Gonzalo act summary
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Gonzalo
Gonzalo is among the men cast ashore during the tempest that opens the play. He serves as a counselor to Alonso, the King of Naples, though he once worked in Prospero’s service, back when he was Duke of Milan. In fact, Gonzalo helped Prospero and Miranda escape Milan. He filled their shabby boat with food, clothing, and prized books on the magic arts from Prospero’s library. The care he took to ensure Prospero and Miranda’s survival indicates an innate kindness and compassion that he continues to embody throughout the play. Gonzalo attempts to get other characters to act kindly toward one another. In Act II, for instance, Gonzalo chastises Sebastian for blaming the shipwreck on Alonso. “My lord Sebastian,” he says: “The truth you speak doth lack some gentleness / And time to speak it in. You rub the sore / When you should bring the plaster” (II.i.). With these lines, Gonzalo articulates his philosophy that kindness is always more productive harshness.
For all that Gonzalo represents a beacon of kindness, he’s also somewhat naïve. For instance, when he tries to cheer Alonso up at the top of Act II, his words only offer cold comfort: “Beseech you, sir, be merry. You have cause, / So have we all, of joy, for our escape / Is much beyond our loss” (II.i.). Alonso, who believes he’s just lost his son to the sea.
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Explanation:
✔️ Gonzalo was a nobleman from Naples. He had been chosen to carry out the plan to carry Prospero and Miranda to the sea and trying to kill them in there. However, he didn't kill them, but instead he gave them clothes, linen, and other necessities that had been a great help for Prospero and Miranda.
✔️A violent storm rages around a small ship at sea. The master of the ship calls for his boatswain to rouse the mariners to action and prevent the ship from being run aground by the tempest. ... Gonzalo reminds the Boatswain that one of the passengers is of some importance, but the Boatswain is unmoved