SHAKESPEARE
Life of William Shakespeare:
William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616) was born at Stratford-upon-Avon in England. Not much is known about
the exact date of his birth and death due to lack of sources. His baptism was recorded April 26, 1564, and
although the exact date of his birth is not known, it is now celebrated on April 23, which is also the day on
which he died, 52 years later. His father, John Shakespeare, was a Glover and wool dealer of good standing
and his mother was Mary Arden. Shakespeare attended Stratford Grammar School receiving an excellent
well-rounded education but he could not attend a university. At the age of 18 he married Anne Hathaway.
He fled to London around 1590 to become an actor. It was the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1. Elizabethan age
was height of English Renaissance in music and literature. Shakespeare joined a theatre group, ‘Lord
Chamberlain’s Men’, and began his career as a playwright and actor. Later he became actor-manager and
owner of the theatre named ‘The Globe Theatre’, which was built in 1599. He later also became an investor
in the Blackfriars Theatre, which opened in 1609. Shakespeare wrote many of his plays specifically for
performance in these two theatres His plays are thought to be the finest ever written in any language. He was a
smart business man, amassing quite a fortune in his time. He lived a successful life and died in 1616, in
Stratford-upon-Avon in England.
Shakespeare’s Literary works:

Shakespeare was very casual about the publication of his works, apparently having little interest in
saving his writings. The 1623 Folio contains most of Shakespeare's plays, but they were not published
1
in chronological order and do not include the dates of their original composition. Instead, the best
scholars can do is examine the quarto editions, published during Shakespeare's life, or references from
contemporary letters or diaries and try to determine from those dates the possible timeframe for a
play's first performance.

After careful research, scholars have assigned probable dates of composition to Shakespeare's work,
and those dates, used by the editors of the Oxford Shakespeare and adopted by other editors, including
the editors of the Norton Shakespeare, will be used in the following discussion of the texts' probable
dates of composition. In general, the plays before 1600 were histories and romantic comedies. After
1600, tragedies became the focus of Shakespeare's work, while the problem comedies, such as The
Tempest, were darker in content, exploring serious social and moral problems.
Plays before 1600

Two Gentlemen of Verona is thought to be the first play written by Shakespeare. It was first published
in the 1623 Folio but thought to have been composed in 1590-91.

The Taming of the Shrew may have been written in 1592 or earlier, but it was also first published in
the 1623 Folio.

The Tragedy of King Richard the Third, with a first printing in 1597, was probably first performed in
1592-93.

The First Part of the Contention of the Two Famous Houses of York and Lancaster (The Second Part
of Henry VI) was probably composed about 1594.

The Comedy of Errors, although not published until 1623, was presumably written much earlier and
was first performed in 1594.

Titus Andronicus, the first of Shakespeare's Latin plays, the revenge tragedy, was printed in 1594.

The First Part of Henry the Sixth is often attributed to multiple authors, and there are no printed
editions prior to the 1623 Folio, but the play is thought to have been performed for the first time in
1594-95.

Richard Duke of York (3 Henry VI) was first printed in 1595.

Love's Labour's Lost followed in 1594-95 and was followed by Love's Labour's Won, which survives
only in a small fragment.

A Midsummer Night's Dream may have been performed as early as 1595, although it was not printed
until 1600. The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, first published in 1597,
2
is also thought to have been composed in 1595. Both plays offer contrasting views of love and
marriage.

While it was not published until 1623, The Life and Death of King John is usually dated at about 1596.

The Tragedy of King Richard the Second followed, but this play, whose abdication scene was said to
have been deleted during the lifetime of Elizabeth I, was not printed until 1597.

Because of its perceived anti-Semitic content, The Merchant of Venice has been surrounded in
controversy, but when it was first registered in 1598, its content simply reflected accepted views.

Shakespeare turned once again to history for inspiration with the composition of The History of Henry
the Fourth (1 Henry IV), first printed in 1598.

A comedy appeared next with the composition of The Merry Wives of Windsor in 1597-98.

Although not printed until 1600, Shakespeare probably wrote The Second Part of Henry Fourth
immediately after he finished the first play in the sequence.

As he had done in the past, Shakespeare penned a comedy after the historical play, this time Much Ado
About Nothing, probably composed in 1598.

The Life of Henry the Fifth soon followed in 1599.

Another history followed, but this time Shakespeare turned to early Roman history for inspiration.
Although The Tragedy of Julius Caesar was not published until 1623, its composition is thought to be
1598-99.

