Prospero
Prospero is the rightful duke of Milan and a magician. He and his daughter, Miranda, are stranded on an island in exile. Prospero is a quick-witted, smart and cruel man, and takes Ariel and Caliban as prisoners. In Césaire's version, he is portrayed as a power-hungry and vengeful tyrant, who has no qualms with enslaving the indigenous people on the island and using them to further his own aims.
Ariel
Ariel is the fairy slave of Prospero. In Césaire's version of the play, Ariel is bi-racial. He has a lot of faith in Prospero and believes him to be good, or at least that he will liberate Ariel if he behaves and is obedient to him. When Prospero does end up releasing Ariel from his bondage, Ariel is almost overwhelmed by his liberation, maniacal in his glee, and one is led to believe that his tactic of investing his energy in his master perhaps came at the cost of his sense of self and his soundness of mind.
Caliban
Caliban is the son of the witch Sycorax, a tree spirit. Caliban is a black character in the play and is the rightful ruler of the island, yet he has been forced into servitude by Prospero. In contrast to Ariel, he resents Prospero's treatment, and wants to resist using resistance and force, as opposed to sweet-talking their master. He is the voice of the colonized within the play, suggesting that Prospero has sentenced him to a dehumanized fate, forced him to learn a new language and abandon his old customs, and usurped his authority. He remains resistant throughout the play, eventually haunting Prospero on the island at the end of the play with his song of freedom.
Miranda
Prospero's daughter, here portrayed as a young white woman who is afraid of the sexual attention of Caliban, the slave. She falls in love with Alonso's son, Ferdinand.
Eshu
A Yoruba trickster god who intrudes on Prospero's celebration and disrupts the proceedings.
Ferdinand
The son of Alonso, who falls in love with Miranda.
Alonso
The King of Naples.
Antonio
The Duke of Naples, Prospero's brother, who usurped the dukedom from him.
Gonzalo
Alonso's counselor, who believes that they ought to colonize the island further.
Trinculo and Stephano
The King's jester and butler, respectively. Both love to drink and carouse, and Caliban pulls them into his plot to overthrow Prospero.
