Hello everyone, it's lovely to see you here today.

My name's Dr Clayton and I'm here to guide you through your learning journey today.

Welcome to today's lesson.

The lesson is called introducing Ariel.

Now Ariel is one of the most intriguing and mysterious characters in The Tempest.

What we're gonna be doing today is exploring Ariel's role so you can not only understand their role, but also form your own opinions about Ariel as a character as well.

The keywords that we'll be using in our learning today are bidding, hail, plotting, resentment, and resolution.

The definitions for our keywords are appearing on your screen now.

These words have been chosen to help you unlock the learning and you'll see them throughout the material so you can see them used in context.

They'll be identified in bold and I'll try to point them out to you as well.

If you can, try to use them in your discussions and written work today.

So we have two learning cycles in our lesson today.

For our first learning cycle we're going to think about the influence that Ariel has on the events within The Tempest and consider our reactions to Ariel at each of these different points.

For our second learning cycle, we're going to delve into the language of The Tempest itself and consider not only how Ariel speaks, but also how Ariel is spoken to in order for us to better understand the character and form an opinion about the character ourselves.

So let's start by recapping the plot and considering our reactions to Ariel's role at specific moments.

So at the start of act one, scene two we learn that Ariel created the storm that shipwrecked Alonso and his companions because Prospero told them to.

Now what I'd like you to do is discuss the following two questions.

Ariel can create a storm, so what does that tell us about Ariel? Secondly, Prospero told Ariel to do it, so what does that tell us about the relationship between Prospero and Ariel? Pause the video and take a few moments to consider.

Amazing and some fantastic ideas there.

If we consider the first question, the fact that Ariel can create a storm tells us that Ariel is a being who has magic strong enough to influence the weather enough to cause a storm that shipwrecks a ship.

This tells us that Ariel is a powerful character and will potentially make the audience feel a little bit apprehensive about Ariel, especially considering how fearful contemporary audiences will have been about magic and what it could do to their lives.

In terms of the second question, the fact that Prospero tells Ariel what to do and Ariel obeys, tells us that Prospero's in control of Ariel somehow.

We already think that Ariel is a powerful character, so for Prospero to be in control of Ariel suggests to us that Prospero must be more powerful than Ariel.

Let's move on to scene two.

Alonso and his companions are wandering the island.

Ariel puts them all, apart from Alonso and Sebastian, to sleep.

Antonio and Sebastian then plot to kill Alonso in his sleep.

You'll notice here we have one of our keywords.

Remember that to plot means to secretly carry out a harmful act.

To stop the plot, Ariel wakes up Gonzalo, who sees Antonio and Sebastian with their swords drawn, they pretend to have heard a noise.

What this scene emphasises to us is again the power of Ariel because they have the power to put people to sleep and wake them up at will.

It also emphasises the influence that Ariel has over the other characters.

If Ariel had not woken up Gonzalo, then Alonso would likely be dead.

Now what I'd like you to do is act out the moment of Gonzalo waking to see Antonio and Sebastian with their swords drawn to try to get inside the characters' heads.

How might they try to show their innocence? Pause the video and have a go.

Amazing, I saw some great ideas there.

I really liked those who took a comic approach and had Antonio and Sebastian immediately look around and then start whistling and walking away.

Now let's think about act three.

Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo form a plot to kill Prospero.

Again, notice the use of one of our keywords here.

Ariel overhears them and, while invisible, mimics the voice of Trinculo to insult Caliban and cause tension in the group.

Ariel then plays magical music to lead them away.

Now what I'd like you to think about is if you were Ariel, would you let the plot against Prospero go ahead? Consider the fact that Prospero has control over Ariel and commands Ariel to perform magical tasks for him.

Would life be easier for Ariel if they let the plot go ahead? Pause the video and take a few moments to consider.

Amazing and some great ideas there.

I really liked the ideas about how it tells us a lot about Ariel's character, that they had the opportunity to let something bad happen that would have benefited them, but they decided not to let it happen and that implies they're a good person.

Now for a quick check for understanding.

What I'd like you to do is select which two of the following statements are true.

So is it A, Ariel has the power to put people to sleep? B, Prospero has the power to put people to sleep? C, Ariel helps to stop the plot against Prospero? Or D, Ariel helps Caliban with the plot against Prospero? Pause the video and make your selections now.

The correct answers are that A, Ariel has the power to put people to sleep, and C, Ariel helps to stop the plot against Prospero.

So, very well done if you selected those answers.

Now let's move on to scene three.

Alonso and his companions find a magical banquet, but when they sit down to eat, Ariel appears as a harpy and threatens Prospero's enemies with eternal punishment.

Now some of you may know that a harpy is a mythical creature that has a human face and upper body and the wings and lower body of a bird.

In Greek and Roman mythology, the harpies were said to be agents of punishment who abducted people and carried them down to the underworld.

They were depicted as vicious, cruel, and violent.

So what I'd like you to think about is does this image of Ariel as threatening Prospero's enemies and transforming into a vicious mythical creature fit with your impression of Ariel so far? Pause the video and take a few moments to consider.

