Before Alonso and the others can eat any of the food, they hear the sound of thunder. Ariel then appears in the form of a harpy, a mythological creature, and magically causes the food to disappear. Although early Greek tales described such creatures as having beautiful female faces, the Romans (notably Virgil in his Aeneid) described the harpies as having hideous wings and claws and a horrible female face. The harpies usually stole food from their victims and brought evil men to the Furies, who were creatures of vengeance. Thus, the harpy is a most appropriate figure to represent Prospero’s less furious vengeance against Antonio and Alonso.
Harpy
Ariel, as the harpy, then makes the following
speech: