Generally believed to be the last play written solely by Shakespeare, The Tempest centers on a banished noble who uses sorcery to confront his foes. In this play, Shakespeare offers some of his most insightful meditations on themes ranging from vengeance and forgiveness to nature and nurture.
Under the editorial supervision of Jonathan Bate and Eric Rasmussen, two of today’s most accomplished Shakespearean scholars, this Modern Library series incorporates definitive texts and authoritative notes from William Shakespeare: Complete Works. Each play includes an Introduction, as well as an overview of Shakespeare’s theatrical career; commentary on past and current productions based on interviews with leading directors, actors, and designers; scene-by-scene analysis; key facts about the work; a chronology of Shakespeare’s life and times; and black-and-white illustrations.
Ideal for students, theater professionals, and general readers, these modern and accessible editions set a new standard in Shakespearean literature for the twenty-first century.
Praise for William Shakespeare: Complete Works
“A remarkable edition, one that makes Shakespeare’s extraordinary accomplishment more vivid than ever.” –James Shapiro, professor, Columbia University, bestselling author of A Year in the Life of Shakespeare: 1599
“Two eminent Shakespeareans . . . have applied modern editing techniques and recent scholarship to correct and update the First Folio. . . . Superb.” –The New York Times
“A feast of literary and historical information.” –The Wall Street Journal
“I look forward to using it over many years, enjoying Bate’s perceptive comments, trusting Rasmussen’s textual scholarship.” –Peter Holland, president of the Shakespeare Association of America and editor of Shakespeare Survey
About The Tempest
This joyous play, the last comedy of Shakespeare’s career, sums up his stagecraft with a display of seemingly effortless skill. Prospero, exiled Duke of Milan, living on an enchanted island, has the opportunity to punish and forgive his enemies when he raises a tempest that drives them ashore—as well as to forestall a rebellion, to arrange the meeting of his daughter, Miranda, with an eminently suitable young prince, and, more important, to relinquish his magic powers in recognition of his advancing age. Richly filled with music and magic, romance and comedy, the play’s theme of love and reconciliation offers a splendid feast for the senses and the heart.
About The Tempest
When the King Alonso of Naples and his entourage sail home for Italy after attending the princess Claribel’s wedding in Tunis, Africa, they encounter a violent tempest. After jumping overboard, everyone washes ashore on a strange island inhabited by the magician Prospero, who deliberately conjured the storm. Who is this Prospero and why does he produce the tempest? What is the power that he has over the spirits inhabiting the island, especially concerning the half human, half savage Caliban?
A delightful romantic drama with undertones of betrayal and retribution, domination and subjugation, The Tempest remains to this day one of the more popular plays written by Shakespeare. The themes of freedom, friendship, repentance and forgiveness are beautifully interwoven, and by the end of the play, the tempest–both real and figurative–has calmed the most vengeful of avengers and washed away the sins of the most evil of wrongdoers.
About The Tempest
This joyous play, the last comedy of Shakespeare’s career, sums up his stagecraft with a display of seemingly effortless skill. Prospero, exiled Duke of Milan, living on an enchanted island, has the opportunity to punish and forgive his enemies when he raises a tempest that drives them ashore—as well as to forestall a rebellion, to arrange the meeting of his daughter, Miranda, with an eminently suitable young prince, and, more important, to relinquish his magic powers in recognition of his advancing age. Richly filled with music and magic, romance and comedy, the play’s theme of love and reconciliation offers a splendid feast for the senses and the heart.
About The Tempest
This joyous play, the last comedy of Shakespeare’s career, sums up his stagecraft with a display of seemingly effortless skill. Prospero, exiled Duke of Milan, living on an enchanted island, has the opportunity to punish and forgive his enemies when he raises a tempest that drives them ashore—as well as to forestall a rebellion, to arrange the meeting of his daughter, Miranda, with an eminently suitable young prince, and, more important, to relinquish his magic powers in recognition of his advancing age. Richly filled with music and magic, romance and comedy, the play’s theme of love and reconciliation offers a splendid feast for the senses and the heart.
William Shakespeare (1564–1616) was a poet, playwright, and actor who is widely regarded as one of the most influential writers in the history of the English language. Often referred to as the Bard of Avon, Shakespeare’s vast body of work includes comedic, tragic, and historical plays; poems;… More about William Shakespeare
About William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare (1564–1616) was a poet, playwright, and actor who is widely regarded as one of the most influential writers in the history of the English language. Often referred to as the Bard of Avon, Shakespeare’s vast body of work includes comedic, tragic, and historical plays; poems;… More about William Shakespeare
About William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare (1564–1616) was a poet, playwright, and actor who is widely regarded as one of the most influential writers in the history of the English language. Often referred to as the Bard of Avon, Shakespeare’s vast body of work includes comedic, tragic, and historical plays; poems;… More about William Shakespeare
About William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare (1564–1616) was a poet, playwright, and actor who is widely regarded as one of the most influential writers in the history of the English language. Often referred to as the Bard of Avon, Shakespeare’s vast body of work includes comedic, tragic, and historical plays; poems;… More about William Shakespeare
