You are three men of sin, whom Destiny,
That hath to instrument this lower world
And what is in't, the never-surfeited sea
Hath caused to belch up you; and on this island
Where man doth not inhabit; you 'mongst men
Being most unfit to live. I have made you mad;
And even with such-like valour men hang and drown
Their proper selves.
[ALONSO, SEBASTIAN &c. draw their swords]
You fools! I and my fellows
Are ministers of Fate: the elements,
Of whom your swords are temper'd, may as well
Wound the loud winds, or with bemock'd-at stabs
Kill the still-closing waters, as diminish
One dowle that's in my plume: my fellow-ministers
Are like invulnerable. If you could hurt,
Your swords are now too massy for your strengths
And will not be uplifted. But remember—
For that's my business to you—that you three
From Milan did supplant good Prospero;
Exposed unto the sea, which hath requit it,
Him and his innocent child: for which foul deed
The powers, delaying, not forgetting, have
Incensed the seas and shores, yea, all the creatures,
Against your peace. Thee of thy son, Alonso,
They have bereft; and do pronounce by me:
Lingering perdition, worse than any death
Can be at once, shall step by step attend
You and your ways; whose wraths to guard you from—
Which here, in this most desolate isle, else falls
Upon your heads—is nothing but heart-sorrow
And a clear life ensuing.
[He vanishes in thunder; then, to soft music]
enter the Shapes again, and dance, with
mocks and mows, and carrying out the table]
Played by Colin Morgan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfDO6DVIHPU
This is a strong portrayal of Ariel, where the character is performed in a bird like form with a burning anger towards the men cowering on the floor before him. The peak and troughs in Colin Morgan's performance give a different interpretation to my own but I feel as though it gives the character more dimensions and although very angry we see how Ariel uses their anger to instil fear into the men by lowering his voice and varying volumes. This I feel is more effective because the less someone does when their angry it is often more scary as you can't judge what they might do. This contrasted with bellowed moments keeps the other characters on their toes, unable to pre-empt what will happen which increases the tension.
The Harpie's Warning (2010)
- featuring Christopher Plummer as Prospero with Julyana Soelistyo as his servant/slave Ariel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZRNJeZFnQ4
In my opinion I like the strength the actress has put behind her words, however I feel as though she could change her volume, pitch and tone more often because although it is a strong, clear performance the same kind of voice is used constantly which I find could become boring. She needs more peaks and troughs, giving the performance some light and shade. I do, however, enjoy the powerful way in which she uses her voice to instil fear in the other characters using her booming tone.
The Tempest - film (2010)
-featuring Helen Mirren as Prospera
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxKC9TPnwTM
For this interpretation I enjoy the scary way the actor uses his voice.
I'm not sure I like what the character looks like and how it is physicalised but I find his interpretation of the text is closest to how I read it. He seems to have found similar breaks where he has found changes in "Ariel's" thoughts and stresses the words I believe have most power. For example when he emphasises the word "mad" he reflects the words meaning which I think helps both the other characters and the audience to understand what he is saying as well as encouraging fear.
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