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    The Tempest
    The Tempest
    The Tempest
    Ebook344 pages3 hours

    The Tempest

    By William Shakespeare and Paul Werstine

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    The authoritative edition of The Tempest from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for both students and general readers.

    Putting romance onstage, The Tempest gives us a magician, Prospero, a former duke of Milan who was displaced by his treacherous brother, Antonio. Prospero is exiled on an island, where his only companions are his daughter, Miranda, the spirit Ariel, and the monster Caliban. When his enemies are among those caught in a storm near the island, Prospero turns his power upon them through Ariel and other spirits.

    The characters exceed the roles of villains and heroes. Prospero seems heroic, yet he enslaves Caliban and has an appetite for revenge. Caliban seems to be a monster for attacking Miranda, but appears heroic in resisting Prospero, evoking the period of colonialism during which the play was written. Miranda’s engagement to Ferdinand, the Prince of Naples and a member of the shipwrecked party, helps resolve the drama.

    This edition includes:

    -Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play
    -Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play
    -Scene-by-scene plot summaries
    -A key to the play’s famous lines and phrases
    -An introduction to reading Shakespeare’s language
    -An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play
    -Fresh images from the Folger Shakespeare Library’s vast holdings of rare books
    -An annotated guide to further reading

    Essay by Barbara A. Mowat

    The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, is home to the world’s largest collection of Shakespeare’s printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit Folger.edu.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster
    Release dateApr 14, 2015
    ISBN9781476788593
    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.

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    Reviews for The Tempest

    4/5

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    • 3/5
      None of the characters sucked me in, but the themes it explores are fascinating within the historical and biographical background.
    • 2/5
      The tragic story of Prospero, a wizard that is actually the duke of Milan. He is send to and island after his jelous brother. Propero is send with his only daughter, Miranda. Tweleve years had pass now and the beautiful Miranda is now fifteen.In the island, Prospero now has under control Arial, a spirt, and Caliban a men that is now his slave. With the help of Ariel and his own magic, Prospero sank the fleet in were his bother and some other friends were trabeling. His plans of revenge for the moment seem to work out perfectly, it is needed time to see what happens.This is a story full of magic, tangles and mysteries. The characters made this play full of life, letting the reader involves in the events. Although the language used get complicated some times the plot is very interesting.
    • 3/5
      A very visual play -- it is difficult to read because I think it really needs to be seen for impact. Other than Miranda and Prospero, the characters seemed to blend together; they weren't that well-defined in their differences ... except for the monstrous Caliban, of course. Some nice passages -- "We are such stuff as dreams are made on."
    • 2/5
      I enjoyed this more than other mandatory Shakespeare reads in college because this was required for the best English class ever: "Making Monsters". Ms. Cook's guidance was not annoying like Corum's.
    • 3/5
      Even a genius is allowed to be average once in a while. Reportedly the last play Shakespeare wrote on his own, I can't help but wonder if he mailed it in on this. Maybe he needed the money? Maybe he was fulfilling a contract for one more play, much like Hitchcock did with the abhorrent movie Jamacia Inn, his last British production before moving to Hollywood. Whatever the case, The Tempest was neither romantic enough to make me fall in love, tragic enough to make me sad or funny enough to make me laugh. But, it is Shakespheare so even his meh efforts are better than most, but still. Not up to his standards.

      I read along with the text while I listened to the audio version, a practice I highly recommend. I wish I could have done that in high school. I'll definitely suggest immersion reading to my children as they enter high school and discover Shakespeare.

    • 3/5
      3½ stars - I found I had some trouble in parts with following the action just reading this rather than seeing a performance. I also found Prospero's sudden reconciliation with his brother rather unconvincing.
    • 5/5
      I have only read about two Shakespeare plays. One of them I have enjoyed and the other I didn’t so much. “The Tempest” is a fantastic story about the lives of a few men and an island. Whether this Island is mystical or not we do not know. However there are fantastical things that occur in the story much like almost all of the other Shakespeare plays. There are angels that can control humans or possess them and there is a monster named Caliban. If you enjoyed Robinson Crusoe then you should definitely give “The Tempest” a read. Although be careful it “is” written by Shakespeare.When I first read “The Tempest” I read it in its original text. Meaning I read it in Old English or whatever the official name for it is. The play was hard to understand although I did enjoy the adventure of the read. I understood most of the characters and even liked some of them. By far my favorite character would have to be the most flawed one: Caliban. To me he was the most intriguing. He is a slave and son of a witch. It just makes my imagination go nuts. What would a witch’s son look like in Shakespeare? It was exhilarating! The book I rented from the library consisted of a huge analysis that I did not read however I looked at the pictures of the characters and drawings. There was this drawing of Caliban and he looked absolutely hideous. It was a gruesome picture that peeked my imagination and drew me further into the reading.Eventually I finished and sat wondering what the heck did I just read? I honestly did not even know they were on an island until the day of class when we discussed it. I was astonished that I missed a huge detail like that. So to be honest I went to spark notes I read the translated version. Awesome.It’s interesting that I read the Tempest now because just three months ago I had rented the movie “Forbidden Planet”, which is a modern translation of “The Tempest” but in space. So not only did I not know what the “The Tempest” was I saw it in space. It is just interesting how things work out like that. Ever since I’ve read the translated version of the play I have been thinking on and on about this island that they are on and what it represents. It is clearly a metaphor for the Americas. However I have been thinking Islands lately and what comes to my mind when I think of that? The mystical and magical island of “Lost” the television series. The show is basically another modernization of “The Tempest”. If your not a fan of the show I’m sorry but I just thought that was cool. I could probably list some parallels between the show and the play but I shall not. So now I’m on an uber-quest to find more of these modernized versions. “The Tempest” is just that awesome I guess.Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” has caught the imagination of generations. Something mystical about it appeals to the people. It appealed to me and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have a feeling the story of Prospero, Caliban, Miranda, and the storm that shipwrecked a navel ship will not fail to outlast even my grandchildren’s grandchildren. It will live on forever and ever. It may cause a religion or not. It may cause a revolution. Who knows? This is just me speculating at the awesomeness of the story. I’m sorry I couldn’t give more examples of why this story is great. It just is and you should definitely read it before you die.
    • 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!".
    • 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!
    • 3/5
      Not one of the Bard's best.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.

    • 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.
    • 5/5
      For me, the most wondrous of the plays.
    • 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.
    • 4/5
      What's not to like about Will
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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!
    • 3/5
      For the past year, the fates have been telling me I needed to read William Shakespeare's final work The Tempest. Alright fates, I did it! Now you can shove it!!!

      Honestly, I was disappointed. There was so much potential in this one, but it was as though Shakespeare, “The Man,” was giving up. Great premise, great setting, great characters with witty dialogue, but why, Prospero? Why do you relent so easily? Ferdinand, what do you see in Miranda? What was the point of it all, Shakespeare? It wasn't clear. These characters just could not convince me of this world.

      The ending was classic. C-L-A-S-S-I-C. It seems “The Man” knew he was retiring. Having the magician, Prospero—possibly a reflection of Shakespeare himself—address the audience was brilliant. He explains his mission was to entertain, begs pardon for all his wrongs, and asks to be set free. Loved it.

      If only the rest of the play could have been so affecting and clever. Nonetheless, I thank The Man for his entertainment, forgive him his wrongs, and set him free. Run, Shakespeare run.
    • 5/5
      This is one of my favorite of Shakespeare's plays, in terms of the richness of the story and the language.
    • 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.
    • 3/5
      His weakest work.
    • 4/5
      love it!!!!
    • 4/5
      In contemporary society, vampires and Hogwarts have become a hot-topic obsession for American society; both of which amalgamate action and social conflict in a magical, fantastical world. Such a world is an integral and fascinating portion of Shakespeare’s play The Tempest. The progression in the plot roots essentially from the protagonist’s, Prospero’s, powers held on this magical island. From the beginning of the play, he utilizes magic in order to create the tempest that wrecks the ship and places the characters in their own routes. The magic allows him to set up the scenes of his own puppet play and bring about the in-depth look into the characters’ behaviors and changes throughout the play. He uses it to put his daughter to sleep and cloak himself in invisibility as he watches down upon the characters as to how his plans unravel. Furthermore, his control of the spirit Ariel also serves as an important aspect of this plot and character development. Ariel divides and transports the characters around the island. Through the use of the spirit, Propero essentially creates three sub-plays in his overarching attempt at retribution: love between his daughter and the prince; social power and personal struggles between the King of Naples and his court; and the comedic relief with the drunk Trinculo, Stephano and Caliban attempting to take power over the island. Ariel steps in to awake the King when threatened during sleep by his court and also teases them with food. Lastly, the magic also serves as a measure of power creating the themes of power and colonization. Propero’s knowledge of magic makes him more powerful over the previous leader of the island, the witch Sycorax, and her son, Caliban, leading Prospero to eventually make the latter his slave. The power additionally places him in control of the environment and the characters. Thus, the magic brings about fruition of the development and final ending. Though its ending lacks luster with no opposing power against Proper, the story has magic at its integral, partially appealing to many of today’s audience.
    • 3/5
       Dramatized audio recordings of are difficult for to listen to because there are so many minor characters. This one was a bit more manageable.
    • 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.

    Book preview

    The Tempest - William Shakespeare

    THE NEW FOLGER LIBRARY SHAKESPEARE

    Designed to make Shakespeare’s great plays available to all readers, the New Folger Library edition of Shakespeare’s plays provides accurate texts in modern spelling and punctuation, as well as scene-by-scene action summaries, full explanatory notes, many pictures clarifying Shakespeare’s language, and notes recording all significant departures from the early printed versions. Each play is prefaced by a brief introduction, by a guide to reading Shakespeare’s language, and by accounts of his life and theater. Each play is followed by an annotated list of further readings and by a Modern Perspective written by an expert on that particular play.

    Barbara A. Mowat is Director of Research emerita at the Folger Shakespeare Library, Consulting Editor of Shakespeare Quarterly, and author of The Dramaturgy of Shakespeare’s Romances and of essays on Shakespeare’s plays and their editing.

    Paul Werstine is Professor of English at the Graduate School and at King’s University College at Western University. He is a general editor of the New Variorum Shakespeare and author of Early Modern Playhouse Manuscripts and the Editing of Shakespeare and of many papers and articles on the printing and editing of Shakespeare’s plays.

    The Folger Shakespeare Library

    The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., is a privately funded research library dedicated to Shakespeare and the civilization of early modern Europe. It was founded in 1932 by Henry Clay and Emily Jordan Folger, and incorporated as part of Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts, one of the nation’s oldest liberal arts colleges, from which Henry Folger had graduated in 1879. In addition to its role as the world’s preeminent Shakespeare collection and its emergence as a leading center for Renaissance studies, the Folger Shakespeare Library offers a wide array of cultural and educational programs and services for the general public.

    EDITORS

    BARBARA A. MOWAT

    Director of Research emerita

    Folger Shakespeare Library

    PAUL WERSTINE

    Professor of English

    King’s University College at Western University, Canada

    From the Director of the Folger Shakespeare Library

    It is hard to imagine a world without Shakespeare. Since their composition more than four hundred years ago, Shakespeare’s plays and poems have traveled the globe, inviting those who see and read his works to make them their own.

    Readers of the New Folger Editions are part of this ongoing process of taking up Shakespeare, finding our own thoughts and feelings in language that strikes us as old or unusual and, for that very reason, new. We still struggle to keep up with a writer who could think a mile a minute, whose words paint pictures that shift like clouds. These expertly edited texts are presented as a resource for study, artistic exploration, and enjoyment. As a new generation of readers engages Shakespeare in eBook form, they will encounter the classic texts of the New Folger Editions, with trusted notes and up-to-date critical essays available at their fingertips. Now readers can enjoy expertly edited, modern editions of Shakespeare anywhere they bring their e-reading devices, allowing readers not simply to keep up, but to engage deeply with a writer whose works invite us to think, and think again.

    The New Folger Editions of Shakespeare’s plays, which are the basis for the texts realized here in digital form, are special because of their origin. The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., is the single greatest documentary source of Shakespeare’s works. An unparalleled collection of early modern books, manuscripts, and artwork connected to Shakespeare, the Folger’s holdings have been consulted extensively in the preparation of these texts. The Editions also reflect the expertise gained through the regular performance of Shakespeare’s works in the Folger’s Elizabethan Theater.