With the composition of As You Like It, probably in 1599, Shakespeare recalls the influences of earlier
pastoral poetry; however, this comedy marks the end of the playwright's light romantic comedies.
Plays after 1600

The year 1600 represents the beginning of a new phase in Shakespeare's compositions with the
printing of The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.

Twelfth Night, or What You Will followed a year later and marked a move toward darker comedies
with complex plots and characters who are often cruel rather than comic.

With Troilus and Cressida in 1601-02, Shakespeare turns to Greek antiquity and the Iliad for
inspiration, although as usual, Shakespeare rewrites the story to suit his needs.

Measure for Measure is another of Shakespeare's dark comedies, not published until 1623 but first
performed in 1604.
3

During the same period (1603-04), Shakespeare was also writing The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of
Venice and All's Well that Ends Well, a complex comedy that raises questions about accepted gender
roles.

With The Life of Timons of Athens, Shakespeare again turns to history, but this play, as with several
others, was first published in the 1623 Folio.

The History of King Lear or The Tragedy of King Lear, first printed in 1607-08, exists in two different
texts, which are often published on facing pages or combined into one text.

The composition of The Tragedy of Macbeth followed and is usually dated at 1606. At the same time,
Shakespeare was writing his sequel to Julius Caesar, The Tragedy of Antony and Cleopatra.

Pericles, Prince of Tyre, probably 1607-08, is thought to be collaboration between Shakespeare and
George Wilkins.

With Coriolanus in 1608, Shakespeare again finds his source in Roman history.

After 1610, Shakespeare left London and returned to Stratford and semi-retirement. But he continued
to write plays, with The Winter's Tale (1609-11), Cymbeline, King of Britain (1609-10), and The
Tempest (1611) largely composed in Stratford.

Shakespeare's life as a playwright concluded with his creation of All Is True or, as it was also known, The
Famous History of the Life of Henry the Eighth (1613) and The Two Noble Kinsmen * (1613-14).
[*The Two Noble Kinsmen is listed as one of Shakespeare's plays because most scholars believe it to be a collaborative work
of Shakespeare and John Fletcher, who was a prominent actor and Shakespeare'sclose friend. Fletcher succeeded Shakespeare
as the foremost dramatist for the King's Men.]
COMEDIES
TRAGEDIES
HISTORIES
The Tempest
The Two Gentlemen of Verona
The Merry Wives of Windsor
Measure for Measure
The Comedy of Errors
Much Ado About Nothing
Love's Labour's Lost
A Midsummer Night's Dream
The Merchant of Venice
As You Like It
The Taming of the Shrew
All's Well That Ends Well
Twelfth Night
The Winter's Tale
Pericles, Prince of Tyre
The Two Noble Kinsmen*
Troilus and Cressida
Coriolanus
Titus Andronicus
Romeo and Juliet
Timon of Athens
Julius Caesar
Macbeth
Hamlet
King Lear
Othello
Antony and Cleopatra
Cymbeline
King John
Richard II
Henry IV, Part 1
Henry IV, Part 2
Henry V
Henry VI, Part 1
Henry VI, Part 2
Henry VI, Part 3
Richard III
Henry VIII
4
His Other Works

Shakespeare's genius was not confined to the many plays he wrote and produced. He also wrote
poetry. In 1593 and 1594, when the theatres were closed because of plague, Shakespeare published
two narrative poems, Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece. He dedicated them to Henry
Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton. The poems show guilt and moral confusions. Both proved popular
and were often reprinted during Shakespeare's lifetime. The long narrative poem Venus and
Adonis was published in 1593, the first of Shakespeare's works to actually be published by
Shakespeare. This poem was followed by another long narrative poem — The Rape of Lucrece, first
published in 1594.

While writing his plays, Shakespeare was also composing sonnets, a format adapted by English poets
from its Petrarchan origins. Although he probably began composing sonnets early in his writing
career, evidence exists that Shakespeare continued revising his sonnets during the 1590s and through
the early 1600s, finally publishing the entire sequence in 1609. Shakespeare's sonnets are a collection
of 154 sonnets, dealing with themes such as the passage of time, love, beauty and mortality, first
published in a 1609 quarto entitled SHAKE-SPEARES SONNETS.: Never before imprinted. The sonnet
sequence was followed by "A Lover's Complaint," in which a young woman is shown lamenting
which was probably composed earlier (1602 — 5), and a collection of occasional poems. The Phoenix
and the Turtle, mourns the deaths of the phoenix and his lover, the faithful turtle dove.
Shakespeare as a Playwright.
Shakespeare has come to be seen as not only a great English playwright, but the greatest playwright in
the English language. Reflecting upon the achievement of his peer and sometimes rival, Ben Jonson
wrote of Shakespeare, “He was not of an age, but for all time.”
Shakespeare’s writing has rich language, complex characters, and exciting plots. Shakespeare's
plays are appreciated and treated, as a very important part of the Elizabethan drama. He took the
foremost position as a playwright during the years between 1590 and 1612.He was a hard-working
man of great genius. He always wrote for the public in general. From time to time he molded his
5
material from his own increasing experience and creativity. He wrote 37 plays in different categoriesHistories, Tragedies, Comedies and Romances.
He wrote history plays that refer to English and French history, thus the Roman history plays are
classed as tragedies. The Romances may also be classed as either comedy or tragedy, but their key
element is reconciliation of family members to each other, though they often have tragic elements.
1) Illumination of the Human Experience
Shakespeare’s ability to summarize the range of human emotions in simple yet profoundly eloquent
verse is perhaps the greatest reason for his enduring popularity.
2) Great Stories
William Shakespeare was the most remarkable storyteller that the world has ever known. Shakespeare
told every kind of story – comedy, tragedy, history, melodrama, adventure, love stories and fairy tales
– and each of them so well that they have become immortal. In all the world of storytelling he has
become the greatest name.
3) Compelling Characters
Shakespeare invented his share of stock characters, but his truly great characters – particularly his
tragic heroes – are unequaled in literature, dwarfing even the sublime creations of the Greek
tragedians. Shakespeare’s great characters have remained popular because of their complexity; for
example, we can see ourselves as gentle Hamlet, forced against his better nature to seek murderous
revenge.
4) Ability to Turn a Phrase
Many of the common expressions now thought to be clichés were Shakespeare's creations.
Shakespeare's style of writing and metre choice were typical of those days. His plays were basically,
composed using blank verse, iambic pentameter, and rhyming couplets. Some plays were composed
of other forms of poetry or simple prose.. His plays make effective use of the soliloquy. Shakespeare's
writing features extensive use of wordplay of double meaning and puns. Humor is a key element in
all of Shakespeare's plays.
What is Blank Verse?
Blank verse is the basic pattern of language in Shakespeare’s plays. It is a verse line of ten syllables
with five stresses and no rhyme (hence “blank”).
What is Iambic Pentameter?
6
Iambic Pentameter has: Ten syllables in each line. Five pairs of alternating unstressed and stressed
syllables. The rhythm in each line sounds like: ba-BUM / ba-BUM / ba-BUM / ba-BUM / ba-BUM.
Most of Shakespeare’s famous quotations fit into this rhythm.
For example:
1. Julius Caesar: “You blocks,/ you stones, / you worse / than sense /- less things!”
2. Twelfth Night: If mu- / -sic be / the food / of love, / play on
Is this / a dag- / -ger I / see be- / fore me?
3. Macbeth: Is this / a dag- / -ger I / see be- / fore me?
Characteristics of a Shakespearean Tragedy:

A tragedy is a dramatic play of human actions that produces exceptional suffering ending in the death of
a tragic hero. In the Shakespearean tragedy also the hero has a character that leads to his downfall. For
example- Macbeth in the play Macbeth is a tragic hero because of a flaw in his character. He is too
ambitious, his over ambition leads him to make poor decisions and eventually lead to his death.

The hero is always an extraordinary and admirable man. He is usually good and noble, a person of high
rank whose fate affects the destiny of his country, city, or family.

A dual conflict generates the play’s action. There is an external conflict (war) and an internal conflict
(Macbeth’s ambition and later his guilty conscience). Good always triumphs in the end.

Although the hero has pulled down the world around him, there is someone who restores order at the end
of the tragedy. For example Macduff in Macbeth

Tragedies contain the supernatural, such as witches and ghosts. The three weird sisters in Macbeth.

