The Tempest: Act 4

Summary: After the marriage of Miranda and Ferdinand, which is blessed by the spirits Juno, Iris, and Ceres, Prospero suddenly remembers Caliban's plot against him and summons Ariel to aid him in ruining Caliban's plot.
Paraphrase: Lines 146-156
You seem to be a little disturbed sir. Don't worry, this festive performance is now over. The performer's, as was said earlier, were all deities who have now left our presence. Just like the fantastical nature of this performance, every physical thing in existence shall also disappear over time, and leave no trace of its presence behind. Our existence is not much unlike a dream.
Close Reading: Lines 148-150 "These our actors, / As I foretold you, were all spirits and / Are melted into air, into thin air;"
In this line, Prospero is addressing Ferdinand after the nymphs and reapers were finished with their dance. The first interesting thing I see in this line, is the use of the word "actors". This is an interesting word to use in this situation. Within the world of the play, the spirits that Prospero summons in this scene are real figures. It seems strange that he would refer to them as "actors". For this reason, I feel that this line is referring to the actual people acting out the play. During Shakespeare's time, this play would have been acted out without any props or special effects. This would have made it difficult for the audience to follow particularly intricate scenes, such as the one acted out by the nymphs and reapers. There would have been no way for the audience to know that the actors performing this dance were meant to be seen as spirits. This is why Prospero has to tell them that this is so. And, because Prospero is addressing another player with this line, Ferdinand, it still flows with the play. Another indication that this line addresses the audience is the last five words: "into air, into thin air,". This repetition suggests that the speaker is attempting to be very clear about what he is saying. He does not want there to be any confusion about where the spirits / actors went. Without this clarification, the audience would have been very confused as to what happened to the actors.