Sitting on a bank,
Weeping again the king my father’s wreck,
This music crept by me upon the waters,
Allaying both their fury and my passion
With its sweet air.
– William Shakespeare
The Tempest, Act 1, Scene 2. Ferdinand, son of Alonso the King of Naples, sits on a bank after surviving the shipwreck and weeps for his father whom he believes is lost. This is dramatic irony, as the audience already knows that all the ship’s passengers including Alonso are safe. Ferdinand hears a beautiful song sung by Prospero’s invisible spirit Ariel and is enchanted by it and finds comfort in it.