Tragedies contain characters that experience abnormal psychological states, such as Macbeth’s visions
and Lady Macbeth’s psychological sickness.
Characteristics of a Shakespearean Comedy:
"Comedy", in its Elizabethan usage, had a very different meaning from modern comedy. A
Shakespearean comedy is one that has a happy ending, usually involving marriages between the
unmarried characters, and a tone and style that is more light-hearted than Shakespeare's other plays.
7
Patterns in the comedies include movement to a "green world", both internal and external conflicts.
Shakespearean comedies tend to also include:

A greater emphasis on situations than characters (this numbs the audience's connection to the
characters, so that when characters experience misfortune, the audience still finds it laughable)

A struggle of young lovers to overcome difficulty, often presented by elders

Separation and re-unification

Deception among characters -especially mistaken identity or disguise.

A clever servant plays an important part in the play.

Disputes between characters, often within a family

Multiple, intertwining plots

Use of all styles of comedy ( puns, humor, wit, practical jokes)

Pastoral element - courtly people living an idealized, rural life.

Happy Ending
Introduction to Shakespeare's Sonnets
A sonnet is a 14-line poem that rhymes in a particular pattern. In Shakespeare's sonnets, the rhyme
pattern is abab cdcd efef gg, with the final couplet used to summarize the previous 12 lines or present
a surprise ending. The rhythmic pattern of the sonnets is the iambic pentameter. An iamb is a
metrical foot consisting of one stressed syllable and one unstressed syllable. Shakespeare uses five of
these in each line, which makes it a pentameter.
Each is a fourteen-line poem in iambic pentameter, comprising four sections: three quatrains, or
groups of four lines, followed by a couplet of two lines. Traditionally, a different—though related—
idea is expressed in each quatrain, and the argument or theme of the poem is summarized or
generalized in the concluding couplet. It should be noted that many of Shakespeare's couplets do not
have this conventional effect. Shakespeare did, however, employ the traditional English sonnet rhymescheme: abab, cdcd, efef, gg.
The majority of the sonnets (1-126) are addressed to a young man, with whom the poet has an intense
romantic relationship. The poet spends the first seventeen sonnets trying to convince the young man to
marry and have children; beautiful children that will look just like their father, ensuring his
immortality. Many of the remaining sonnets in the young man sequence focus on the power of poetry
8
and pure love to defeat death and "all oblivious enmity".
The final sonnets (127-154) are addressed to a promiscuous and scheming woman known to modern
readers as the dark lady. Both the poet and his young man have become obsessed with the ravenhaired temptress in these sonnets, and the poet's whole being is at odds with his insatiable "sickly
appetite" The tone is distressing, with language of sensual feasting, uncontrollable urges, and sinful
consumption.
Overview of Shakespeare's Sonnets
Although Shakespeare's sonnets can be divided into different sections numerous ways, the most
apparent division involves Sonnets 1–126, in which the poet strikes up a relationship with a young
man, and Sonnets 127–154, which are concerned with the poet's relationship with a woman, variously
referred to as the Dark Lady, or as his mistress.
In the first large division, Sonnets 1–126, the poet addresses an alluring young man with whom he has
struck up a relationship. In Sonnets 1–17, he tries to convince the handsome young man to marry and
beget children so that the youth's incredible beauty will not die when the youth dies. Starting in Sonnet
18, when the youth appears to reject this argument for procreation, the poet glories in the young man's
beauty and takes consolation in the fact that his sonnets will preserve the youth's beauty, much like the
youth's children would.
By Sonnet 26, perhaps becoming more attached to the young man than he originally intended, the poet
feels isolated and alone when the youth is absent. He cannot sleep. Emotionally exhausted, he
becomes frustrated by what he sees as the youth's inadequate response to his affection. The
estrangement between the poet and the young man continues at least through Sonnet 58 and is marked
by the poet's fluctuating emotions for the youth: One moment he is completely dependent on the
