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The Tempest: The New Oxford Shakespeare
'How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world
That has such people in't!'
Performed variously as escapist fantasy, celebratory fiction, and political allegory, The Tempest is one of the plays in which Shakespeare's genius as a poetic dramatist found its fullest expression. Significantly, it was placed first when published in the First Folio of 1623, and is now generally seen as the playwright's most penetrating statement about his art.
The New Oxford Shakespeare offers authoritative editions of Shakespeare's works with introductory materials designed to encourage new interpretations of the plays and poems. Using the text from the landmark The New Oxford Shakespeare Complete Modern Critical Edition, these volumes offer readers the latest thinking on the authentic texts (collated from all surviving original versions of Shakespeare's work) alongside innovative introductions from leading scholars. The texts are accompanied by a comprehensive set of critical apparatus to give readers the best resources to help understand and enjoy Shakespeare's work.
ABOUT THE For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
That has such people in't!'
Performed variously as escapist fantasy, celebratory fiction, and political allegory, The Tempest is one of the plays in which Shakespeare's genius as a poetic dramatist found its fullest expression. Significantly, it was placed first when published in the First Folio of 1623, and is now generally seen as the playwright's most penetrating statement about his art.
The New Oxford Shakespeare offers authoritative editions of Shakespeare's works with introductory materials designed to encourage new interpretations of the plays and poems. Using the text from the landmark The New Oxford Shakespeare Complete Modern Critical Edition, these volumes offer readers the latest thinking on the authentic texts (collated from all surviving original versions of Shakespeare's work) alongside innovative introductions from leading scholars. The texts are accompanied by a comprehensive set of critical apparatus to give readers the best resources to help understand and enjoy Shakespeare's work.
ABOUT THE For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
- GenresClassics
Kindle Edition
Published May 25, 2024
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About the author
William Shakespeare
27.8k books47.1k followersWilliam Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner ("sharer") of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men after the ascension of King James VI and I of Scotland to the English throne. At age 49 (around 1613), he appears to have retired to Stratford, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive; this has stimulated considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, his sexuality, his religious beliefs, and even certain fringe theories as to whether the works attributed to him were written by others.
Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as some of the best works produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered to be among the finest works in the English language. In the last phase of his life, he wrote tragicomedies (also known as romances) and collaborated with other playwrights.
Many of Shakespeare's plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime. However, in 1623, John Heminge and Henry Condell, two fellow actors and friends of Shakespeare's, published a more definitive text known as the First Folio, a posthumous collected edition of Shakespeare's dramatic works that includes 36 of his plays. Its Preface was a prescient poem by Ben Jonson, a former rival of Shakespeare, that hailed Shakespeare with the now famous epithet: "not of an age, but for all time".
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner ("sharer") of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men after the ascension of King James VI and I of Scotland to the English throne. At age 49 (around 1613), he appears to have retired to Stratford, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive; this has stimulated considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, his sexuality, his religious beliefs, and even certain fringe theories as to whether the works attributed to him were written by others.
Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as some of the best works produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered to be among the finest works in the English language. In the last phase of his life, he wrote tragicomedies (also known as romances) and collaborated with other playwrights.
Many of Shakespeare's plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime. However, in 1623, John Heminge and Henry Condell, two fellow actors and friends of Shakespeare's, published a more definitive text known as the First Folio, a posthumous collected edition of Shakespeare's dramatic works that includes 36 of his plays. Its Preface was a prescient poem by Ben Jonson, a former rival of Shakespeare, that hailed Shakespeare with the now famous epithet: "not of an age, but for all time".
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 24, 2025
I was not made for Shakespeare readings... I can't really comment on it because I struggled with focusing while reading but maybe a re-read would aid my understanding
November 22, 2025
Refresh ahead of teaching it for the next two weeks. Is actually such a classic. Also nice to see my Shakespeare reading has sped up over the years… even if it is one of the shorter plays
November 19, 2025
I’m already familiar with the story - I was re-reading it for my personal English Literature Study. Some of the dialogues are so deep, I enjoy every re-read anew. This time it was even more special, because I took the time to dive deep into the introduction part and also read up quite a bit about Shakespeare prior. That certainly enhanced my appreciation of the play far more than before.
November 9, 2025
Loved this new intro, felt really fresh!
January 14, 2026
up to four because i laughed about the caliban fish plot... brings up interesting postcolonial themes. quite funny but in general shakespeare feels so inaccessible to me, but that's a me issue tbh
January 28, 2024
This tends to be the Shakespeare people I know tend to hate on. Guess I'm gonna be the contrarian now.
To be honest, I went in sort of thinking I was gonna like it though. The idea of a magic spirit and an age-old betrayal appealed to me. And who doesn't like to forgive, especially when the pardoned are family.
Saying that, I'm not quite sure what would have been Prospero's plan had his daughter not found a husband all of a sudden.
Not that it matters anyway. It's a sweet play, full of sweet moments. Even characters like the Boatswain got brilliant monologues. And what great characters!
Gonzalo's equalism and charming nature, Ariel's sweetness... And Caliban is comedic brilliance. I can't shake the image of a little green frog man dancing on stage alone after all the rest leave the stage.
Anyway, so far, my favourite Shakespeare. By a decent section.
To be honest, I went in sort of thinking I was gonna like it though. The idea of a magic spirit and an age-old betrayal appealed to me. And who doesn't like to forgive, especially when the pardoned are family.
Saying that, I'm not quite sure what would have been Prospero's plan had his daughter not found a husband all of a sudden.
Not that it matters anyway. It's a sweet play, full of sweet moments. Even characters like the Boatswain got brilliant monologues. And what great characters!
Gonzalo's equalism and charming nature, Ariel's sweetness... And Caliban is comedic brilliance. I can't shake the image of a little green frog man dancing on stage alone after all the rest leave the stage.
Anyway, so far, my favourite Shakespeare. By a decent section.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews