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Lyn's Reviews > The Tempest
The Tempest
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“Hell is empty and all the devils are here.”
Believed to have been written in 1611, this may have been one of his last plays. The mature bard, he would have been 47 at this time and with only 5 more years left in this world, created in my humble opinion one of his finest plays.
“...and then, in dreaming, / The clouds methought would open and show riches / Ready to drop upon me, that when I waked / I cried to dream again.”
Telling the tale of shipwrecked Prospero, the sorcerer Duke of Milan, and his daughter Miranda and his spiritualistic (but wholly Shakespearean opportunistic) machinations to restore his family to their rightful place.
“O, wonder!
How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,
That has such people in't!”
Of course, the island is also home to Calaban, and here is where Shakespeare’s genius is shown. Calaban is the earthly foil to Prospero and Ariel, providing a historic off stage depth to the narrative.
"a southwest wind blow on ye and blister ye o'er".
Complete and tightly wound yet entertaining throughout. Prospero may be one of the most complicated and interesting of all of Shakespeare's characters, and his relationships with Miranda, Ariel and Caliban make for literary legend. Very entertaining. Finally, this is simply, beautifully written and a joy to behold.
“Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And, like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capp’d towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.”
*** 2019 reread - I was inspired to revisit this wonderful play after reading Margaret Atwood's wonderful retelling Hag-Seed.
This time around (I've no idea how many times I've read, seen, listened to this) I was especially intent on Prospero's relationship with Miranda, Ariel and Caliban and I played close attention to his motivations for giving up his magic.
*** 2025 reread -
One of, if not his best, this is like a coda, a late masterpiece by a master.
This time I considered the relationship between Prospero and Caliban, and by extension Ariel. Prospero the great magician, the wizard, who is exiled but who nonetheless exacts his influence on the island and its visitors.
Brilliant.
Believed to have been written in 1611, this may have been one of his last plays. The mature bard, he would have been 47 at this time and with only 5 more years left in this world, created in my humble opinion one of his finest plays.
“...and then, in dreaming, / The clouds methought would open and show riches / Ready to drop upon me, that when I waked / I cried to dream again.”
Telling the tale of shipwrecked Prospero, the sorcerer Duke of Milan, and his daughter Miranda and his spiritualistic (but wholly Shakespearean opportunistic) machinations to restore his family to their rightful place.
“O, wonder!
How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,
That has such people in't!”
Of course, the island is also home to Calaban, and here is where Shakespeare’s genius is shown. Calaban is the earthly foil to Prospero and Ariel, providing a historic off stage depth to the narrative.
"a southwest wind blow on ye and blister ye o'er".
Complete and tightly wound yet entertaining throughout. Prospero may be one of the most complicated and interesting of all of Shakespeare's characters, and his relationships with Miranda, Ariel and Caliban make for literary legend. Very entertaining. Finally, this is simply, beautifully written and a joy to behold.
“Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And, like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capp’d towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.”
*** 2019 reread - I was inspired to revisit this wonderful play after reading Margaret Atwood's wonderful retelling Hag-Seed.
This time around (I've no idea how many times I've read, seen, listened to this) I was especially intent on Prospero's relationship with Miranda, Ariel and Caliban and I played close attention to his motivations for giving up his magic.
*** 2025 reread -
One of, if not his best, this is like a coda, a late masterpiece by a master.
This time I considered the relationship between Prospero and Caliban, and by extension Ariel. Prospero the great magician, the wizard, who is exiled but who nonetheless exacts his influence on the island and its visitors.
Brilliant.
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Reading Progress
January 4, 2012
–
Started Reading
January 4, 2012
– Shelved
January 6, 2012
–
Finished Reading
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Roger
(new)
May 17, 2016 03:51AM
And Caliban is of course one of the earliest critiques of colonialism. Nice review!
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Thanks Roger. I have always struggled with Caliban, not sure what to think of him, wondered how Shakespeare used him in the play. IMHO one of his most complicated characters.
A feral character with one of the most beautiful speeches in the canon: "Be not afear'd, the isle is full of noises."I wrote/compiled the libretto for an operatic adaptation of the play for schools performance, and this aria (in the hands of the composer Douglas Buchanan) was the lyrical highlight of the piece.
Yep, that's him, supposedly a good performance and I have no doubt
Just watched my daughter perform in this (well, a part of it, anyway) last night!
Would loved to have seen it
Lyn wrote: "Would loved to have seen it"She was awesome. She's been doing Shakespeare since she was 8. In the nearly 20 years since then, she's gotten much better. :)
It was pretty funny, though, to watch her perform as Miranda knowing that she is five months pregnant with our second grandchild. The costume designer hid it pretty well, but my wife and I were laughing with all the talk of virginity!