youth's affections, the next moment he angrily lashes out because his love for the young man is
unrequited.
Despondent over the youth's treatment of him, desperately the poet views with pain and sorrow the
ultimate corrosion of time, especially in relation to the young man's beauty. He seeks answers to the
question of how time can be defeated and youth and beauty preserved. Philosophizing about time
preoccupies the poet, who tells the young man that time and immortality cannot be conquered;
however, the youth ignores the poet and seeks other friendships, including one with the poet's mistress
(Sonnets 40–42) and another with a rival poet (Sonnets 79–87). Expectedly, the relationship between
the youth and this new poet greatly upsets the sonnets' poet, who lashes out at the young man and then
retreats into despondency, in part because he feels his poetry is lackluster and cannot compete with the
new forms of poetry being written about the youth. Again, the poet fluctuates between confidence in
his poetic abilities and resignation about losing the youth's friendship.
9
Philosophically examining what love for another person entails, the poet urges his friend not to
postpone his desertion of the poet — if that is what the youth is ultimately planning. Break off the
relationship now, begs the poet, who is prepared to accept whatever fate holds. Ironically, the more the
youth rejects the poet, the greater is the poet's affection for and devotion to him. No matter how
vicious the young man is to the poet, the poet does not — emotionally can not — sever the
relationship. He masochistically accepts the youth's physical and emotional absence.
Finally, after enduring what he feels is much emotional abuse by the youth, the poet stops begging for
his friend's affection. But then, almost unbelievably, the poet begins to think that his newfound silence
toward the youth is the reason for the youth's treating him as poorly as he does. The poet blames
himself for any wrong the young man has done him and apologizes for his own treatment of his friend.
This first major division of sonnets ends with the poet pitiably lamenting his own role in the
dissolution of his relationship with the youth.
The second, shorter grouping of Sonnets 127–154 involves the poet's sexual relationship with the Dark
Lady, a married woman with whom he becomes infatuated. Similar to his friendship with the young
man, this relationship fluctuates between feelings of love, hate, jealousy, and contempt. Also similar is
the poet's unhealthy dependency on the woman's affections. When, after the poet and the woman begin
their affair, she accepts additional lovers, at first the poet is outraged. However, as he did with the
youth, the poet ultimately blames himself for the Dark Lady's abandoning him. The sonnets end with
the poet admitting that he is a slave to his passion for the woman and can do nothing to curb his lust.
Shakespeare turns the traditional idea of a romantic sonnet on its head in this series, however, as his
Dark Lady is not an alluring beauty and does not exhibit the perfection that lovers typically ascribe to
their beloved.
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
(Sonnet 18)
SONNET
PARAPHRASE
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Shall I compare you to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
You are more lovely and more constant:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
Rough winds shake the beloved buds of
May
And summer's lease hath all too short a date.
And summer is far too short:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
At times the sun is too hot,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed;
Or often goes behind the clouds;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
And everything beautiful sometime will
lose its beauty,
10
By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimmed;
By misfortune or by nature's planned out
course.
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
But your youth shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st,
Nor will you lose the beauty that you
possess;
Nor shall death brag thou wand'rest in his shade,
Nor will death claim you for his own,
When in eternal lines to Time thou grow'st.
Because in my eternal verse you will live
forever.
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long as there are people on this earth,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
So long will this poem live on, making
you immortal.
Meanings:

