. At this point, an intoxicated Stephano walks past and thinks Trinculo and Caliban are a four-legged monster. He gives them wine and then he and Trinculo recognise each other. Caliban believes the wine healed him and thinks Stephano a god. He calls him 'Lord' and possibly exploits this to take control in Act 3, Scene 2. A key theme of the play is power.KS3 Set Scenes Support: "The Tempest" Pupil Workbook (Longman Schools Shakespeare) This is what Stephano wants, possibly because he is used to being a servant. Trinculo wants whatever is at hand, shown in his willingness to go along with the plan and the fact that he is the first to approach the clothes in Act 4, Scene 1. Caliban does not want power, but a kinder master. Prospero had treated him kindly until he attempted to rape Miranda, after which he was forced to live in a rock.

Quotations

The master, the swabber, the boatswain, and I,
The gunner, and his mate,
Lov'd Mall, Meg, and Marian, and Margery,
But none of us car'd for Kate;
For she had a tongue with a tang,
Would cry to a sailor Go hang!
She lov'd not the savour of tar nor of pitch,
Yet a tailor might scratch her where'er she did itch.
Then to sea, boys, and let her go hang!
This is a scurvy tune too; but here's my comfort. (Drinks)
Act 2: Scene II ''Caliban:'' Hast thou not dropp'd from heaven?
''Stephano:'' Out o' th' moon, I do assure thee; I was the Man i' th' Moon, when time was.
''Caliban:'' I have seen thee in her, and I do adore thee. My mistress show'd me thee, and thy dog and thy bush.
Act 2: Scene II I prithee, be my god.
Caliban (to Stephano), Act 2: Scene II Flout 'em and scout 'em, and scout 'em and flout 'em;
Thought is free.
Act 3: Scene II He that dies pays all debts.
Act 3: Scene II

Origins

It is not clear where the character of Stephano originated, though he is a familiar clown figure typical of the era. There is one idea that he was modelled after Stephen Hopkins from London. Hopkins was aboard the ''

Sea Venture ''Sea Venture'' was a seventeenth-century English sailing ship, part of the Third Supply mission to the Jamestown Colony, that was wrecked in Bermuda in 1609. She was the 300 ton purpose-built flagship of the London Company and a highly unusual ...

'' when it was shipwrecked on

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = " Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , e ...

. He attempted to start a mutiny while stranded on the island. He eventually made it to Virginia and back to England, then went to

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

aboard the ''

Mayflower ''Mayflower'' was an English ship that transported a group of English families, known today as the Pilgrims, from England to the New World in 1620. After a grueling 10 weeks at sea, ''Mayflower'', with 102 passengers and a crew of about 30, r ...

''.Caleb H. Johnson. ''The Mayflower and her passengers'' (Indiana: Xlibris Corp., copyright 2006 Caleb Johnson), pp. 164 Stephano may have been created, along with Trinculo, to add comedy and show human greed. Shakespeare used Trinculo and Stephano primarily as comic relief but also to demonstrate the

evil Evil, in a general sense, is defined as the opposite or absence of good. It can be an extremely broad concept, although in everyday usage it is often more narrowly used to talk about profound wickedness and against common good. It is general ...

in our nature. In a way, he seemed to have been condemning humans. '' The Tempest'' is a prime example of the

selfishness Selfishness is being concerned excessively or exclusively, for oneself or one's own advantage, pleasure, or welfare, regardless of others. Selfishness is the opposite of altruism or selflessness; and has also been contrasted (as by C. S. Lewis) w ...

egocentrism Egocentrism is the inability to differentiate between self and other. More specifically, it is the inability to accurately assume or understand any perspective other than one's own. Egocentrism is found across the life span: in infancy, early chi ...

, and

power Power most often refers to: * Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work" ** Engine power, the power put out by an engine ** Electric power * Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events ** Abusive power Power may a ...

hunger that we see and deal with every day. Trinculo and Stephano were two characters used to show how wrong human beings are.Tempest essays – Trinculo and Stephano of Shakespeare's Tempest
/ref> Unlike Antonio, which was featured in no less than four plays, the name Stephano only appears in one of Shakespeare's other plays, ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as ...

''.

References

External links

Detailed synopsis of the play
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Stephano (''The Tempest'') Literary characters introduced in 1611 Male Shakespearean characters Fictional castaways Characters in The Tempest Fictional butlers