Prospero was Duke of Milan, but gave his brother Antonio day-to-day responsibility for ruling while Prospero attended to his study of magic. Antonio overthrew Prospero with the help of Alonso (King of Naples) 12 years before the play begins. Prospero is exiled with his 3-year old daughter Miranda and sent to sea in a leaky boat. Through the kindness of Alonso's counselor Gonzalo, the boat is provisioned not only with food, but with Prospero's books. Prospero and Miranda land on an island in the Mediterranean where they befriend Caliban (son of the Tunisian witch Sycorax) until he tries to rape Miranda, after which Prospero controls him by magic and makes him perform menial tasks. Prospero also frees the spirit Ariel from a tree, where he was penned by Sycorax, on the condition that he will work for him for 12 years. During the play, Ariel creates a tempest which shipwrecks Alonso and his followers who land on Prospero's island. Prospero arranges the meeting of Ferdinand and Miranda, who fall in love. He confronts Alonso and his brother Sebastian as well as Prospero's brother Antonio with their guilt for overthrowing Prospero, through a masque performed by Ariel. He repels an attack, with the care of Ariel, from Caliban, aided by two of Alonso's servants--the drunken butler Stephano and the jester Trinculo. At the end, he vows to give up his magic, after Ariel has performed a masque to honor the engagement of Ferdinand and Miranda. He is content to control Antonio through his knowledge of a plot Sebastian and Antonio have laid against Alonso. The repentant Alonso gives Prospero back his dukedom and blesses the marriage of Ferdinand and Miranda. Prospero frees Ariel.