Some of Shakespeare’s most haunting, lyrical, and philosophical lines appear in *The Tempest*, spoken by humans and spirits alike, on an island full of dreams and reckonings. The Tempest Quote Identification Quiz is your chance to test how closely you’ve listened to the words that move the plot, reveal character, and deliver some of the most quoted reflections on life, illusion, and freedom in the English language. This isn’t just about who said what it’s about understanding why it mattered when they said it.
The Tempest Quote Identification Quiz focuses on the poetic and philosophical backbone of the play. Lines from Ariel, Caliban, Prospero, and Miranda do far more than decorate the dialogue. They reflect shifting power, speak to injustice, question identity, and mourn lost time. These lines often resurface in literature, music, and pop culture, echoing long after the curtain closes. This quiz invites you to revisit the island not just as a place of magic, but as a crucible of language that reveals the emotional and ethical core of the play.
Recognizing quotes is just one part of the challenge can you remember when they happened? Test yourself with The Tempest Order Of Events Quiz. Want to go deeper into the literary brilliance behind the lines? Try The Tempest Literary Devices Quiz. And when you’re ready for the big test, see if you can ace The Tempest Full Book Quiz!
Below, we explore some of the most important quotes, who said them, and why they still resonate. These are the moments that define *The Tempest* and will feature prominently in the quiz.
“We are such stuff / As dreams are made on…”
Spoken by Prospero during Act 4, Scene 1, this line is among Shakespeare’s most famous. Prospero, having staged a magical masque for Ferdinand and Miranda, suddenly cuts it short and reflects on the transient nature of life. He compares human existence to the fading of illusions and theatrical performance.
In the quiz, this quote is essential. It showcases Prospero’s evolving worldview once driven by revenge, now turning toward reflection. It also captures the core of the play’s metaphorical power. *The Tempest* is both story and stagecraft, and here Shakespeare blurs the line between actor and character, dream and reality.
“O brave new world / That has such people in’t!”
Miranda exclaims this when she sees the shipwrecked nobles gathered together in Act 5. Her innocence frames them as impressive and noble, unaware of their betrayal and ambition. The irony is powerful what she sees as wonderful, the audience knows to be morally compromised.
The Tempest Quote Identification Quiz uses this moment to test emotional and contextual awareness. Miranda’s words are beautiful, but layered with unintended irony. The phrase later inspired Aldous Huxley’s *Brave New World*, further cementing its legacy.
“Hell is empty / And all the devils are here.”
Ferdinand shouts this during the storm in Act 1, Scene 2, overwhelmed by the chaos unleashed by Ariel’s magic. It’s an early line, but it immediately reveals the character’s capacity for poetic language and emotional intensity.
This line is a favorite in quote identification because of its vivid imagery and dramatic flair. It captures the intensity of the storm and hints at the moral disorder aboard the ship. Though short, it resonates with the play’s larger theme of unseen evils cloaked by civility.
“You taught me language, and my profit on’t / Is I know how to curse.”
Caliban delivers this searing line to Prospero in Act 1. It encapsulates one of the central tensions in the play the relationship between the colonizer and the colonized. Caliban resents the language and customs forced upon him, seeing them as tools of subjugation rather than civilization.
Expect this quote in the quiz not just because of its content, but because of what it says about voice, power, and identity. Caliban’s bitterness, often reduced to comedy in performance, is deeply political here. The line forces the reader to reconsider who holds power, and how language enforces it.
“My liberty!”
Ariel repeats this phrase several times throughout the play, but it carries its greatest weight near the end. For Ariel, liberty means more than the end of servitude it means a return to the elemental, a shedding of obligation, a release into true identity. The cry is personal, joyful, and profound.
The Tempest Quote Identification Quiz will challenge you to distinguish between Ariel’s poetic declarations and Prospero’s complex commands. Ariel’s repeated plea is short but packed with meaning, symbolizing the play’s larger journey from control to release.
“This island’s mine, by Sycorax my mother…”
Caliban speaks this line when defending his claim to the island, asserting that Prospero’s rule is illegitimate. He describes how he showed Prospero the island’s secrets and was later enslaved in return. It’s a moment of historical and emotional gravity, exposing the theft at the heart of Prospero’s utopia.
In the quiz, this quote connects directly to the play’s underlying themes of colonization and injustice. Caliban’s voice, often sidelined in classroom readings, demands to be heard. His mother, Sycorax, remains a ghostly presence, a symbol of a different kind of power erased by Prospero’s order.
“Now my charms are all o’erthrown…”
Prospero speaks this during the epilogue. With the play concluded and his magic surrendered, he appeals to the audience to release him with their applause. This direct address breaks the fourth wall and blends Shakespeare’s voice with Prospero’s, asking for mercy, not as a ruler, but as a man.
This line often appears in the final section of The Tempest Quote Identification Quiz. It reflects the humility that has replaced vengeance and the theatrical self-awareness that defines the play’s final tone. Shakespeare uses it to end not with spectacle, but with grace.
“Do you love me, master? No?”
Ariel asks this in a fleeting, almost childlike moment. It reveals the emotional bond formed with Prospero despite their power imbalance. Ariel’s question is brief, but filled with longing for affection, for recognition, for freedom with dignity.
In the quiz, this quote is used to test your awareness of how Shakespeare gives even spirits depth and vulnerability. Ariel may serve, but he does not do so blindly. His emotional intelligence runs through the entire play, often shaping its tone more than its plot.
“The rarer action is / In virtue than in vengeance.”
Spoken by Prospero when he chooses to forgive his enemies rather than punish them. This quote reflects his moral transformation. Earlier, he was focused on retribution, but by the end of the play, he embraces compassion. The line defines the ethical heart of the play.
The Tempest Quote Identification Quiz often ends on this line because it encapsulates the central message. Power used with restraint, especially when provoked, is more remarkable than domination. Shakespeare doesn’t just end a story he delivers a philosophy.
Take The Tempest Quote Identification Quiz
These lines have echoed through centuries for a reason. They distill Shakespeare’s thoughts on freedom, forgiveness, illusion, and truth into unforgettable language. The Tempest Quote Identification Quiz helps you trace those threads, identify the speakers, and rediscover how each moment builds the larger symphony of meaning. Whether you’re teaching the play, revising for exams, or simply love language that lingers, this quiz offers a deeper look into Shakespeare’s final masterwork.
Click below to take The Tempest Quote Identification Quiz and test your mastery of Shakespeare’s most iconic lines. The Tempest Quizzes: Can you navigate Prospero’s island?
The Tempest Quotes – FAQ
In The Tempest, Prospero’s quote reflects the fleeting and insubstantial nature of life, comparing it to a dream. It suggests that human experience is temporary and often illusory.
Miranda, Prospero’s daughter, says this when she encounters new people for the first time. Her words, filled with wonder and innocence, express amazement at humanity’s diversity and complexity. The phrase is often used to convey excitement or irony in new situations.
Prospero’s admission regarding Caliban shows his self-awareness and acceptance of his darker side. By acknowledging his own flaws and the impact of his actions, Prospero moves toward forgiveness and reconciliation.
Ariel says this during the storm at the play’s start, highlighting human chaos and ambition over supernatural threats. The line emphasizes human folly and moral corruption.
The Tempest is viewed as a critique of colonialism, with Prospero symbolizing the colonizer and Caliban the colonized. The play explores power, control, and exploitation, paralleling the effects of European expansion on indigenous peoples, and raises questions about power and identity.