Amazing, some fantastic ideas there.

I really liked the discussions around how it feels like a very different Ariel to the one we saw in the previous scene who was choosing to do the right thing and save someone, even though it kept them under control of Prospero.

In this scene, Ariel is being presented as something violent and scary.

What that might tell us is just how much control Prospero has over Ariel, that he can make them transform into something that's against their nature.

Now onto the end of the play.

Finally, at the end of the play, Prospero frees Ariel from his service.

Now what I'd like you to do is imagine that you are Ariel, how might you feel now that you're free? Remember that Ariel has been continually asking for their freedom and Prospero's been continually denying them.

Pause the video and take a few moments to consider.

Amazing and some great ideas there.

Like Aisha, you might imagine that Ariel would be incredibly happy at first, but also might be a little bit daunted because they've been doing Prospero's bidding for so long they might not know how to be by themselves.

Now for a quick check for understanding.

What I'd like you to do is select which two of the following statements are true of Ariel's role in The Tempest.

So there's A, Ariel created the storm at the beginning.

B, Ariel told Prospero to create the storm.

C, Ariel remains imprisoned at the end.

Or D, Ariel is freed at the end.

Pause the video and make your selections now.

The correct answers are A, Ariel created the storm at the beginning and D, Ariel is freed at the end.

So very well done if you selected those answers.

You're doing amazingly well everyone.

We're onto our first task of the lesson.

Now as you remember from what we've just said, at the end of the play, Prospero sets Ariel free.

What I'd like you to do is think about what you think of this resolution.

Now here's another one of our keywords.

Remember that resolution means a solution or answer to a problem.

You might consider the following ideas.

Do you think Prospero should have apologised to Ariel? Remember that Prospero has been controlling Ariel since the beginning, right before we knew them.

Do you think it's fair that we don't hear from Ariel at the end of the play? The final person we hear from is Prospero, do you think that's a satisfying ending? Pause the video and take a few moments to consider.

Amazing, some fantastic ideas there.

Like Sam, you might have thought the resolution would've been more satisfying if Prospero had apologised.

We know he kept Ariel under his control for a very long time and Ariel had been continually asking for their freedom.

Not only did Prospero keep denying their freedom, he also threatened to magically imprison them if they did not carry out his commands happily.

We can therefore surmise that Ariel would've resented Prospero.

This is another one of our keywords.

To feel resentment is to feel anger.

So an apology from Prospero would've gone a long way to redeeming him as a character for how he treated Ariel and would've shown that he respects Ariel.

Like Alex, you also might've been disappointed we don't hear from Ariel.

The fact that Prospero's voice is the last voice we hear means he's the centre of attention and we don't find out what Ariel plans to do next.

You're doing amazingly well everyone, we're onto our second learning cycle where we're going to examine some of the language surround Ariel in The Tempest and consider what it tells us about them as a character.

We're going to begin by looking at extracts from act one, scene two.

Ariel greets Prospero, all hail great master.

Grave sir, hail.

You might remember that hail is one of our keywords, and it means to enthusiastically greet someone.

So here Ariel is enthusiastically greeting Prospero.

I come to answer thy best pleasure, be it to fly, to swim, to dive into the fire, to ride on the curled clouds, to thy strong bidding task Ariel and all his quality.

Again, we've got another one of our keywords.

To do someone's bidding is to do what they ask you.

So here we can see Ariel acknowledging that they will do what Prospero tells them to do.

Prospero responds, hast thou spirit performed to the point the tempest that I bade thee? So Prospero here is asking Ariel, have they created the storm that he asked them to.

Now, you'll notice here that I've highlighted all hail great master and hast thou spirit performed.

What I'd like you to think about is imagine that you are Ariel and you give Prospero a really enthusiastic greeting and he just responds by asking you whether you've performed the task he told you to do.

How do you think you'd feel? Pause the video and take a few moments to consider.

Amazing, some fantastic ideas there.

You might've thought that it might make you feel a little bit disappointed if you greeted someone enthusiastically and they respond by just asking you whether you've done what they've asked you to.

It suggests that actually they don't value you as a person, they just value you for what you can do for them.

Now let's look at an extract from act four, scene one.

Ariel says, before you can say come and go and breathe twice and cry so so, each one, tripping on his toe will be here with mop and mow.

Do you love me, master? No? Here we can see Ariel asking Prospero whether he loves them.

You might notice that Ariel finishes by saying no, question mark.

This suggests that Ariel is already expecting a negative response.

Prospero responds, dearly my delicate Ariel.

Do not approach till thou dost hear me call.

So here, Prospero might be saying he loves Ariel dearly, but he's also saying don't approach me until I tell you to.

So there's actually a bit of a mismatch here between Prospero saying he loves Ariel, but actually saying he wants Ariel to do exactly what he tells them to.

What I'd like you to do is act out this moment between Ariel and Prospero to really think about the relationship between the two characters.

What sort of tone do you think Ariel would use? And do you think Prospero would speak sarcastically or in a frustrated tone? Pause the video and take a few moments to have a go.

Amazing, I saw some fantastic ideas there.

You might have imagined that Ariel would use quite a desperate, pleading tone.

They're desperately looking for Prospero's approval.

Prospero, on the other hand, might respond in a more frustrated way.

It might be that Ariel has asked this type of question before and Prospero has grown tired with responding to them and giving them the affirmation they want.

Now let's look at an extract from act five, scene one, the final scene of the play.

Prospero says, why that's my dainty Ariel.

I shall miss thee, but yet thou shalt have freedom, so, so, so.

To the king's ship, invisible as thou art, there shalt thou find the mariners asleep under the hatches, the master and the boatswain being awake, enforce them to this place and presently, I prithee.

Here, Prospero is telling Ariel they shall have their freedom after they've brought the ship back to him.

Now I've highlighted the quote, I shall miss thee, but yet thou shalt have freedom.

What I'd like you to discuss is what is it about Ariel that you think Prospero will miss if he's immediately asking Ariel to perform one last job for him? Pause the video and take a few moments to consider.

Amazing and some fantastic ideas there.

You might've thought that actually, if Prospero's saying he's going to miss Ariel, but immediately asking them to do something for him, it suggests Prospero will miss Ariel carrying out the tasks for him and he only appreciates Ariel for what Ariel can do for him.

We're now going to look at another moment from act five, scene one.

Here Prospero, in an aside to Ariel, now this means that Prospero is only speaking to Ariel at this point and none of the other characters can hear what he's saying.

My Ariel, chick, that is thy charge, then to the elements be free and fare thou well.

Please you, draw near.

So what he's saying here is you shall be free and go back to the elements as soon as you've done this job for me.

Now what I'd like us to focus in on is this idea of Prospero saying to Ariel, my Ariel.

What I'd like you to discuss is why do you think Prospero calls Ariel my Ariel? What does that suggest about how Prospero feels towards Ariel? Pause the video and take a few moments to consider.

Amazing and some fantastic ideas there.

You might've thought that if you say something is mine, that means you're saying that it is yours, it belongs to you.

So it suggests that Prospero feels as if he owns Ariel since he's referring to them as if they are his possession.

It's particularly apt that Prospero's doing this right in the moment where he says Ariel shall have their freedom because actually it suggests that if he feels as if he still has a sense of ownership over Ariel, even after Ariel's been set free.

Now for a quick check for understanding.

What I'd like you to do is select which two of the following statements are true of Ariel and Prospero.

Is it A, Ariel speaks rudely to Prospero? B, Ariel speaks kindly to Prospero? C, Prospero claims Ariel as his own? Or D, Prospero is indifferent to Ariel.

Pause the video and make your selection now.

The correct answers are B, Ariel speaks kindly to Prospero, and C, Prospero claims Ariel as his own.

So very well done if you selected those answers.

You might remember at the start of the lesson I said that Ariel's one of the most intriguing and mysterious characters in the play.

This is because throughout The Tempest, we hear very little about what Ariel is like and where they come from.

One of the most intriguing things is that their is no gender assigned to Ariel and that leaves Ariel very open to our own imagination and interpretation.

So what I'd like you to do is think about what you think Ariel might be like based on the extracts.

Think about what Prospero says to Ariel and how Ariel responds.

Pause the video and take a few moments to consider.

Amazing and some fantastic ideas there.

I really liked the ideas of how Ariel's presentation makes them seem even more magical and otherworldly since they aren't confined to our societal ideas about gender.

It was also great to hear people saying how much of a contradiction Ariel appears to be since their language makes them seem very delicate and fragile and yet we know they're a powerful magical being.

You're all doing really well everyone, we're onto our final task of the lesson.

Now as I said, Ariel is very open to our own imagination and interpretation and this image is one artist's interpretation of what Ariel might look like.

So what I'd like you to do is discuss the following questions.

What do you think of the image? Do you like the image? Is it how you imagined Ariel might look? Why or why not? And what emotion do you think the artist is trying to convey through Ariel's facial expression? Pause the video and take a few minutes to consider.

Amazing, some fantastic ideas there.

Like Laura, you might have looked at the image and thought that it looks as if Ariel is looking down, and that their mouth is turned down.

Now this suggests resentment.

Remember that resentment is one of our keywords and it means to feel anger.

So perhaps the artist might be trying to show just how unhappy Ariel is with Prospero and their relationship with him.

Like Jacob, you might've thought the image is more or less what you imagined Ariel to look like.

We know Ariel's a magical being and the blue hair and elfin ears in the image suggest someone magical.

You might have gone one step further here and thought that Ariel might have wings since there's a lot of mention of Ariel flying in The Tempest.

Finally, like Sofia you might've thought you like the background of the image.

The pink colours and abstract nature of the image would make it seem as if Ariel comes from somewhere magical and otherworldly.

You all did incredibly well today everyone.

Here's a summary of what we covered.

Ariel is magical and carries out tasks for Prospero throughout the play such as creating the storm.

We know very little about how Ariel feels and what Ariel looks like.

Ariel's resolution comes at the end of the play when they are set free.

Thank you very much for joining me today everyone, I really hope you enjoyed the lesson.

Goodbye.