Chapter - 5

Full Fathom Five Thy Father Lies

William Shakespeare

Summary of the poem

The poem, “Full Fathom Five Thy Father Lies" is taken from Shakespeare’s well-known play “The Tempest”, Act 1, scene 2. In this poem, the song is sung by spirit Ariel, where Ferdinand, the Prince of Naples assumes that his father must have drowned into the sea and died. Therefore spirit Ariel sings this song in order to make him assure that his father’s body has been changed into precious, immortal and permanent objects.

Ariel makes death meaningful with his powerful and melodious description. He says that every part of the dead body of his father has been into something valuable and strange. The lovely eyes of his father have changed into pearls and the strong bones are turned (changed) into the coral. No part of his body has been faded, even the sea-Nymphs welcome him by ringing the death bell at every hour.

The poem is important for its philosophical implication. The poem is about death but it is not a sad poem because death is just a way to make our past of body into new forms.