Why is it significant that the play begins with a storm at sea? The Tempest.

Elizabethans felt that the elements had a close connection with the order of the world and the fate of man. We see this motif in Macbeth when, after the king is killed, the weather reflects the darkness and chaos that Scotland has been plunged into. A tempest at sea was the perfect introduction to chaos and change that will soon transpire on the island. The storm also recalls the foul play when Prospero was robbed of his dukedom.