Forgiveness

GCSE · English Literature · AQA · P1.A.TT — *The Tempest* — power, magic, colonialism, forgiveness; Prospero's island; Caliban and Ariel; the masque

Question

How does Shakespeare present forgiveness in The Tempest? Use the extract from Act 5 Scene 1 lines 20–32 (Prospero and Ariel) as a starting point. (30 + 4 marks)

Mark scheme guidance:

Ariel's "Mine would, sir, were I human" prompts Prospero's "the rarer action is in virtue than in vengeance".
Christian-humanist context: forgiveness as Renaissance virtue.
Contrast with Hamlet, Othello, Lear endings — Tempest is romance/tragicomedy.
Top candidates discuss whether Antonio's silence is "forgiven" or whether forgiveness is one-way.
Magic renounced — "this rough magic / I here abjure".

34 marks · take your time before peeking.

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Generated by TopMyGrade AI · cross-check official sources before relying on the mark-scheme phrasing.