Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Unavailable
Tempest
Unavailable
Tempest
Unavailable
Tempest
Ebook256 pages4 hours

Tempest

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this ebook

This wonderful presentation of Shakespeare's The Tempest features the play's original lines on each left-hand page, and a modern, easy-to-understand "translation" on the facing right-hand page. This invaluable teaching-study guide also includes:
  • Helpful background information that puts the play in its historical perspective
  • Discussion questions that teachers can use to spark student class participation, and which students can use as springboards for their own themes and term papers
  • Fact quizzes, sample examinations, and other features that improve student comprehension of what the play is about
LanguageEnglish
Release dateSep 1, 2015
ISBN9781438067865
Unavailable
Tempest
Author

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest playwright the world has seen. He produced an astonishing amount of work; 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and 5 poems. He died on 23rd April 1616, aged 52, and was buried in the Holy Trinity Church, Stratford.

Read more from William Shakespeare

Related to Tempest

Related ebooks

Performing Arts For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for Tempest

Rating: 3.9320927897535043 out of 5 stars
4/5

2,069 ratings47 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Since I was in Ann Arbor when the Royal Shakespeare Company came through in 2006, with Patrick Stewart in tow, how could I give up and opportunity to attend at least one of the performances? It required camping out the night before the student tickets went on sale, and getting very wet and cold, but I became a happy owner of a ticket to see The Tempest. The RSC interpretation was a little unorthodox (it took place on an arctic island, among other things) I absolutely loved it and decided that I should probably actually read it at some point.The Tempest is the last finished play to be attributed completely to Shakespeare and is the favorite of many of The Bard's aficionados. While I have a preference to see his plays performed, reading them is very enjoyable as well. The Tempest occurs in one location over the course of one day; the plot, while inspired, is entirely Shakespeare's own. Prospero, the usurped Duke of Milan and a great sorcerer, has lived in exile with his daughter Miranda on a nearly deserted island for twelve years. When a ship sails close by carrying those who put him in such an unfortunate state, he quickly devises a plan to achieve his revenge and even more quickly puts it into motion.I read the Signet Classics edition which provides a general introduction to Shakespeare, an introduction to the play, excerpts from the sources it was derived from, and various commentaries in addition to the play itself, all of which were very nice to have.Experiments in Reading
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It's Shakespeare. Really, what else can I say?
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A great play. Never forget Sir Patrick Stewart in the title role. This version includes: Forward, Intro, essay on The Tempest in performance (through 1984), description of the Globe, essay on Shakespeare's sources (with excerpts), annotated bibliography, memorable lines.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    love it!!!!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Wizards, man, who knows.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Being Shakespeare's last play, The Tempest is a masterful piece in which he uses Prospero as a stand-in for himself within a play full of the magic of stagecraft and his position as playwright.Using all the mystical techniques at his disposal (theatre), Prospero the magician (playwright) writes his tale of revenge as a ship containing his treasonous brother sails near enough to the island for him to set the stage at long last.The Tempest also stands as a magnificent tale even without the allegory. The rightful Duke of Milan (Prospero) is set adrift along with his daughter by his treacherous brother, but manages to survive on an island for twelve years with the help of his magic and the spirits of the island he has impressed into his service. Now, the King of Naples sails home along with Prospero's brother and he can finally seek his revenge, making sure to set his daughter into a happy role as well before things are done.I just love the way this play uses the stage to show Prospero's magic and Ariel's abilities. It truly is a great work by one of the masters.This particular volume I picked up from a local library sale and intend to add it to my Little Free Library for someone else to discover.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    It is so-said Shakespeare's last play. Very clear plots attracted me as my first peek at English literature.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Thunder, lightning, magical creatures and islands. A lovely fantasy.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    On rereading the Tempest, I realize that despite the title there is very little action in the play and it demonstrates Shakespeare's emphasis on character over plot. But the characters are fascinating. Prospero at times seems a type for the author himself, and of course as such he is the wise master and hero. But at the same time or a moment later, his manipulations and his selfishness make it not too hard to empathize with the hatred he inspires in Caliban, despite Caliban's repugnance. Then in the Epilogue, Prospero, not just a character that walks off of the page, actually asks the audience for permission to walk off of the page before doing so. There is not time to discuss all of the characters, but Miranda's sudden transformation from wondering innocence to worldly cynicism is both startling and yet somehow believable. I remember the Tempest being described as Shakespeare's perfect play, because it so completely conforms to Aristotle's unities of time, place and action. Yet the play has to be considered experimental in its deliberate artificiality and the distance between the audience and the action because it is a play within a play within a play. It is in essence a play about the making of a play. Definitely worth repeated readings.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    O que dizer?

    "O, wonder!

    How many godly creatures are there here!

    How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,

    That has such people in 't!".
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The Tempest is almost a wisp of a thing. There's little plot and almost no character development. It's like a magic trick: you blow into your hand, and a cloud of flame pops up, and a dove flies out of it, everyone claps.

    So the play is the spectacle, and the magic is the language. Prospero's speech, "We are such stuff as dreams are made on," is second maybe only to "All the world's a stage" in crystallizing Shakespeare's philosophy (and better, poetically); and there's Miranda's line, "O brave new world, that has such people in't!" - these and others are among the best lines Shakespeare wrote; and the feel of the play, the atmosphere - that magical island, populated by beasts and wizards, the evocation of a world we were still exploring - it sticks with you, even though, as I said, dramatically speaking, almost nothing happens.

    And Caliban! Arguably the only memorable character - Prospero is cool, and Ariel differs from Puck, but is no Puck, and the others are just placeholders, a virtuous maid here, a villainous uncle there - but Caliban, that sniveling, backstabbing, savage would-be rapist, searching for a God whose boots need licking - he's a tremendous find. (And what made me love Tennyson.) Caliban's right up there with Iago.

    In some ways, this play is all flash. But what a flash!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was the first Shakespeare play I ever read - from an old white-covered paperback I had when I was 9 years old. I probably didn't understand it very well back then. I REALLY liked the title, though.

    Now, it's still good stuff.

    For me, supplementing my reading with a viewing of Helen Mirren as Prospera... magnified my enjoyment of this book tremendously.

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    For me, the most wondrous of the plays.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I will start this review by saying I liked this play a lot more after I had time to sit and digest it. I knew from the start that I was going to hate Prospero, which does not leave much hope for a favorable opinion because he's behind everything that happens in the play. Prospero plays a good victim, but he's an amazing manipulator. If you can get past that, you will love this story. Characteristic if Shakespeare, The Tempest's pages are full of tragedy, humor, Romance, murder plots, revenge, and a smattering of mysticism. Short, dense, and enjoyable.4 stars.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This wasn't quite a comedy and isn't a tragedy. Prospero is an interesting character -- a scholar, a duke, a stranded man, a plotter, and a dad.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Saw a magnificent production of this at Nottingham Playhouse. The shipwreck took place before the beginning proper. While we the audience were prevented from entering, the duke of milan and his fellows got swept from the foyer into the auditorium which was roaring orange light. Everything went quiet. Then we were allowed in to see Prospero on stage in a totally serene blue stage.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A quick reread ahead of seeing Julie Taymor's big-screen adaptation. The first/last time I read this play was aeons ago in school, and since it's not one of my favorite ones --the ones I read/see again and again-- I found I needed some help from time to time. I enjoyed the re-encounter with the play as I only remembered vaguely that there was a sorcerer and his daughter, and the most popular quotations: strange bedfellows, brave new world and such stuff as dreams are made of.. Now, I'm ready but it's still not one of my favorite plays.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Amazingg.. It has the ability to enchant every reader through its imagination. The part that I liked less is how (most probably unwittingly I suppose) did Shakespeare show how did Colonisation worked and the attitude of the colonised towards the coloniser. Overall, it gave me a feel of an old tale finishing up. All the negative characters were simply puppets in the hands of Prospers and it was in the understanding of the endurance that we were able to enjoy the present conquests of Prospero. Overall, a wonderful read.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Not one of the Bard's best.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I was prompted to read this by my re-reading of the entire Sandman series by Neil Gaiman - and now I can go back and read the last chapter. I only read the play, and very little of the additional material in this edition - I probably will go back and read the rest and re-read the play. I kept expecting something horrible to happen at the end. I did like it rather more than Midsummer Night's Dream.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    What's not to like about Will
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    One of Shakespeare's more unusual an fanciful plays. Not as silly as most of the comedies (and I don't mean silly in a good way). Full of great characters and some of Shakespeare's best quotes. And, of course, the inspiration for Forbidden Planet.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I picked up the Tempest, I admit, mostly due to Prospero's role in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. I was not disappointed.The Tempest tells the story of Prospero, the supplanted Duke of Milan, who takes control of small island. He's freed a spirit from a tree, who now faithfully follows him; and he's enslaved the twisted (physically and mentally) denizen of the island.Prospero discovers that his supplanting brother is nearby on a ship, so he calls a mighty tempest to beach them upon his island. He then tries to work the situation to his advantage, as well as marry off his daughter to the prince, who has likewise washed ashore.The Tempest is a comedy, which may give you some indication of how it ends, but it is not the destination with this play; rather, it is the route traveled.If you have ever read anything by Shakespeare, you're bound to enjoy The Tempest, even if you hated what you read, since you were most likely in high school, dissecting the lifeless dry corpse of literature. Like an airy spirit, breathe new life into your comprehension of literature, and get yourself a copy of the Tempest, and start reading!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Published 1998.


