Act 2 Scene 1

A certain edginess is beginning to set into the jesting


Antonio's arguments are witty and persuasive, and Sebastian seems to be dazzled by the rhetoric and slow to comprehend the meaning

• "But for your conscience?"
• "Ay, sir, where lies that?"
• The answer confirms Antonio' status as one of Shakespeare's blackest villains
• He is guilty of ingratitude, treachery, and since he intended Prospero to die, fratricide