temperate (2): i.e., evenly-tempered; not overcome by passion.

summer's lease (4): summer period

the eye of heaven (5): i.e., the sun.

every fair from fair sometime declines (7): i.e., the beauty (fair) of everything beautiful (fair) will
fade (declines).
nature's changing course (8): i.e., the natural changes age brings.

that fair thou ow'st (10): i.e., that beauty you possess.

brag (11): claim / boast

in eternal lines...growest (12): The poet is using a grafting metaphor in this line. Thus the beloved
becomes immortal, grafted to time with the poet's cords (his "eternal lines").
SUMMARY
The speaker begins by asking whether he should or will compare "thee" to a summer day. He says that
his beloved is more lovely and more even-tempered. He then runs off a list of reasons why summer
isn’t all that great: winds shake the buds that emerged in spring, summer ends too quickly, and the sun
can get too hot or be obscured by clouds.
He goes on, saying that everything beautiful eventually fades by chance or by nature’s inevitable
changes. Coming back to the beloved, though, he argues that his or her summer (or happy, beautiful
11
years) won’t go away, nor will his or her beauty fade away. Moreover, death will never be able to take
the beloved, since the beloved exists in eternal lines (meaning poetry). The speaker concludes that as
long as humans exist and can see (so as to read), the poem he’s writing will live on, allowing the
beloved to keep living as well
In the couplet, the speaker explains how the beloved’s beauty will not perish because it is preserved in
the poem, which will last forever; it will live “as long as men can breathe or eyes can see.”
ANALYSIS
Sonnet 18 is the best known and most well-loved of all 154 sonnets. It is also one of the most
straightforward in language and intent. The stability of love and its power to immortalize the subject of
the poet's verse is the theme.
The poet starts the praise of his dear friend without ostentation, but he slowly builds the image of his
friend into that of a perfect being. His friend is first compared to summer in the octave, but, at the start
of the third quatrain (9), he is summer, and thus, he has metamorphosed into the standard by which
true beauty can and should be judged. The poet's only answer to such profound joy and beauty is to
ensure that his friend be forever in human memory, saved from the oblivion that accompanies death.
He achieves this through his verse, believing that, as history writes itself, his friend will become one
with time. The final couplet reaffirms the poet's hope that as long as there is breath in mankind, his
poetry too will live on, and ensure the immortality of his muse.
This sonnet is certainly the most famous in the sequence of Shakespeare’s sonnets. He devotes this
sonnet to his beloved friend. He compares the friend to the summer days and still states that his friend
is far better than all comparisons. His has immortalized his beloved by the verses he wrote in his
friend’s praise. His friend will live forever in his poem. The simplicity and loveliness of its praise of
the beloved has made it praiseworthy and popular. The imagery throughout is simple. The language,
too, is comparatively simpler than a usual sonnet. It is not heavy with alliteration or verse, and nearly
every line is its own self-contained clause—almost every line ends with some punctuation, which
makes it self explanatory.
12
FULL TITLE • The Tempest
AUTHOR • William Shakespeare
TYPE OF WORK • Play
GENRE • Romance
LANGUAGE • Elizabethan English
TIME AND PLACE WRITTEN • 1610–1611; England
DATE OF FIRST PUBLICATION • 1623
PUBLISHER • Isaac Jaggard and Edward Blount
TONE • Dreamy, mysterious, magical
SETTING (TIME) • The Renaissance
SETTING (PLACE) • An island in the Mediterranean sea, probably off the coast of Italy
PROTAGONIST • Prospero
MAJOR CONFLICT • Prospero, the duke of Milan and a powerful magician, was banished from Italy and
cast to sea by his usurping brother, Antonio, and Alonso, the king of Naples. As the play begins, Antonio
and Alonso come under Prospero’s magic power as they sail past his island. Prospero seeks to use his
magic to make these lords repent and restore him to his rightful place.
RISING ACTION • Prospero creates the tempest, causing his enemies’ ship to wreck and its passengers to
be dispersed about the island.
CLIMAX • Alonso and his party stop to rest, and Prospero causes a banquet to be set out before them. Just
as they are about to eat, Ariel appears in the shape of a harpy and accuses them of their treachery against
Prospero. Alonso is overwhelmed with remorse.
FALLING ACTION • Prospero brings Alonso and the others before him and forgives them. Prospero
invites Alonso and his company to stay the night before everyone returns to Italy the next day, where
Prospero will reassume his dukedom.
THEMES • The illusion of justice, the difficulty of distinguishing “men” from “monsters,” the allure of
ruling a colony
MOTIFS • Masters and servants, water and drowning, mysterious noises
SYMBOLS • The tempest, the game of chess, Prospero’s books
13
FORESHADOWING • Prospero frequently hints at his plans to bring his enemies before him and to
confront them for their treachery. Prospero also hints at his plans to relinquish his magic once he has
confronted and forgiven his enemies.
The Tempest is the finest of Shakespeare's great and/or late romances. The Tempest belongs to the
genre of Elizabethan romance plays. It combines elements of tragedy (Prospero's revenge) with
those of romantic comedy (the young lovers Miranda and Ferdinand), and like one of Shakespeare's
