Original: Now my charms are all o’erthrown,
Modern: Now all my magic spells have been destroyed,

Original: And what strength I have’s mine own,
Modern: And the only power I have left is my own,

Original: Which is most faint: now, ‘tis true,
Modern: Which is very weak: now, it’s true,

Original: I must be here confined by you,
Modern: I must stay trapped here by your will,

Original: Or sent to Naples. Let me not,
Modern: Or be sent back to Naples. Please don’t let me,

Original: Since I have my dukedom got
Modern: Since I’ve gotten my dukedom back

Original: And pardon’d the deceiver, dwell
Modern: And forgiven the one who betrayed me, remain

Original: In this bare island by your spell;
Modern: On this empty island under your power;

Original: But release me from my bands
Modern: But free me from my bonds

Original: With the help of your good hands:
Modern: With the help of your applause:

Original: Gentle breath of yours my sails
Modern: Your kind approval must fill my sails

Original: Must fill, or else my project fails,
Modern: Or else my plan will fail,

Original: Which was to please. Now I want
Modern: Which was to entertain you. Now I lack

Original: Spirits to enforce, art to enchant,
Modern: Supernatural helpers to command, magic to cast spells,

Original: And my ending is despair,
Modern: And I’ll end in hopelessness,

Original: Unless I be relieved by prayer,
Modern: Unless I’m saved by prayer,

Original: Which pierces so that it assaults
Modern: Which is so powerful that it reaches

Original: Mercy itself and frees all faults.
Modern: God’s mercy itself and forgives all sins.

Original: As you from crimes would pardon’d be,
Modern: Just as you would want to be forgiven for your wrongdoings,

Original: Let your indulgence set me free.
Modern: Let your kind forgiveness set me free.

In the Epilogue of “The Tempest,” Prospero addresses the audience directly after the other characters have exited. He speaks as both the character Prospero and as an actor stepping out of the dramatic frame, explaining that his magical powers are now gone and his spirits have been released. He describes himself as being left on the island without his supernatural abilities, comparing his situation to being confined on bare ground.

Prospero asks the audience to release him from the island through their applause, stating that their hands and breath (applause and approval) have the power to set him free. He requests the audience’s indulgence and forgiveness, explaining that as he has pardoned those who wronged him, he hopes they will pardon any faults in the performance. He concludes by asking for their prayers, suggesting that mercy and forgiveness are themes that extend beyond the play’s boundaries into the real world, and that just as he seeks their approval to be freed from the stage, all people seek divine mercy and grace.

The Tempest opens with a violent storm at sea that shipwrecks a vessel carrying Alonso, King of Naples, his son Ferdinand, his brother Sebastian, Antonio (the usurping Duke of Milan), the counselor Gonzalo, and others. The tempest has been conjured by Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, who lives in exile on an island with his daughter Miranda. Twelve years earlier, Prospero was overthrown by his brother Antonio with the help of Alonso, and set adrift at sea with the infant Miranda. They survived and reached this island, where Prospero has spent years studying magic and commanding the spirit Ariel, whom he freed from imprisonment in a tree.

The shipwreck separates the survivors into different groups across the island. Ferdinand becomes separated from the others and encounters Miranda, with whom he immediately falls in love, though Prospero tests the young man by enslaving him temporarily. Meanwhile, Antonio and Sebastian plot to murder Alonso and Gonzalo while they sleep, but Ariel awakens Gonzalo just in time. Another group, including the drunken butler Stephano and jester Trinculo, meets Caliban, Prospero’s reluctant servant who is the island’s original inhabitant. Caliban persuades them to help him kill Prospero and take control of the island.

Prospero orchestrates a series of magical interventions: he presents a banquet to Alonso’s group that vanishes when they try to eat, and Ariel appears as a harpy to remind them of their crimes against Prospero. Ariel also disrupts Caliban’s murder plot by leading the conspirators into a stinking pond and then tormenting them with spirits disguised as hunting dogs. Ferdinand proves his love for Miranda by completing the tasks Prospero sets him, and Prospero gives his blessing to their betrothal, celebrating with a masque of spirits.

In the final act, Prospero reveals himself to all the castaways, forgives his enemies, and renounces his magic, breaking his staff and freeing Ariel. Alonso repents his past actions and restores Prospero to his dukedom. Ferdinand and Miranda’s engagement is celebrated, Caliban acknowledges Prospero’s authority and promises to be wise hereafter, and Prospero prepares to return to Milan. The play concludes with Prospero’s epilogue, in which he asks the audience to free him with their applause, as he has freed Ariel.