    I want to express my deep thanks to editors Barbara Mowat and Paul Werstine for creating these indispensable editions of Shakespeare’s works, which incorporate the best of textual scholarship with a richness of commentary that is both inspired and engaging. Readers who want to know more about Shakespeare and his plays can follow the paths these distinguished scholars have tread by visiting the Folger either in person or online, where a range of physical and digital resources exist to supplement the material in these texts. I commend to you these words, and hope that they inspire.

    Michael Witmore

    Director, Folger Shakespeare Library

    Contents

    Editors’ Preface

    Shakespeare’s The Tempest

    Reading Shakespeare’s Language: The Tempest

    Shakespeare’s Life

    Shakespeare’s Theater

    The Publication of Shakespeare’s Plays

    An Introduction to This Text

    Characters in the Play

    The Tempest

    Text of the Play with Commentary

    Act 1

    Scene 1

    Scene 2

    Act 2

    Scene 1

    Scene 2

    Act 3

    Scene 1

    Scene 2

    Scene 3

    Act 4

    Scene 1

    Act 5

    Scene 1

    Epilogue

    Longer Notes

    Textual Notes

    The Tempest: A Modern Perspective

    by Barbara A. Mowat

    Further Reading

    Key to Famous Lines and Phrases

    Commentary

    Act 1

    Scene 1

    Scene 2

    Act 2

    Scene 1

    Scene 2

    Act 3

    Scene 1

    Scene 2

    Scene 3

    Act 4

    Scene 1

    Act 5

    Scene 1

    Epilogue

    Editors’ Preface

    In recent years, ways of dealing with Shakespeare’s texts and with the interpretation of his plays have been undergoing significant change. This edition, while retaining many of the features that have always made the Folger Shakespeare so attractive to the general reader, at the same time reflects these current ways of thinking about Shakespeare. For example, modern readers, actors, and teachers have become interested in the differences between, on the one hand, the early forms in which Shakespeare’s plays were first published and, on the other hand, the forms in which editors through the centuries have presented them. In response to this interest, we have based our edition on what we consider the best early printed version of a particular play (explaining our rationale in a section called An Introduction to This Text) and have marked our changes in the text—unobtrusively, we hope, but in such a way that the curious reader can be aware that a change has been made and can consult the Textual Notes to discover what appeared in the early printed version.

    Current ways of looking at the plays are reflected in our brief introductions, in many of the commentary notes, in the annotated lists of Further Reading, and especially in each play’s Modern Perspective, an essay written by an outstanding scholar who brings to the reader his or her fresh assessment of the play in the light of today’s interests and concerns.

    As in the Folger Library General Reader’s Shakespeare, which the New Folger Library Shakespeare replaces, we include explanatory notes designed to help make Shakespeare’s language clearer to a modern reader, and we hyperlink notes to the lines that they explain. We also follow the earlier edition in including illustrations—of objects, of clothing, of mythological figures—from books and manuscripts in the Folger Shakespeare Library collection. We provide fresh accounts of the life of Shakespeare, of the publishing of his plays, and of the theaters in which his plays were performed, as well as an introduction to the text itself. We also include a section called Reading Shakespeare’s Language, in which we try to help readers learn to break the code of Elizabethan poetic language.

    For each section of each volume, we are indebted to a host of generous experts and fellow scholars. The Reading Shakespeare’s Language sections, for example, could not have been written had not Arthur King, of Brigham Young University, and Randal Robinson, author of Unlocking Shakespeare’s Language, led the way in untangling Shakespearean language puzzles and generously shared their insights and methodologies with us. Shakespeare’s Life profited by the careful reading given it by S. Schoenbaum; Shakespeare’s Theater was read and strengthened by Andrew Gurr, John Astington, and William Ingram. The Publication of Shakespeare’s Plays is indebted to the comments of Peter W. M. Blayney. Among the texts we consulted in editing The Tempest, we found Stephen Orgel’s edition of the play in the Oxford Shakespeare series particularly helpful. We, as editors, take sole responsibility for any errors in our editions.

