Answer:
The storm is being personified in lines 16-17 of The Tempest.
Explanation:
Personification means giving human traits to an inanimate object. Personification is a literary device used by many authors to add depth and interest to their writing.
In lines 16-17 of The Tempest: "You are a councilor.
If you can command these elements to silence and work the peace of the present,
we will not hand a rope more"
The elements in question refer to the storm, which was given a human trait with the sentence 'if you can command these elements to silence...'.
You can command or silence a person, but you can't do that to a storm.
So, the statement personified the storm (elements) with the human trait of being commanded and silence.
