Lesson video

Welcome, everybody.

It's Mr. Dyke here, and welcome to another English lesson based on The Tempest.

Before we begin, make sure you've got a black or blue pen ready, pen of a different colour that you can mark your responses with, and check that you've cleared away any distractions that you might have.

Your notes from previous lessons will also come in really handy so make sure you've got them nearby.

Once you're ready just write down today's title, The Theme of Comedy: Trinculo and Stephano.

Let's begin with our recap then, of our previous reading.

So, in our last lesson we read Act 2, Scene 1, focusing on the theme of hope, and characters like King Alonso and Gonzalo coming ashore.

So, three images.

What do you remember about this scene? So, what do you remember about Act 2, Scene 1, and the key ideas in that scene? So, just pause the video for two minutes and write down everything you can remember.

Off you go.

Okay, here are three really, really, really important ones I want you to remember, okay? So, make sure you've definitely written these down.

You might have written further ideas down, or maybe worded them differently.

That's okay.

But this is exactly the things that I need you to remember.

So, first of all, Alonso believes that his son Ferdinand has passed away, and is inconsolable, so he's basically, in the frame of mind where no one can cheer him up, so he talked about how he was very sort of despairing and disconsolate, and that he can't really look on the positive side at all.

However, Gonzalo is trying to be positive and see the situation in a good light.

So, Gonzalo talked about the luscious grass, and the greenery, and he talked about how miraculous it was that they've survived, and also talked about how their clothes are even clean and neat, despite being in a shipwreck.

So, he was very positive and hopeful.

And another really important detail there is Francisco recalls seeing Ferdinand swimming valiantly, sort of swimming with bravery, suggesting that he might still be alive.

So, Ferdinand might be okay, so Francisco offers a small bit of hope for King Alonso at this point, okay? So, well remembered.

Today, we are going to be looking at Act 2 Scene 2, and we're going to get introduced to our final two characters that we've not met yet, and those are Stephano and Trinculo.

So, what you can do is just maybe add this as a subtitle, if you've not already done that.

And then we are going to summarise the scene first.

So, in this scene, Trinculo is a jester, so these are two very comedic characters, who's lost and comes across Caliban who is sorting wood.

When it starts to thunder, he gets under Caliban's cover, which is called a gabardine.

It's like almost, like a kind of throw, with him.

Stephano is a drunken butler.

Comes looking for Trinculo, and is very puzzled by what he finds.

So, this is very much a comedic scene, and these two are characters who will have been on the ship.

They're very much of low status.

They're seen as jester-like comedic characters, okay? So, these are the final two characters to be introduced in the play, and their job is to provide comic relief to some of the more serious storylines and themes in the play involving, for example, Prospero, Caliban, and Alonso, okay? So, bearing in mind this is coming straight after a very serious scene in which they're talking about Ferdinand and whether he's dead.

You've got these two jokers who come along and provide lots of comedy, okay? So, that's how we've got to view this particular scene.

So, as always, as we read, you're going to have a pen at the ready noting down the key events.

Also at this time, you're going to track a key theme as we read, so you're going to be thinking about how the theme of comedy is portrayed.

So, how is this comedic element for the audience being communicated through these characters? So, any time you see an example of comedy or something that is amusing, or would be light relief for the audience, make a note of it, so make a note of a quotation of what it's like, okay? So, are we ready? So, we're going to start with Caliban who is collecting wood for Prospero.

Lo, now, lo.

Here comes a spirit of his, and to torment me for bringing wood in slowly.

I'll fall flat.

Perchance he will not mind me.

He lies down covered by his gabardine.

So, Caliban has seen Trinculo coming.

He thinks it's a spirit of Prospero who's tormenting him.

He thinks it's a spirit being sent to make him fetch wood more quickly, okay? However, it's Trinculo, so Caliban has gone and hid under his gabardine, under his kind of jacket almost.

Trinculo.

Here's neither bush nor shrub to bear off any weather at all.

There's another storm brewing.

I could hear it sing in the wind.

Yond same black cloud, yond huge one, looks like a foul bombard that would shed his liquor.

So, Trinculo's noticed that there's going to be another storm so he's looking for some cover.

If it should thunder as it did before, I know not where to hide my head.

Yond same cloud cannot choose, but fall by pailfuls.

