Yes, loss is an important theme in The Tempest. The mariners believe their ship is going to be destroyed in the storm and cry “all lost!” Prospero loses his dukedom, Ferdinand believes that his father, Alonso, has drowned (Ariel sings, “Full fathom five thy father lies”), and Alonso thinks that both his daughter and son are lost:
My son is lost and, in my rate, she too, Who is so far from Italy removed...
Yes, loss is an important theme in The Tempest. The mariners believe their ship is going to be destroyed in the storm and cry “all lost!” Prospero loses his dukedom, Ferdinand believes that his father, Alonso, has drowned (Ariel sings, “Full fathom five thy father lies”), and Alonso thinks that both his daughter and son are lost:
My son is lost and, in my rate, she too,
Who is so far from Italy removed
I ne'er again shall see her.
Alonso mourns the probable death of Ferdinand and the marriage of his “daughter Claribel to the King of Tunis” across the sea. In addition, the castaways all lose their way due to Prospero’s machinations as delivered by Ariel. Prospero even pretends to lose Miranda, and, in a way, Caliban also loses his island to Prospero.
However, The Tempest is ultimately about regaining that which was lost or about how it was never lost in the first place. Prospero reclaims his dukedom, and Ferdinand and Alonso reunite. The sailors sleep safely in their ship. Prospero has not lost Miranda, who “did preserve” him when he almost lost his life so many years before. Though Caliban’s fate is unknown, overall, The Tempest is imbued with a sense of discovery and grace rather than loss.
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