The Tempest by: William Shakespeare

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The Tempestby William Shakespeare
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The Last Play

• Called a tragicomedy elements of tragedy and
  comedy
• A far-fetched fantasy with multiple sub-plots
• A fairy tale with elements of magic, good and bad
  characters, love, miraculous incidents, charms
  and fairies.

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Main Characters

• Prospero, the rightful duke of Milan
• Miranda, his daughter
• Caliban, savage and deformed their slave
• Ariel, a spirit (male)
• These people are on an island in the
  Mediterranean Sea

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Main Characters

• Alonso, king of Naples
• Sebastian, his brother
• Gonzalo, an honest, old counselor
• Ferdinand, son of the king
• Antonio, Prosperos brother, the usurping duke
• Trinculo, a jester
• Stephano, a drunken butler
• Adrian, Francisco - lords
• These people are on a boat which crashes onto
  Prosperos island

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Political Positions

• Renaissance Italy was made up of many city-states
  vying for control over each other
• Milan and Naples were city-states
• Antonio agrees to give control of Milan to Naples
  if the King will help him gain the dukedom

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Magic

• Magic was very controversial during this time
  period
• Prospero is described as a rational magician in
  contrast to Sycorax who was an occultist his
  was based on science and hers on black magic
  ideas
• Prospero uses Ariel, a spirit, to help him
  control nature and people
• Prospero also has magic books and a cloak

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Setting

• The Tempest takes place on an island in the
  Mediterranean
• Supposedly, Shakespeare got his idea when he read
  about a shipwreck near Bermuda
• There are some references to the Bermudas and the
  ideas of the new world

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References to mythology

• Harpy half woman/half bird
• Phoenix bird who could rise from its own ashes
• Ceres
• Iris Goddesses
• Juno

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Masque

• A form of entertainment
• Dancing, music, elaborate costumes

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Themes

• Forgive and Forget/Revenge
• Repentance
• Exploration of a new world
• Friendship
• Relationships
• Love

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Shakespeares Farewell

• Epilogue is famously referred to as Shakespeares
  farewell
• Spoken by Prospero as a magician who is giving
  up his magic seen as Shakespeare giving up
  his writing