The Tempest

William ShakespeareProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

5.0

Word count: 102K words
Chapters: 11

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Tempest by William ShakespeareAuthor: Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jul 1, 1999

Editor's review

The Tempest is a representative work of Shakespeare's late romances and is often regarded as the closing piece of his playwriting career. The play centers on the exiled duke Prospero and his daughter Miranda living on a desert island, weaving magic, spirits, shipwreck, and conspiracy into a story about forgiveness and reconciliation. Prospero ultimately lays down his magic book, releases the spirits, and forgives his enemies—a resolution many readers see as a metaphor for Shakespeare's farewell to the stage. The two figures Caliban and Ariel are vividly drawn: the former coarse yet pitiable, the latter light and longing for freedom, and both have been endlessly reinterpreted by later generations. The language of the play, in his late style, is more composed, offering both gorgeous descriptions of illusion and subtle inquiries into power, colonialism, and freedom. As a public-domain electronic text, this edition is easy to search and compare, suitable for use in classrooms, book clubs, or reading the play on one's own. While reading, one might note the analogy between magic and drama itself, and appreciate how the author speaks through his characters about the illusions of the stage.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students of English literature who need to study Shakespeare's late-play style
Theater enthusiasts who wish to explore the staging possibilities of romance
Readers preparing for book-club discussions on forgiveness and power
English learners who want to improve their feel for language and vocabulary through dramatic dialogue

Not a good fit for

Beginners who prefer modern vernacular and are unwilling to adapt to early English expression
Readers seeking teaching editions with full annotations and detailed introductions
Casual readers who want only comic plot and have no interest in thematic metaphor

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the plot, then read a second time to examine Prospero's soliloquies and epilogue closely.
Use the character list to sort out the relationships among Miranda, Caliban, and Ariel, and note the contrast between power and freedom.
Read aloud or watch a recorded performance to feel the stage effects of music, spirits, and illusion in the play.
After finishing, return to the shipwreck scene in Act I to see how the opening uses chaos to prepare for the later reconciliation.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is The Tempest a comedy or a romance by Shakespeare?

It is usually classified as a romance or tragicomedy, combining the comic reunion ending with romance elements such as magic, shipwreck, and separation and reunion. Written in Shakespeare's late period, its tone is more serene than the early comedies, with themes centered on forgiveness and letting go.

Do I need to know Shakespeare's other works before reading this play?

Not necessarily. The plot is relatively self-contained and the character relationships are clear. If you have read plays such as Hamlet, you can better appreciate the changes in his late style; but readers new to Shakespeare can also enter through the character list and plot summary.

Why is the character Caliban so often discussed?

Caliban is a figure of the island's native inhabitant, coarse yet at times moving in his speech, both enslaved by Prospero and resistant to him. Later generations often read him in terms of colonialism, the other, and freedom, in contrast with Ariel, which makes the play more than a simple magical story.

Is the public-domain electronic text suitable for classroom use?

It is suitable as a base text, easy to search and print. But it usually lacks detailed annotations, so for classroom use it is advisable to pair it with an annotated edition or teacher-supplied materials to help with early modern English usage and allusions.

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About the author

William Shakespeare Author · English · 1564–1616

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) was the greatest playwright, poet and actor of the English Renaissance. Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, he is known as the "Bard of Avon." He wrote roughly thirty-seven to thirty-nine plays, one hundred and fifty-four sonnets and narrative poems. His representative works include Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet. His works span tragedy, comedy and history play, distinguished by rich, poetic language and profound characterization. His explorations of human nature, power, love and fate have had a lasting influence, and his works have been translated into many languages and circulated widely around the world.