The article presents information on the play "The Tempest," written by William Shakespeare. Prospero comes from his cell dressed in his magic robes, and Ariel follows him. He asks the spirit, "How fares the King and's followers." The reply is that they are in such sorrow and dismay that, if Prospero could see them, his affections would become tender. This is a revelation; indeed, it is a most unexpected turn in the drama that Ariel should be the one to remind the magician that the suffering of his enemies, under his charm, afflicts them so strongly that he would become tender if he saw them. The rarer action is in virtue than in vengeance. The idea suggested by Ariel has taken root, and the magician realizes the impotence of earthly punishment. Playwright Shakespeare had given the record of crimes committed by Angevins, Plantagenets, Tudors and the rabble throngs of their reigns. He knew the history of all the punishment that man can invent. Whether or not this play is autobiographical, in some respects, researchers may take it that it is a summing up of all the distressing conflicts and turbulence that wrecked Shakespeare's mind and spirit.