Quote 4
GONZALO
Now, good angels preserve the
King! (2.1.351-352)
Gonzalo is loyal to a fault. On hearing that big monsters are running around the island, he calls upon the angels to protect not all of them, or just him, but the king. Is this a hint that Gonzalo suspects Sebastian and Antonio are plotting to betray Alonso?
Quote 5
GONZALO [to Alonso]
Beseech you, sir, be merry. You have cause,
So have we all—of joy, for our escape
Is much beyond our loss. Our hint of woe
Is common; every day some sailor's wife,
The masters of some merchant and the merchant
Have just our theme of woe; but for the miracle—
I mean our preservation—few in millions
Can speak like us. Then wisely, good sir, weigh
Our sorrow with our comfort. (2.1.1-9)
Gonzalo speaks of their preservation as a miracle, which would be the realm of the divine. Again, the divide between divinity and magic is highlighted, as it was not a miracle, but Prospero's magical instruction that preserved those aboard the ship.
Quote 6
GONZALO
I have inly wept,
Or should have spoke ere this. Look down, you
gods,
And on this couple drop a blessèd crown,
For it is you that have chalked forth the way
Which brought us hither. (5.1.239-244)
Gonzalo credits God for paving the way for the two lovers to be together. Does this mean divine providence is ultimately guiding Prospero's magic, or does Gonzalo just not understand the full depth of the magic being worked here?