| Term | Definition |
| Prospero | Duke of Milan |
| Miranda | Prospero's Daughter |
| Antonio | Prospero's Brother, persuades Sebastian to kill Alonso |
| Alonso | King of Naples, aided Antonio in unseating Prospero |
| Sebastian | Alonso's Brother |
| Ferdinand | Alonso's son |
| Gonzalo | Counsellor of Naples, honest; helped Prospero escape to the island |
| Adrian | Lord aboard the wrecked ship |
| Francisco | Lord aboard the wrecked ship |
| Ariel | An airy spirit attendant upon Prospero; gender ambiguous; used to be Sycorax's servant |
| Caliban | A Savage and deformed native on the island, Prospero's slave |
| Trinculo | Alonso's jester |
| Stefano | Alonso's drunken butler |
| Boatswain | only appears in first and last scenes of the play |
| Iris | Goddess of the Rainbow and messenger of Juno |
| Ceres | Goddess of agriculture and generative nature |
| Juno | Queen of the heavens and goddess of women, held to protect marriages and preside over childbirth |
| Claribel | Daughter of Alonso |
| Sycorax | Caliban's mother |
| Setebos | Caliban's god |