And then he sees Caliban.

He sees this kind of gabardine on the floor.

What have we here? A man or a fish? Dead or alive? A fish.

He smells like a fish.

A very ancient and fish-like smell, a kind of not-of-the-newest poor-john.

Strange fish.

Were I in England now, as once I was, and had but this fish painted, not a holiday fool there but would give a piece of silver.

Any strange beast there makes a man.

So, Trinculo's making a little reference to the idea of the freak show tradition.

The idea that in many parts of the world, people any kind of creature that they found, which would be quite alien and different they could take to Europe, and particularly, places like England, and people would pay to see it.

So, Trinculo's actually suggesting that if he were to take Caliban home, not home, but to England with him, that people would pay to see him as if he were a circus creature.

So, again, making some strange comments about Caliban here.

Legged like a man, and fins like arms. Warm of my troth.

I do now let loose my opinion.

Hold it no longer.

This is no fish, but an islander that hath lately suffered by a thunderbolt, and then we hear some thunder.

So, Trinculo actually thinks that Caliban is someone who lives on the island and has been killed by a thunderbolt.

Alas, the storm is come again.

My best way is to creep under his gabardine.

There is no other shelter hereabouts.

Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows.

I will here shroud till the dregs of the storm be past.

So, he crawls under the gabardine, and now he's snuggled up to Caliban, and thinking that Caliban is just a dead islander, where obviously, Caliban is alive and well.

I'm pausing there.

How is comedy presented so far? So, using these two questions, just write a couple of full sentences.

What is amusing about Trinculo's discovery and what he thinks Caliban is? And how is physical comedy being used in this scene? So, physical comedy is like actions.

How are actions being used so far? So, pause there.

Just spend two minutes answering these questions, and resume once you are finished.

Okay, let's continue.

So, in comes Stephano, who is singing.

And he is singing, I shall no more to sea, to sea.

Here shall I die ashore.

This is a very scurvy tune to sing at a man's funeral.

Well, here's my comfort, and he drinks.

He's got some rum, or alcohol, or something with him, and Stephano actually thinks that he's the only one alive.

He thinks he's lost everyone, so he's just kind of drinking and eating all the food from the boat to try and keep him happy and merry, and not really behaving in the best way.

Caliban, do not torment me.

Oh! So, Caliban still thinks he's being chased by spirits that are Prospero's.

Stephano, what's the matter? Have we devils here? Do you put tricks upon us with savages and men of Ind, ha? I have not 'scaped drowning to be afeard now of your four legs.

So, Stephano now thinks he's come across a strange creature who's like a devil.

Or it hath been said as proper a man as ever went on four legs cannot make him give ground, and it shall be said so again while Stephano breathes at nostrils.

The spirit torments me, oh! So, again, Stephano has found four legs, so think about that.

Why has he found four legs? And he thinks it's a devil creature, and Caliban thinks Stephano is a spirit.

This is some monster of the isle with four legs who hath got, as I take it, an ague.

It means just an ache or a pain.

So, he thinks that when Caliban is shouting, it means that he's in pain.

Where the devil should he learn our language? I will give him some relief, but it be for that.

If I can recover him and keep him tame and get to Naples with him, he's a present for any emperor that ever trod on a neat's leather.

So again, Stephano's come up with the idea of taking this monster home for a king so that he can be kind of looked at and used as an ornament 'cause he think it would be quite exotic, which isn't very ethical, is it? Caliban.

Do not torment me, prithee.

I'll bring my wood home faster.

Okay, pausing again.

How is Stephano presented as foolish in this scene, and what does Caliban think is happening to him? When you're ready, so there's two minutes.

When you're ready, just resume video.

Okay, so Stephano's going to continue.

He's in his fit now and does not talk after the wisest.

He shall taste of my bottle.

If he never have drunk wine afore, it will go near to remove his fit.

If I can recover him and keep him tame, I will not take too much for him.

He shall pay for him that hath him, and that had soundly.

So, Stephano's going to give him some of his wine that he's drinking to try and make Caliban feel better, or try to make this creature feel better.

Caliban, thou dost me yet but little hurt.

Thou wilt anon, I know it by thy trembling.

Now Prosper works upon thee.

And Stephano's trying to give Caliban this drink of wine.