problem plays, Measure for Measure, it poses deeper questions that are not completely resolved at
the end. The romance genre is distinguished by the inclusion (and synthesis) of these tragic, comic,
and problematical ingredients and further marked by a happy ending (usually concluding with a
masque or dance) in which all, or most, of the characters are brought into harmony.
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.
There is really very little plot in The Tempest. There is the love story, and then there is the story of
two younger brothers who covet their older brothers' titles and possessions. And finally, there is the
story of Caliban's plot to murder Prospero. But none of these plots are given much attention or
substance; instead, the play is about the complexities of human nature and about reminding the
audience that the division between happiness and tragedy is always fragile and must be carefully
maintained.
The Tempest is unique in its adherence to the three unities. In his Poetics, Aristotle argued that unity
of action was essential for dramatic structure. This meant that a dramatic work should have a clear
beginning, middle, and end. The unity of time is derived from Aristotle's argument that all the action
should occur within one revolution of the sun — one day. The unity of place developed later and is
a Renaissance idea, which held that the location of the play should be limited to one place. These
14
unities added verisimilitude to the work and made it easier for the audience to believe the events
unfolding on stage.
The Tempest, although it is one of Shakespeare's shortest plays, still maintains the integrity of the
five-act structure. In fact, most Elizabethan theatre adheres to the five-act structure, which
corresponds to divisions in the action. The first act is the Exposition, in which the playwright sets
forth the problem and introduces the main characters. In The Tempest, the first act establishes the
nature of Antonio's betrayal of Prospero, and it explains how Prospero and Miranda came to live on
the island. This first act also opens with a violent storm, which establishes the extent of Prospero's
power. Most of the play's remaining characters also make an appearance in this act.
The second act is the Complication, in which the entanglement or conflict is developed. In The
Tempest, the conspiracy to murder Alonso is developed, which establishes that Antonio is still an
unsavory character. In addition, the audience learns more about Caliban, and Stefano and Trinculo
appear, allowing the groundwork for a second conspiracy to be formed.
The third act is the Climax; and as the name suggests, this is when the action takes a turning point
and the crisis occurs. In a romance, this is the point at which the young lovers assert their love,
although there may be complications. It is important that the way to love not be too easy, and so
in The Tempest, Prospero has forbidden contact between Miranda and Ferdinand, although the
audience knows this is only a pretense. In this act, the conspiracy to murder Prospero is developed,
although the audience knows that Ariel is listening, and so there is no real danger. And finally, the
essential climactic moment occurs in this act when Prospero confronts his enemies at the ghostly
banquet.
The fourth act is called the Falling Action, which signals the beginning of the play's resolution. In
this act, the romance between Ferdinand and Miranda is acknowledged and celebrated with a
masque, and Prospero deals with the conspiracy to murder him by punishing Caliban, Stefano, and
Trinculo.
The fifth act is called the Catastrophe, wherein the conclusion occurs. As the name suggests, this
act brings closure to the play, a resolution to the conflict, and the plans for a wedding. As the play
draws to a close, Prospero is victorious over his enemies, Ferdinand is reunited with his father,
Antonio and Sebastian are vanquished, and Caliban regrets his plotting.
15
Act I.
A huge storm batters a ship carrying Alonso, (the King of Naples), Sebastian, (Alonso's brother),
Ferdinand (Alonso's son), Antonio, Gonzalo and others. They are likely to die by shipwreck...
On the island near the storm, Prospero and his daughter Miranda are introduced. We learn that
Prospero has created the storm battling Alonso and company's ship. Miranda asks Prospero to stop
the storm. We also learn that Prospero was once the Duke of Milan but was banished to this island
with Miranda by Antonio, his brother who took over Prospero's dukedom of Milan.
We are introduced to Ariel, Prospero's magic fairy who tells us that the men onboard the ship have
all made it ashore unharmed as planned. Caliban, a misformed beast is also introduced. Ariel leads
Ferdinand to Miranda and the two immediately fall in love. Prospero decides to be rude to
Ferdinand, fearful of too rapid a courtship.
Act II.
The rest of the shipwreck survivors wake up on the island. They are surprised that their clothes
smell and feel as fresh as if they had just been bought at a market...
Ariel's song puts them all to sleep again except for Sebastian and Antonio. Antonio who replaced
his brother Prospero as Duke of Milan manipulates Sebastian, King Alonso's brother into doing the
same thing by replacing King Alonso. The two are about to kill Alonso in his sleep but Ariel
awakens everyone and the two men quickly make an excuse for drawing their swords out.
Trinculo, a jester on the ship, discovers Caliban and quickly realizes that such a beast would earn a
fortune for him as a novelty in England. Stephano, Trinculo's friend eventually finds Trinculo under
Caliban's huge frame. Stephano gives Caliban alcohol, causing Caliban to think Stephano is more
