The human characters in this play are from Italy – they are kings, dukes and noblemen, accompanied by their jesters, servants and ship’s crew. Prospero and his daughter, Miranda, originally hail from Milan and others come from Naples. There are also some ‘spirit’ characters, Ariel and his fellows: magical airy creatures who help Prospero to conduct his magic. Lastly, there is the island’s only native, Caliban, who is described as a “monster”, a “demi-devil” and a “strange fish”.
The main characters are: