In The Tempest, long considered one of Shakespeare's most lyrical plays, Prospero - a magician on an enchanted island - punishes his enemies, bring...
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Jul 21, 2011
Bram
rated it: 
Knowing that The Tempest is most likely Shakespeare's final play, it's hard to avoid noticing the hints of retirement in the text. Toward the end of the final act, Prospero solemnly describes the conclusion of his practice of the magic arts, just as Shakespeare might describe the end of his writing career:
Have I given fire and rifted Jove's stout oak
With his own bolt; the strong-based promontory
Have I made shake and by the spurs pluck'd up
The pine and cedar: graves More...
Have I given fire and rifted Jove's stout oak
With his own bolt; the strong-based promontory
Have I made shake and by the spurs pluck'd up
The pine and cedar: graves More...
40 comments
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(19 people liked it)
May 09, 2010
Madeline
rated it: 
The Tempest, abridged.
*or maybe not so abridged. But in my defense, this play is really fucking complicated*
MIRANDA: So, um, Daddy, did you notice that huge-ass storm that just crashed a ship on the shore of our previously deserted island?
PROSPERO: Wow, is it exposition time already? Okay, kiddo, listen up: I used to be the duke of Milan, but then my asshole brother and the King of Naples put you and me on a boat and we ended up here on Wherever-The-Hell-Island, but luc More...
*or maybe not so abridged. But in my defense, this play is really fucking complicated*
MIRANDA: So, um, Daddy, did you notice that huge-ass storm that just crashed a ship on the shore of our previously deserted island?
PROSPERO: Wow, is it exposition time already? Okay, kiddo, listen up: I used to be the duke of Milan, but then my asshole brother and the King of Naples put you and me on a boat and we ended up here on Wherever-The-Hell-Island, but luc More...
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Sep 20, 2010
Terence
rated it:
I finished my rereading of The Tempest earlier today. As usual when I reread one of the Bard's plays, I appreciate it more. I can definitely upgrade my initial reaction to a solid 3 stars. It's still not a favorite; many of the qualms I had from my original review remain. Except perhaps at the end when Prospero gives up the power his magic gives him, though I couldn't tell you why he does so - Shakespeare doesn't give us much in the way of motivation for any of his actions. For example, why does
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20 comments
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(8 people liked it)
Nov 08, 2010
Elizabeth
rated it:
I've always had a Romantic impression of this play. It's not hard. Shipwreck. First love (also being true love, impressively). An ancient magician. Invisible and dancing spirits. And, as if out of nowhere, Gods. How do you not get romance when images like this are floating around?
The Pre-Raphaelites had a way of making everything romantic, whether it should be or not, so I was skeptical when I finally started reading this one. It's all there though. All of the elements that w More...
The Pre-Raphaelites had a way of making everything romantic, whether it should be or not, so I was skeptical when I finally started reading this one. It's all there though. All of the elements that w More...
9 comments
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(16 people liked it)
Dec 11, 2009
Rauf
rated it:
Hmmm...
Wouldn't it be interesting if Prospero, Ariel, Sycorax and Caliban are used in another story? A darker, bloodier, gung-hoer story involving time-machines and space lizards? I say yes.
--
Dec. 2009 --
Above was my old review. I chose not to erase it so I will always remember just how stupid I was. The Tempest was a great play. The dynamics between the characters -- especially Ariel-Prospero, Caliban-Stephano -- were fantastic.
For my NaNoWriMo novel I borrow More...
Wouldn't it be interesting if Prospero, Ariel, Sycorax and Caliban are used in another story? A darker, bloodier, gung-hoer story involving time-machines and space lizards? I say yes.
--
Dec. 2009 --
Above was my old review. I chose not to erase it so I will always remember just how stupid I was. The Tempest was a great play. The dynamics between the characters -- especially Ariel-Prospero, Caliban-Stephano -- were fantastic.
For my NaNoWriMo novel I borrow More...
2 comments
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(4 people liked it)
Jun 01, 2008
Amelia
rated it:
Now that's my kind of story! Funny in parts, bit of intrigue, bad guys getting pinched and a happy ending all around. Mind you, I would have liked for Antonio to have received some of those pinches, he got off far to lightly in my opinion. I must not have quite the forgiving nature of Prospero.
Strange, this is the direct opposite to King Lear. There were many near misses and narrow escapes, but no actual deaths. While in KL, they were dropping left and right, sometimes before More...
Strange, this is the direct opposite to King Lear. There were many near misses and narrow escapes, but no actual deaths. While in KL, they were dropping left and right, sometimes before More...
Feb 20, 2010
Eric
rated it:
One is tempted to ding this a smidge because of the astonishing speed with which Ferdinand and Miranda fall for each other (then again, she's never even seen a man other than papa). Then too, Prospero is such a fascinating character, the play is so beautifully structured and the use of spirits/magic so cool, that you gotta go all thumbs up. Then there's this: "The rarer action is in virtue than in vengeance." How brilliant and prescient was this guy Willie S.?
addendum, More...
addendum, More...
Mar 10, 2011
Manny
rated it: 
I might as well admit I don't understand what it's about - it's still absolutely gorgeous to listen to. Here are my three favourite bits. Bronze goes to what's generally considered Shakespeare's farewell to the dramatic arts:
... Now I wantMore...
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 pardon'd be,
Let your indulgence set
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May 02, 2007
liz
rated it:
I first read this play on my own for a European History class, where I was expected to relate the themes to Europe's imperialism and colonies founded in the Indies. I thought it was interesting at the time, but I only really appreciated it after discussing it in a formal Shakespeare class. The main thing that I love about this play is that the line between fantasy and reality is blurred to the point where you're not sure what's being caused by magic and what's actually happening as an effect f
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Jan 05, 2009
Mary
rated it:
Prospero, once Duke of Milan now stranded on an island with his daughter, Miranda, orchestrates a tempest that sends the ship carrying the King of Naples, his usurping brother Antonio, and others, crashing on the shore of the island. With his spirit-servant Ariel's help, Prospero exacts revenge on those who wronged him twelve years ago.
This is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. The characters are complex, the wordplay is fun, and each reread is always a little different depending More...
This is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. The characters are complex, the wordplay is fun, and each reread is always a little different depending More...
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Jan 06, 2009
Annie
rated it: 
Shakespeare, my dear, you are killing me.
I performed as Miranda in this play when I was in the fifth grade. I wish I had more memories of doing so, because how in God's name could we have staged this at an elementary school? Our (AWESOME) director must've cut the whole thing to shreds, because the entire first scene is elaborate and graphic swearing. The entire scene!!
So, I had already pondered this play somewhat, from a postcolonialist viewpoint (like you do). And I had More...
I performed as Miranda in this play when I was in the fifth grade. I wish I had more memories of doing so, because how in God's name could we have staged this at an elementary school? Our (AWESOME) director must've cut the whole thing to shreds, because the entire first scene is elaborate and graphic swearing. The entire scene!!
So, I had already pondered this play somewhat, from a postcolonialist viewpoint (like you do). And I had More...
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(2 people liked it)
Aug 03, 2011
Matthew
rated it:
Tempest fights awfully hard with Richard III for being my favorite Shakespeare play, and it is obvious why.
The location, the characters, and the masterful storytelling all meet and give Shakespeare's most well-rounded play in his career. There is a literary masterpiece in the lines of the piece. Wonderfully complex, Shakespeare gives his viewers (or readers, as the case may be) a walking chess game with Prospero and Alonso being the kings of both sides.
Hidden within are the conflicts of slaver More...
The location, the characters, and the masterful storytelling all meet and give Shakespeare's most well-rounded play in his career. There is a literary masterpiece in the lines of the piece. Wonderfully complex, Shakespeare gives his viewers (or readers, as the case may be) a walking chess game with Prospero and Alonso being the kings of both sides.
Hidden within are the conflicts of slaver More...
Jul 11, 2011
Prospero, the rightful duke of Milan has been deposed and set adrift with his young daughter Miranda. Their disabled boat came to an island and for some 12 years the two of them have lived on the island in safety, and even in magic.
The people who deposed him, his brother Antonio, Alonso, the King of Naples and others, had gone to a wedding in northern African, and on the way home Prospero magically brings their ship to his island where they are seemingly marooned.
Prospero is More...
The people who deposed him, his brother Antonio, Alonso, the King of Naples and others, had gone to a wedding in northern African, and on the way home Prospero magically brings their ship to his island where they are seemingly marooned.
Prospero is More...
May 16, 2011
Edward
rated it:
When I was a kid I thought the inscription from THE TEMPEST above the entrance to the Comstock swimming pool in Spokane was a strange one, "“Sir, he may live: I saw him beat the surges under him, And ride upon their backs. . ." Why would you even suggest the possibility of drowning in a place where people go to enjoy themselves? But it's this ambivalence of appearances and reality, at the heart of all of Shakespeare's plays, that is the "rough magic" of this, one of h
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May 15, 2011
Michele
rated it:
Quick synopsis: In this play we have Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan. Prospero and his daughter Miranda were shipwrecked on an (almost) deserted island when Prospero's evil brother Antonio ousted him from power and cast Prospero and a three year old Miranda in a leaky old boat out to sea. But Prospero and Miranda lived, thanks to a kind man named Gonzolo who sneaked a bunch of provisions onto the boat ahead of time.
Fast forward twelve years.
Prospero and Miranda are st More...
Fast forward twelve years.
Prospero and Miranda are st More...
Mar 18, 2011
Ofa
rated it:
It didn't have that immediate delight or enjoyment that I got from the other plays I've read of Shakespeare so far. It was a nice story. And it had some beautiful lines. Some of them were interesting combinations of magical characters quoting christian themes. The deformed man is not treated very well (Caliban). The sorcerer never seems to lose complete control over the situation. Everything is calculated and goes according to his plan. Maybe I was casual about this book because I didn't see
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Oct 24, 2010
Helen (Helena/Nell)
rated it:
I know this is meant to be the last play Shakespeare wrote. It is meant to be a sort of poetic farewell when Prospero announces:
"I’ll break my staff,
Bury it certain fathoms in the earth,
And deeper than did ever plummet sound
I’ll drown my book."
But I was never convinced by this. That’s a lovely speech, and so is the bit about our little lives being rounded by a sleep—but surely not a way to finish one’s dramatic career? It’s nowhere near as po More...
"I’ll break my staff,
Bury it certain fathoms in the earth,
And deeper than did ever plummet sound
I’ll drown my book."
But I was never convinced by this. That’s a lovely speech, and so is the bit about our little lives being rounded by a sleep—but surely not a way to finish one’s dramatic career? It’s nowhere near as po More...
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Jul 14, 2010
Tomas
rated it:
Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises,
Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices
That, if I then had waked after long sleep,
Will make me sleep again: 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.
- The Tempest, 3. 2
Our revels now are ended. Thes More...
Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices
That, if I then had waked after long sleep,
Will make me sleep again: 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.
- The Tempest, 3. 2
Our revels now are ended. Thes More...
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Jun 03, 2010
Rowland
rated it:
The Tempest probably was written in 1610–1611, and was first performed at Court by the King’s Men in the fall of 1611. It was performed again in the winter of 1612–1613 during the festivities in celebration of the marriage of King James’s daughter Elizabeth. The Tempest is most likely the last play written entirely by Shakespeare, and it is remarkable for being one of only two plays by Shakespeare (the other being Love’s Labor’s Lost) whose plot is entirely original. The play does, however, draw
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May 12, 2010
Christopher
rated it:
Shakespeare's play THE TEMPEST is, much like THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, a play where one is not quite sure whether to ascribe characterization to the ethnic stereotypes of the time or laud the playwright for looking beyond the prejudices of society to the universal equality of human beings. The plot of THE TEMPEST is generally about exiled duke and magician Prospero luring his enemies to his island to wreak vengence is entertaining enough, what remains with me after every reading is the interactio
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May 01, 2010
Chris
rated it:
The Tempest is not one of my favorite Shakespearean plays. It’s lovely, but it has always been like a weird form of cotton candy, almost like cotton candy on acid. This could be because my first encounter with the play was via part of the movie Prospero’s Books, where I couldn’t get pass the boy peeing into the pool. It could be my reaction to Tad Williams’ Caliban’s Hour. Whatever the reason, it doesn’t really make my top ten.
Like Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest takes place over a More...
Like Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest takes place over a More...