    We are grateful to the authors of the Modern Perspectives; to Leeds Barroll and David Bevington for their generous encouragement; to the Huntington and Newberry Libraries for fellowship support; to King’s University College for the grants it has provided to Paul Werstine; to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, which provided him with Research Time Stipends; to R. J. Shroyer of Western University for essential computer support; and to the Folger Institute’s Center for Shakespeare Studies for its fortuitous sponsorship of a workshop on Shakespeare’s Texts for Students and Teachers (funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and led by Richard Knowles of the University of Wisconsin), a workshop from which we learned an enormous amount about what is wanted by college and high-school teachers of Shakespeare today.

    In preparing this preface for the publication of The Tempest in 1994, we wrote: Our biggest debt is to the Folger Shakespeare Library—to Werner Gundersheimer, Director of the Library, who made possible our edition; to Jean Miller, the Library’s Art Curator, who combs the Library holdings for illustrations, and to Julie Ainsworth, Head of the Photography Department, who carefully photographs them; to Peggy O’Brien, Director of Education, and her assistant, Molly Haws, who continue to give us expert advice about the needs being expressed by Shakespeare teachers and students (and to Martha Christian and other master teachers who used our texts in manuscript in their classrooms); to Jessica Hymowitz, who provides expert computer support; to the staff of the Academic Programs Division, especially Mary Tonkinson, Lena Cowen Orlin, Jean Feerick, Amy Adler, Kathleen Lynch, and Carol Brobeck; and, finally, to the staff of the Library Reading Room, whose patience and support have been invaluable.

    As we revise the play for publication in 2015, we add to the above our gratitude to Michael Witmore, Director of the Folger Shakespeare Library, who brings to our work a gratifying enthusiasm and vision; to Gail Kern Paster, Director of the Library from 2002 until July 2011, whose interest and support have been unfailing and whose scholarly expertise continues to be an invaluable resource; to Jonathan Evans and Alysha Bullock, our production editors at Simon & Schuster, whose expertise, attention to detail, and wisdom are essential to this project; to the Folger’s Photography Department; to Deborah Curren-Aquino for continuing superb editorial assistance; to Alice Falk for her expert copyediting; to Michael Poston for unfailing computer support; to Anna Levine; and to Rebecca Niles (whose help is crucial). Among the editions we consulted, we found Virginia and Alden Vaughan’s 1999 Arden edition especially useful. Finally, we once again express our thanks to Stephen Llano for twenty-five years of support as our invaluable production editor, to the late Jean Miller for the wonderful images she unearthed, and to the ever-supportive staff of the Library Reading Room.

    Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine

    2015

    If by your art . . . you have / Put the wild waters in this roar. (1.2.1–2)

    From Guillaume de La Perrière, La morosophie . . . (1553).

    Shakespeare’s The Tempest

    In The Tempest Shakespeare puts romance onstage. He gives us a magician, a monster, a grief-stricken king, a wise old councillor, and no fewer than two beautiful princesses (one of whom we only hear about) and two treacherous brothers. The magician is Prospero, former duke of the Italian city-state of Milan, whose intense attraction to the study of magic caused him to lose sight of the political necessity of maintaining power, which he then lost to his treacherous brother, Antonio. When we first meet Prospero, he has already suffered twelve years of exile on a desert island, where his only companions have been his daughter, Miranda, now a beautiful princess; the spirit Ariel; and the monster Caliban, whom Prospero has used his magic to enslave. Now, sailing by the island and caught in a terrible storm are Prospero’s enemies (and one of his friends), who are returning from North Africa after having attended the wedding of another beautiful princess, Claribel of Naples, and the king of Tunis. On the ship are Antonio, who usurped Prospero’s dukedom and put him out to sea; King Alonso of Naples, who conspired with Antonio against Prospero; Sebastian, Alonso’s brother, who is about to conspire with Antonio against Alonso; Prince Ferdinand, Alonso’s son, destined to discover and fall into the power of the beautiful Miranda; and finally, Gonzalo, the wise old councillor who, twelve years before, provided Prospero with the books and other necessities that have made it possible for Prospero not only to survive his exile but also to grow ever more powerful as a magician. Prospero will now turn his awesome power upon his enemies through the agency of Ariel (and the many other spirits whom Ariel directs) in producing terror in Prospero’s victims and pleasure in those whom Prospero favors.

    Yet The Tempest is more than romance, for its characters exceed the roles of villains and heroes, some of them becoming both villains and heroes. Prospero seems heroic in enduring his long exile, in protecting his daughter from Caliban, and in mastering a spirit world that he can use to control the elements and much else, but he also seems villainous in his enslavement of others, notably Caliban, and his enormous appetite for revenge on his enemies. Caliban seems to deserve the name of monster for his attack upon Miranda, but he also seems heroic in his resistance to Prospero, who wrests the island from him and attempts to tyrannize over him. Thus The Tempest belongs not only to the world of romance but also to the period of colonialism, written as it was in the very early stages of the European exploration and conquest of the New World.

    The doubleness that we see in the play’s embodiment of seemingly timeless romance and a temporally specific historical moment is characteristic of this complex play, which seems simple and lyrical but which contains wonderfully complex narratives and emotions. For an examination of these complexities, we invite you to turn, after you have read the play, to the essay printed after it titled "The Tempest: A Modern Perspective," written by Barbara A. Mowat.

    Reading Shakespeare’s Language: The Tempest

    For many people today, reading Shakespeare’s language can be a problem—but it is a problem that can be solved. Those who have studied Latin (or even French or German or Spanish) and those who are used to reading poetry will have little difficulty understanding the language of poetic drama. Others, however, need to develop the skills of untangling unusual sentence structures and of recognizing and understanding poetic compressions, omissions, and wordplay. And even those skilled in reading unusual sentence structures may have occasional trouble with Shakespeare’s words. More than four hundred years of static—caused by changes in language and life—intervene between his speaking and our hearing. Most of his immense vocabulary is still in use, but a few of his words are no longer used, and many of his words now have meanings quite different from those they had in the seventeenth century. In the theater, most of these difficulties are solved for us by actors who study the language and articulate it for us so that the essential meaning is heard—or, when combined with stage action, is at least felt. When we are reading on our own, we must do what each actor does: go over the lines (often with a dictionary close at hand) until the puzzles are solved and the lines yield up their poetry and the characters speak in words and phrases that are, suddenly, rewarding and wonderfully memorable.

    Shakespeare’s Words

    As you begin to read the opening scenes of a Shakespeare play, you may notice occasional unfamiliar words. Some are unfamiliar simply because we no longer use them. In the opening scenes of The Tempest, for example, you will find the words yarely (i.e., quickly, nimbly), hap (i.e., happen), fain (i.e., gladly), wrack (i.e., wrecked vessel), and teen (i.e., trouble). Words of this kind are explained in notes to the text and will become familiar the more of Shakespeare’s plays you read.

    In The Tempest, as in all of Shakespeare’s writing, more problematic are the words that are still in use but that now have different meanings. In the opening scenes of The Tempest, for example, the word hearts has the meaning of hearties, good fellows, hand is used where we would say handle, lay hold of, art is used where we would say learning or skill, brave where we would say splendid, and perdition where we would say loss. Again, such words will be explained in the notes to the text, but they, too, will become familiar as you continue to read Shakespeare’s language.

    Some words are strange not because of the static introduced by changes in language over the past centuries but because these are words that Shakespeare uses to build a dramatic world that has its own space, time, and history. In the opening scenes of The Tempest, for example, Shakespeare quickly creates the world of the storm-tossed ship, with words like boatswain and with such nautical terminology as bring her to try wi’ th’ main course, lay her ahold, and set her two courses. He then builds the island world in which Prospero and Miranda presently live, a world dominated by Prospero’s art (i.e., his magic power), a world where Prospero is master of a full poor cell, where he sties Caliban in a rock, a world of urchins and marmosets and pignuts. Simultaneously, Shakespeare creates the world of Prospero and Miranda’s past, a world of signiories, coronets, and tribute, of the liberal arts and secret studies, of confederacy and extirpation. Ariel enters,

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