#thetempest

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The Tempest

The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare (c. 1564-1616), written in 1610 or 1611, and first performed for the court of James I of England (r. 1603-1625) on 2 November 1611. Believed to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote on his own, The Tempest deals with both tragic and comic themes, leading some literary critics to label it under the category of 'romance' or 'tragicomedy'.

Sources & Themes

Unlike many of Shakespeare's other works, there does not seem to be a direct literary source for The Tempest. Instead, it seems that Shakespeare was inspired by accounts of New World exploration, which was gaining traction during that time. Shakespeare had likely heard accounts of Ferdinand Magellan's circumnavigation of the world and had read Richard Rich's News from Virginia (1610). One of his main sources was William Strachey's A True Reportory of the Wreck and Redemption...from the Islands of the Bermudas, an eyewitness account of the wreck of the Sea Venture, a ship that went down off the coast of Bermuda in 1609. Since Strachey's full manuscript was not published until after Shakespeare's death, it is thought that the playwright had access to an early draft. Certainly, the excitement surrounding the discoveries in the Western Hemisphere provided the fabric of The Tempest's plot, even though it is narratively set on an island in the Mediterranean.

The island on which the play is set, in the words of David Bevington, is a place of "magical rejuvenation", a realm of art where "everything is controlled by the artist-figure" (818). In this way, the island itself is like a stage, and Prospero with his magic is like Shakespeare with his pen. There are several references within the play to theatre and actors, leaving some scholars to speculate that The Tempest may have been Shakespeare's way of saying farewell to his career, since it was the last play he wrote alone.

Another theme is that of colonialism, most clearly demonstrated with Prospero coming to the island, enslaving the native Caliban, and forcing Ariel to do his will. There are obvious parallels to the concurrent European colonization of the Americas, but Shakespeare's audience would have been more likely to think of the English exploitation of Ireland, which had taken an especially brutal turn. Caliban's enslavement, though presented by Prospero as necessary to prevent rape and disorder, nevertheless raises questions of oppression and control and leaves the audience to wonder whether Prospero's attempts to 'civilize' Caliban and contain his otherness has produced a worthy result.

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‘Hear my soul speak. Of the very instant that I saw you, Did my heart fly at your service’ (The Tempest – Act 3, Scene 1)