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Mar 23, 2010
Bruce
rated it:
Is Prospero a Faust-like figure, an alchemist? More a magician by necessity. He is both skilled and arrogant, not suffering fools gladly. Yet he is fundamentally good-hearted, even initially towards Caliban whom he treated well until the latter made advances toward Miranda. An apparently omniscient figure, he orchestrates events with godlike omnipotence, assisted by his charming spirit, Ariel. His benignity even in revenge is demonstrated by his saving all the people on the sinking ship, al
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Mar 21, 2010
John
rated it:
For too long I've been ducking the challenge of saying something useful about Shakespeare, here on GR. Okay: THE TEMPEST, & never mind that the play may not be his absolute best. Some dramaturgical Supreme Court might rule that this late, dark comedy lacks the relentlessness & invention of HAMLET, the gloom & outrage of LEAR, the blood & oratory of MACBETH. Yes, but TEMPEST haunts me these days. Prospero haunts me, in other words; the drama's all him, his ferocity, his affections, his rejectio
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Aug 11, 2009
Keegan
rated it:
Usurpation in Every Aspect
On this read, I realized just how rife this play is with usurpation. Antonio usurped Prospero, Prospero usurped Sycorax and Caliban, Sycorax and Caliban usurped Ariel, Caliban and Stephano are attempting to usurp Prospero, Sebastian is attempting to usurp Alonso, and Gonzolo summons the memory of Aeneas on the island, who usurped Turnus and the Native Italians to found Rome. Such is life, this untangle-able knot of usurpation. But that is not the only part of life More...
On this read, I realized just how rife this play is with usurpation. Antonio usurped Prospero, Prospero usurped Sycorax and Caliban, Sycorax and Caliban usurped Ariel, Caliban and Stephano are attempting to usurp Prospero, Sebastian is attempting to usurp Alonso, and Gonzolo summons the memory of Aeneas on the island, who usurped Turnus and the Native Italians to found Rome. Such is life, this untangle-able knot of usurpation. But that is not the only part of life More...
Jul 06, 2009
Corinne
rated it:
Fuss about it all you want, I agree that he's not easy to understand, but the guy WAS a genius. I've been reading one play per year (about all I can handle :) for 4 years now - and while The Tempest is not my favorite of the ones I've read, it's still full of the vivid language and intricate ideas that I've come to expect - a real commentary on the human condition.
What makes this one a bit different is that our main character, Prospero the unfairly de-throned former duke of Milan, is More...
What makes this one a bit different is that our main character, Prospero the unfairly de-throned former duke of Milan, is More...
Dec 24, 2010
Marija
rated it:
“We are such stuff as dreams are made of.” The Tempest makes quite an interesting fantasy, what with the interactions among humans, spirits, demons and gods. It’s also well balanced in terms of romance, coups, death plots and revenge, all weaved together with humor and amusement. Though it all seems incongruous, it does make sense and is quite entertaining.
In terms of language, I think this play is one of the bawdiest I’ve read. Those first few speeches are full of coarse and unsavory More...
In terms of language, I think this play is one of the bawdiest I’ve read. Those first few speeches are full of coarse and unsavory More...
Jul 16, 2009
Jake
rated it:
I wanted to love The Tempest. I so wanted to love it. And for the first three acts I did. There are some great parallels between different characters making similar choices in slightly different contexts. There is fun feuding between master and servant. There’s also a brainless love story, but those can be fun and sexy.
Sadly, the dramatic energy flattens out from there on. Act Four is your basic house party sequence (albeit with Spirits). And Act Five is where Shakespeare has everyone com More...
Sadly, the dramatic energy flattens out from there on. Act Four is your basic house party sequence (albeit with Spirits). And Act Five is where Shakespeare has everyone com More...
Nov 26, 2011
Tiger Holland (All-Consuming Books)
rated it:
Prospero is the rightful Duke of Milan, but due to a long-ago plot by his brother Antonio, he's been kicked out of his homeland and is now living on a primitive island in the middle of nowhere. He and his 15-year-old daughter Miranda have been on this island for over a decade, and Prospero decides that it's time to bring his daughter back to her rightful place in the world. Fortunately, he has managed to use magic to shipwreck a bunch of important people on his island (The King of Naples, his so
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Apr 26, 2010
Steve
rated it:
Amazing comedy. I saw a version of this at the Brooklyn Academy of Music a few months ago and it was great.
I had thought this was a weird and unattractive play when I first encountered it in college, but it contains some of the best poetry in English or any language:
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' More...
I had thought this was a weird and unattractive play when I first encountered it in college, but it contains some of the best poetry in English or any language:
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' More...
Jan 13, 2012
Carol
rated it:
I don’t think I’ve read The Tempest by William Shakespeare before, but in my head it was about a magician on an island. Briefly, the play is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, and his daughter Miranda were ship-wrecked years before. Prospero plots to restore himself to his rightful place. He is a magician and has control over the spirits of the island, including his main helper, Ariel. The island sole other inhabitant who was there before Prospero is Caliban, a mon
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