as Dreams Are Made On
The dance – and the masque – is not quite ended when Prospero, who had been enjoying the show along with the others, suddenly remembers that he still has to handle the problem of Caliban, Stefano, and Trinculo. Theater has the power to send a person into a realm of fantasy and imagination and to make that person forget his woes temporarily, but eventually one must face reality. The thought of Caliban’s “foul conspiracy” (139) – the plot to kill Prospero and take control of the island – causes the magician to interrupt the spirits and abruptly end the masque. Prospero knows that he cannot wait another minute to deal with Caliban and the others, and the thought angers him. So, when he interrupts the spirits, he does so in an angry voice.
Both Ferdinand and Miranda are surprised by the “passion” – by the intense emotion – that they hear in Prospero’s voice. But the magician quickly hides his feelings regarding the conspirators and tells the young couple to “be cheerful” (147). Prospero then makes the following speech:
Our revels now are ended. These our actors, As I foretold you, were all spirits and Are melted into air, into thin air; And like the baseless fabric of this vision, The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces, The solemn temples, the great globe itself, Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve, And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff As dreams are made on, and our little life Is rounded with a sleep. (148-58)
The word revels (at line 148) has two meanings. First, the word refers to the entertainment or the masque itself. Second, the word refers to a time for festivity and enjoyment. Prospero is telling Ferdinand and Miranda that the masque is now over and they can resume making their plans for the wedding. Yet Prospero is also telling himself that he can no longer afford to waste time on pleasure when the serious business concerning Caliban needs his immediate attention.
Prospero then explains to Ferdinand (1) how all of the actors in the masque were spirits of air and all of the props were likewise composed of air. The actors and props were made of nothing and disappear back into nothing. (2) The speech, though, has another meaning. The performance of The Tempest itself, like all dramatic plays, is comprised of actors performing a vision. Once the play is over, the characters disappear seemingly into thin air as if they never existed. Shakespeare also employs a pun to emphasize this meaning. The word globe not only refers to the planet earth, it also refers to the Globe Theater where Shakespeare’s play was first performed. (3) Finally, there is a third level of meaning: all people in the world are actors performing a role for a limited time on the earth or globe. Eventually, they too will disappear or dissolve as if they never existed.
The expression “insubstantial pageant” corresponds with all three levels of interpretation: (1) the masque itself was insubstantial because spirits of the air –having no solid physical substance – performed the parts. (2) The Tempest also is insubstantial or not real. The characters are just actors, and these fictional characters disappear after the performance is over. And (3) people on earth – as well as the objects people use – are insubstantial in that their substance (their bodies) is temporary and eventually dissolves back into the dust from which it was made. Thus, over time, everybody and everything disappears and leaves “not a rack [or trace] behind” (156). Thus, life itself is insubstantial. Prospero concludes his philosophical commentary on life with the sentence, “We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep” (156-57). The people living on the earth are, in actuality, not any more substantial than dreams. Life, existence itself, is “little”: life is not just that important despite the posturing and pretentiousness that appears in far too many people. The word rounded also conveys a double meaning:
(1) life is surrounded by sleep, by the visions or dreams from ourselves and from others. And (2) life is rounded off or ended with the sleep of death.
Prospero realizes that his philosophical digression is rather dark and heavy, if not downright gloomy. So he then tells Ferdinand and Miranda to ignore what he has just said and to forgive his comments as the products of his old age and infirmity and as the result of troubles or vexations that he is having. The young couple then leaves the old magician so that he can deal with the specific vexations of Caliban, Stefano, and Trinculo.