Come on your ways.

Open your mouth.

Here is that which will give language to you, cat.

Open your mouth.

This will shake your shaking, I can tell you, and that soundly.

You cannot tell who's your friend.

Open your chaps again.

Trinculo, so remember Trinculo's under the gabardine too, at this point.

I should know that voice.

It should be, but he is drowned, and these are devils.

Oh, defend me.

So, Trinculo recognises Stephano's voice, but he thinks Stephano's drowned in the shipwreck.

So instead, he thinks he's being chased by devils himself.

Four legs and two voices, a most delicate monster.

His forward voice now is to speak well of his friend.

His backward voice is to utter foul speeches and to detract.

If all the wine in my bottle will recover him, I will help his ague.

Come.

Caliban drinks.

Amen, I will pour some in thy other mouth.

So, Stephano's amused by that this creature has two heads and thinks he's got two voices because he's heard Trinculo and Caliban speak.

Trinculo, Stephano! Stephano.

Doth they other mouth call me? Mercy, mercy.

This is a devil, and no monster.

I will leave him.

I have no long spoon.

Stephano, if thou beest Stephano, touch me and speak to me.

For I am Trinculo, be not afeard, they good friend Trinculo.

If thou beest Trinculo, come forth.

I'll pull thee by the lesser legs.

If any be Trinculo's legs, these they are.

He pulls Trinculo out from underneath the gabardine.

Thou art very Trinculo indeed.

How camest thou to be the siege of this mooncalf? Can he vent Trinculos? I took him to be killed with a thunderstroke.

But art thou not drowned, Stephano? I hope now thou art not drowned.

Is the storm overblown? I hid me under the dead mooncalf's gabardine for fear of the storm.

And art thou living, Stephano? O Stephano, two Neapolitans 'scaped, and they dance about.

So, they're celebrating the fact they're reunited 'cause they thought that one another was dead.

Prithee, don't turn me about.

My stomach is not constant.

And Caliban is going to speak aside, which means that the audience can hear it, but the other characters on stage can't.

These be fine things, if they be not sprites.

That's a brave god and bears celestial liquor.

I will kneel to him.

So, Caliban has realised that they're not spirits, but he thinks that Stephano is a god because he's given him a drink of what he's calling celestial liquor, which suggests it's from out of this world.

That it's some special, god-like potion, which is not of the earth, because he's probably clearly enjoyed the wine a little bit.

So, Caliban is going to treat Stephano like a god, which is going to be something that happens as we go on through the play.

Okay, pausing again now.

What does Stephano try to give Caliban? What does Stephano think he has found? What does Stephano discover? Pause now.

Spend three minutes on these ones, and then resume when you're ready.

Okay, so here are your answers to the questions we have been answering as we've been reading, so change your colour pen.

So, first answer is what is amusing about Trinculo's discovery? Trinculo has mistaken Caliban hiding under a gabardine for a strange fish-like creature.

He wants to take him to present in a freak show.

That is the first kind of comedic discovery, if you like, is that Trinculo mistakes Caliban for a strange creature.

Physical comedy is being used as it's shown through the movement of the characters.

So, Caliban hiding under the gabardine, Trinculo being fearful of the thunder, and Trinculo joining Caliban under the gabardine.

So, think about on stage how that could be presented in different ways to make it a little bit slapstick and a little bit physical and funny.

How is Stephano presented as foolish? So, Stephano's presented as a foolish drunkard who is not looking for his wrecked shipmates, but is instead drinking the wine he has found.

So, he's not really presented in a particularly good light at this point.

He's just enjoying his wine.

He's being selfish.

What does Caliban think is happening to him? Caliban believes he's being tormented and punished by the spirits of Propsero, forcing him to work harder.

Stephano tries to give Caliban to drink that, give him the wine to drink that he's carrying.

And Stephano thinks he's found a strange two-headed and four-legged creature, which might be native to the island.

And Stephano then discovers that Trinculo is part of the creature, and he's reunited with him because they both thought one another dead.

Okay, obviously, we're wanting to track that theme of comedy, so let's reflect on what we've read.

And on the screen are four techniques that could be used by Shakespeare to create comedy in this scene.

So, you've got physical actions.

The idea of the movements of the characters and how they would appear on stage, and what they do.

