The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place using illusion and skilful manipulation. He conjures up a storm, the eponymous tempest, to lure his usurping brother Antonio and the complicit King Alonso of Naples to the island. There, his machinations bring about the revelation of Antonio's lowly nature, the redemption of the King, and the marriage of Miranda to Alonso's son, Ferdinand.
Review of 'William Shakespeare, The tempest' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Never or seen this before, I liked it.
I'm not sure if it's a drama or a comedy. On the one hand you have the elegant and poetic journey of Prospero from betrayal, to revenge, to melancholy forgiveness. All the while potentially echoing the bard himself - who wrote this at the end of his career - reflecting on his own life and work. On the other hand you have the dudebro comedy of Caliban and the lads getting plastered and hilariously failing at every step in their drunken attempt at a coup.
I haven’t read any Shakespeare since high school, probably, so this was a long time overdue. I was inspired to read The Tempest because of a certain scene in a video game, and I saw that it wasn’t too long—how bad could it be? Shakespeare seriously humbles my understanding of English vocabulary and wordplay. I did miss having the Folger edition with the page-facing commentary to help make sense of certain phrases or words, but I think in the end I got the main gist of it.
The plot begins in media res, and apparently you learn by the end that not much time has taken place in the course of the play. Of course the main questions are—who is this Prospero fellow and how will he effect his revenge? In that view, the ending was a bit lackluster, as it seemed fairly anticlimactic; Prospero’s fate at the end …
I haven’t read any Shakespeare since high school, probably, so this was a long time overdue. I was inspired to read The Tempest because of a certain scene in a video game, and I saw that it wasn’t too long—how bad could it be? Shakespeare seriously humbles my understanding of English vocabulary and wordplay. I did miss having the Folger edition with the page-facing commentary to help make sense of certain phrases or words, but I think in the end I got the main gist of it.
The plot begins in media res, and apparently you learn by the end that not much time has taken place in the course of the play. Of course the main questions are—who is this Prospero fellow and how will he effect his revenge? In that view, the ending was a bit lackluster, as it seemed fairly anticlimactic; Prospero’s fate at the end is a bit unclear as well, especially with the epilogue. (Or maybe I just didn’t understand it fully.)
The characters in this are enjoyable, more or less. I enjoyed Prospero’s antics with Ariel, though he did have a tendency to drone on and on with exposition… maybe that is why he was exiled? …I jest, of course. Still, any human with a fondness for books has my sympathy, if not my complete understanding. I would’ve liked more background and context for Prospero’s spirits and his magic powers, or even the lore about the previous witch and the island they are on—but these details are tossed through bits of exposition like sprinkles. Miranda and Ferdinand have a miraculous romance, by Shakespearean accounts, that doesn’t seem to end in immediate tragedy. (Though, really, falling in love and aiming for marriage in the span of a few hours is extremely questionable. And asking if the woman is a virgin first? Have some tact, man!)
I enjoyed reading some of the famous scenes and quotes that I’ve seen quoted countless times in literature, and of course, Shakespeare is a master with words and descriptions. Even if the expositions were boring, at least they were full of clever metaphors and beautiful diction. Though I’m really not sure what to make of the ending, and what the take-home message here was… I might have to sit and contemplate that a bit more. There are flickering themes of madness, revenge, inheritance, visions vs. reality, what exactly one is owed by others, and family, among others. I am sure this would be great to see performed. In any case, I need to read more Shakespeare, so I can grease that small section of my brain into better comprehension again.
“Me, poor man, my library Was dukedom large enough.”
“Hell is empty and all the devils are here.”
“Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows.”
“We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.”
Mi requisito para ver, por fin, Prospero's Books de Peter Greenaway. Una maravilla de texto, con alusiones a la providencia de la magia usada para bien y sin ninguna alusión a referencias cristianas, lo cual coloca el paganismo a los pies del lector y del entonces público del teatro callejero de Shakespeare (algo que, curiosamente, se colocaba al margen de la manera en que la magia se consideraba en el Renacimiento por científicos y magos de la época). Los personajes -propios de las tragedias del autor- y el momento en que Prospero cambia su actitud frente a ellos, sobre todo, frente a su hermano, remite, por qué no, a otro mago veterotestamentario (José, que perdona la traición de sus hermanos).