    On this re-reading I noticed that the word "brave" was used a few times in the movies that I watched (Taymor, 2010 & Jarman 1979).

    I like this word. It generates a very good feeling in my heart. This word often makes me think of someone who has a quality to face something difficult with the strength of heart / mind / body... Does not take me much to feel a respect and admiration for this person...

    I also come to know that the word "brave" describes something wonderful, admirable in appearance...

    And I just got curious to see how often the word "brave" was used in "The Tempest". And I started reading the play to look for the word "brave" and "bravely", and every time I found one of these words, I put a post-it note to the page to keep track of it... No, I did not use any fancy software to sort out the words or count the words... The work was done manually... Though I tried to be as faithful and accurate as possible, there might be a few occasions that I missed finding these words...

    It looks like there are 11 occasions that the words "Brave" or "Bravely" were mentioned...

    The rest of this review can be found elsewhere.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is one of my favorite of Shakespeare's plays, in terms of the richness of the story and the language.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Absolutely my favorite of Shakespeare's plays. His vision and poetic skill have come to full maturity in this fantasy of loss and redemption.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    His weakest work.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This is my second read through of the play. I'm still not necessarily a fan; the way that Prospero gives blanket forgiveness to Alonso and Antonio seems forced, even if I have a better understanding of why he did it. In addition, the subplot with Sebastian and Antonio's attempt on the king's life goes nowhere. Prospero is still incredibly unlikeable as a main character.

    As far as this specific version goes, it has to be one of my favorite editions in terms of how it handles footnotes. Most versions have ALL notes either lumped into the bottom, or on the facing page to the play. It makes it difficult sometimes to find what you're looking for without disturbing the flow of your reading. This book relegates short notes (one or two word translations of the Renaissance word into modern English) to the left of the line it occurs in, and longer footnotes and explanations to the facing page. Aside from an uncomfortable amount of white space on each page, it is an excellent edition.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book a bit different was
    From oth'rs of The Bard I've read.
    More with of the fantastic
    F'r sooth, and f'r the head.
    'Twas an amalgam of stylings.
    Or mashup, if thou wouldst.
    With manipulations, calculations
    machinations, Prospero couldst.
    All through, as always all
    The language play is dear,
    And Merrily doth I findeth it
    When bent towards William's ear.
    7 books of the smith have I read, what, ho!
    And now if thou wilt excuseth me, I have 30 more to go.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is a genuinely good work of drama, which I had to read for my Intro. to Drama class. This is one of those works of Shakespeare that has been done in a multitude of forms and variations, so it is quite likely that everyone has a rough idea of the story. Still, you really cannot replace the original. It's a bit odd, but quite good fun as well. As to the edition itself, I found it to be greatly helpful in understanding the action in the play. It has a layout which places each page of the play opposite a page of notes, definitions, explanations, and other things needed to understand that page more thoroughly. While I didn't always need it, I was certainly glad to have it whenever I ran into a turn of language that was unfamiliar, and I definitely appreciated the scene-by-scene summaries. Really, if you want to or need to read Shakespeare, an edition such as this is really the way to go, especially until you get more accustomed to it.