The king of Naples, and Antonio the false brother, repented the injustice they had done to Prospero:  and Ariel told his master he was certain their penitence was sincere, and that he, though a spirit, could not but pity them.

“Then bring them hither, Ariel,” said Prospero:  “if you, who are but a spirit, feel for their distress, shall not I, who am a human being like themselves, have compassion on them?  Bring them, quickly, my dainty Ariel.”

Ariel soon returned with the king, Antonio, and old Gonzalo in their train, who had followed him, wondering at the wild music he played in the air to draw them on to his master’s presence.  This Gonzalo was the same who had so kindly provided Prospero formerly with books and provisions, when his wicked brother left him, as he thought, to perish in an open boat in the sea.

Grief and terror had so stupified their senses, that they did not know Prospero.  He first discovered himself to the good old Gonzalo, calling him the preserver of his life; and then his brother and the king knew that he was the injured Prospero.  Antonio with tears, and sad words of sorrow and true repentance, implored his brother’s forgiveness, and the king expressed his sincere remorse for having assisted Antonio to depose his brother:  and Prospero forgave them; and, upon their engaging to restore his dukedom, he said to the king of Naples, “I have a gift in store for you too;” and opening a door, shewed him his son Ferdinand, playing at chess with Miranda.

Nothing could exceed the joy of the father and the son at this unexpected meeting, for they each thought the other drowned in the storm.

“O wonder!” said Miranda, “what noble creatures these are!  It must surely be a brave world that has such people in it.”

The king of Naples was almost as much astonished at the beauty and excellent graces of the young Miranda as his son had been.  “Who is this maid?” said he; “she seems the goddess that has parted us, and brought us thus together.”  “No, sir,” answered Ferdinand, smiling to find his father had fallen into the same mistake that he had done when he first saw Miranda, “she is a mortal, but by immortal Providence she is mine; I chose her when I could not ask you, my father, for your consent, not thinking you were alive.  She is the daughter to this Prospero, who is the famous duke of Milan, of whose renown I have heard so much, but never saw him till now:  of him I have received a new life:  he has made himself to me a second father, giving me this dear lady.”

“Then I must be her father,” said the king; “but oh! how oddly will it sound, that I must ask my child forgiveness.”

“No more of that,” said Prospero:  “let us not remember our troubles past, since they so happily have ended.”  And then Prospero embraced his brother, and again assured him of his forgiveness; and said that a wise, over-ruling Providence had permitted that he should be driven from his poor dukedom of Milan, that his daughter might inherit the crown of Naples, for that by their meeting in this desert island it had happened, that the king’s son had loved Miranda.