Vanessa J.'s Reviews > The Tempest

So this was Shakespeare's last play? Oh, man, this makes me feel kind of sad. First because after reading many of his plays in a row, I had begun to feel a little attached to him; and secondly... well, isn't my first reason enough?

I'll try to sum up this play, but if you find it confusing, don't blame me—the play itself was far more complicated.

Prospero and his daughter Miranda live in a God-knows-where island. They have been living in there since Miranda was but a child because Prospero was banished by his brother. It turns out Prospero's brother was in a ship nearby the island, so obviously, Prospero has to take this opportunity to take revenge on him. He causes a tempest and thus a shipwreck in which all the crew of the ship end up in the island.

After many conflicts which I dare not summarize because, really, they're impossible to explain, everyone meets everyone and all is perfectly well at the end... except Prospero stops being a “magician” and this, I think, is what brought a lot of confusion and interpretations of the play. Here's the epilogue for you to see what I'm talking about:

“Now my charms are all o'erthrown,
And what strength I have’s mine own,
Which is most faint. Now, ’tis true,
I must be here confined by you,
Or sent to Naples. Let me not,
Since I have my dukedom got
And pardoned the deceiver, dwell
In this bare island by your spell,
But release me from my bands
With the help of your good hands.
Gentle breath of yours my sails
Must fill, or else my project fails,
Which was to please. Now I want
Spirits to enforce, art to enchant,
And my ending is despair,
Unless I be relieved by prayer,
Which pierces so that it assaults
Mercy itself and frees all faults.
As you from crimes would pardoned be,
Let your indulgence set me free.”

Oh jeez, and thus ends a great era.

Okay then, after this I must say that even when I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I enjoyed other Shakespeare's plays, this was certainly good. The writing is, as always, magnificent. As with many of his plays, I also didn't particularly root for any character—maybe Caliban was the most interesting, but anyway, there was nothing spectacular about them.

There is one thing I wish to ask Shakespeare, though, and that is: Why the Hell did you stop writing plays? Can you come back to life and write something more to take the place of all the crappy books that are getting popular nowadays? (This does not mean all the books written nowadays are bad, people) Like, pretty please? I would be much grateful if you would do so. I guess those are actually two questions, but who the hell cares?

We will miss you, William.