You've got misunderstandings.

There's a lot of misunderstanding going on, where they don't really understand what is real and what is true.

You've got comedic language.

So, are any of the word choices funny or strange? And we've got this technique of dramatic irony, which you might have heard of, and that is the idea that the audience knows something the characters do not know, and therefore in this case, the audience might find that highly amusing and entertaining because they understand what's going on when the characters don't, necessarily.

So, what I'd like you to do is pause here, and I want you to write these four different techniques on your page, and next to each one, just a quick example of where you've seen and read that particular technique in action, okay? That's just to plant some ideas before we develop this into a bigger answer.

So, pause now, write down as many examples for each as you can think of.

Okay, now we're going to turn this into a bit of a table.

So, I'm going to explain the table to you first, so you might want to pause now and just copy out the three columns there.

So, in the left-hand column we've got an aspect of comedy, and then in the middle column we've got the quotation, and then the right-hand column we've got how does this create comic relief for the audience? So, those are your three headings.

Just write them on your page now, and then also, I'd like you to just write in the four aspects of comedy in that left-hand column.

So, those are the four ones that we were just thinking about in the previous task.

So, write down the four aspects of comedy now.

And your job is to come up with as many examples for each using work with quotations, so direct examples of comedy for each of the aspects, okay? So, I want a quotation for dramatic irony, a quotation for misunderstandings, and the other two.

And the most important section of this table is the final section.

How does this create comic relief? So, in that section you're really commenting on how does this make the audience have a laugh? How does it relieve any tension and seriousness? How does it sort of extend the theme of comedy in this scene? You might want to think about how they would respond to it and what they would find funny.

So, you're going to spend 10 to 12 minutes having a go at this table, okay? I will be resuming, and giving you one full example of one of the aspects of comedy.

So, what you could do is you could have a go at one, and then resume the video, and see my example, or you could have a go at all of them or as many as you can, and then resume when you're exhausted and kind of done with it, and you're not sure about how to go any more, or you're finished.

And then you can see my example to mark yours with, so it's up to you how you use that, but I will be giving you one example if you resume the video, okay? Pause the video now and have a go at this task.

Okay, as promised, here is my example, and no matter how much you've done I want to use this to either mark your work, or to develop your work and see what's needed.

So, I've selected dramatic irony 'cause that's a tricky one to maybe write about, so, remembering that dramatic irony is where the audience knows something that the characters do not know.

So, the quotation I've selected is four legs and two voices, a most delicate monster.

So, that is the quote from Stephano.

The reason why that's dramatic irony is 'cause as an audience, we know exactly what that creature is.

We know that it's Trinculo and Caliban under the gabardine.

It's not a monster.

So, we're watching Stephano get confused.

We're watching Stephano get it wrong.

It's quite comedic and this part is quite lighthearted and silly.

So, that's why it's dramatic irony.

So, can you check now that you've selected a quotation for at least one of your aspects of comedy? Maybe you've had a go at all four.

So, that's what you need, a quotation.

And let's focus on how this creates comic relief, okay? So, I'm going to just read through my explanation.

As Stephano makes the amusing misunderstanding of four legs, the audience knows that the creature is in fact his good friend Trinculo.

So, I'm just explaining why is that funny? Why is it potentially comedic? Notice how I've zoomed in on a particular part of it, four legs, so that's something you might want to do in your answer.

So, I'll zoom in on a part of the quote.

This creates an amusing tension as we wonder how long it will take for Stephano to realise.

So, I'm trying to explain what the audience might be laughing at and what they might be thinking about.

So, can you include that in your answer too? Furthermore, his interpretation of the two character's voices is unusual and creative.

He sees his forward voice as kind Trinculo, and his backward voice as unkind, reflective of this being his friend who is alien to him.

So, going into more detail there.

I've tried to say as much detail as possible.

Why is this amusing? Well, his backward voice and his forward voice, and we're laughing at that 'cause we know exactly what those two things are.

So, really, your answer needs to be as detailed as mine, featuring explanations and smaller quotations that you can then unpack.

So, you're either pausing now and completing your table, or you're pausing now, marking your work and making it as good as possible, okay? So, make sure you're doing that now.

Thank you, as ever, for your focus this lesson, and I look forward to our next lesson.

Well done.