THE tempest duly deposited Antonio’s ship and company on Prospero’s island. The magician made sure to rescue Ferdinand and, exactly as planned, the shipwrecked prince and lonely Miranda fell in love.

Meanwhile, conspiracies were afoot. Caliban was plotting Prospero’s downfall with the help of Alonso’s tipsy butler. Antonio and his brother Sebastian, thinking prince Ferdinand drowned, were designing the assassination of his father King Alonso, and imagining Sebastian wearing the crown of Naples in his place.

But Prospero knew by his art all that had passed, and despatched Ariel to bewitch the wretched conspirators with visions until they stumbled to the very door of his house. There, he toyed with them a little before unmasking himself, and having rebuked them, unexpectedly forgave them all.

So they set sail for Naples as friends; but not before Prospero had released faithful Ariel from his service, and renounced magic forever — forcing him to beg the enchanted audience to waft his ship home on the winds of their applause.