powerful than Prospero whom Caliban hates. The three men set off together later deciding to kill
Prospero...
Act III.
Prospero who is now invisible to Ferdinand and Miranda, witnesses Ferdinand and Miranda
expressing their deep love for one another in words that rival Romeo and Juliet in their tenderness.
Ferdinand, realizing he is witnessing a truly rare meeting of hearts, approves of Ferdinand for his
daughter. The scene ends with Ferdinand taking Miranda for his wife. Prospero is pleased but must
now leave to attend to matters before supper...
16
Bottle in hand, Stephano, Trinculo and Caliban continue on their merry way together. Stephano
starts getting delusions of grandeur, which Caliban blindly follows. Trinculo thinks Caliban is being
foolish to follow Stephano so blindly. Caliban succeeds in convincing Stephano into killing
Prospero and taking over the island and suggests several gruesome ways of killing Prospero. Ariel
lures the group away with his entrancing sounds...
Alonso, Sebastian, Antonio, Gonzalo, Adrian and Francisco and others witness a banquet on the
island but it is an illusion. Ariel returns and verbally punishes Alonso (King of Naples), Antonio
and Sebastian for their roles in exiling Prospero, Ariel's master.
Act IV.
Prospero tells Ferdinand that he no longer will punish him, but instead will freely give his
daughter's hand in marriage to him. Prospero conjures up a beautiful, mythical, illusory party to
celebrate, complete with goddesses and nymphs.
Prospero instructs Ariel to lead the shipwrecked men on the island before him. Remembering
Stephano, Caliban and Trinculo, Prospero has Ariel distract them with clothes, Caliban failing to
keep his friends focused on killing Prospero. Prospero promises Ariel that he will soon be free...
Act V.
Prospero brings everyone except Stephano, Caliban and Trinculo before him in a circle.
Spellbound, he verbally reprimands several of the men who exiled him. Prospero tells Ariel that he
will soon be free and that he will miss him. Prospero also intends to destroy his ability to use magic.
Making his presence known, Prospero forgives King Alonso, and tells Sebastian and Antonio he
will keep secret their plan to kill Alonso, forgiving both.
The famously sweet scene of Ferdinand playing chess with Miranda occurs. King Alonso is
overjoyed to see his son Ferdinand and soon learns of Ferdinand's imminent marriage to Miranda.
Prospero forgives Stephano and Trinculo. Caliban is embarrassed that he followed a fool
(Trinculo). Caliban is given his freedom. Prospero announces that in the morning they will all set
sail for Naples. Ariel is at last set free.
Epilogue:
Prospero asks the audience to free him to travel back to Naples reclaiming his life as Duke of
Milan.
17
Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, has been living on a primitive island with his fifteen-year-old
daughter, Miranda, for the past 12 years. His dukedom had been usurped by his own brother,
Antonio, whom Prospero had entrusted to manage the affairs of government while he was
concentrating on his study of the liberal arts. With the support of Alonso, the King of Naples,
Antonio conspired against his brother to become the new Duke of Milan. Prospero and his threeyear-old daughter were put on “a rotten carcass of a butt” without a sail. Gonzalo, a member of the
king’s council, took pity on them, and stocked the leaky vessel with food, fresh water, clothing, and
Prospero’s books. Providence has now brought his enemies to the shore of the island, and Prospero
must act quickly.
The action begins with a tempestuous storm at sea. Afraid for their lives, Alonso and Gonzalo urge
the Boatswain to do all he can to save the ship, but he rudely orders the royal party to stay in their
cabins and “trouble us not.” They are finally convinced to go below and pray for mercy.
Ariel, an airy spirit, raised the tempest just as he was instructed by Prospero, his master, informing
Prospero that all except the mariners plunged into the sea. Ariel reports that he has left the ship
safely docked in the harbor with the mariners aboard. The rest of the passengers, with garments
unblemished, have been dispersed around the island. Ariel then lures Ferdinand, Prince of Naples,
onto the island with his songs, informing him of his father’s supposed death by drowning. The young
prince is led past Prospero’s cave where he meets Miranda, and they fall in love. To keep Ferdinand
from winning his prize (Miranda) too quickly and easily, Prospero uses his magic to force Ferdinand
to yield to the indignity of stacking logs.
Elsewhere on the island, Ariel, with the help of Prospero’s magic, puts Alonso and Gonzalo to sleep.
While they sleep Antonio and Sebastian conspire to kill Alonso and Gonzalo and take over the
throne. Just as they draw their swords, Ariel awakens Gonzalo and he, in turn, rouses the king. The
conspirators claim that they heard wild animals and drew their swords. The king readily accepts their
excuse.
Caliban enters, cursing his master, Prospero, for enslaving him. Trinculo, the king’s jester, appears,
hiding under Caliban’s cloak to escape a rainstorm. Stephano approaches them, thinking it is a
monster with four legs. He finally recognizes Trinculo and is surprised to see him alive. Stephano,
having drifted ashore on a barrel of wine, offers Caliban a drink. Unaccustomed to the effects of the
alcohol, Caliban kneels to Stephano, taking him for a god who “bears celestial liquor.” Determined
18
that Stephano should be lord of the island, Caliban leads the pair to Prospero’s cave where they plan
to murder him.
Prospero magically sets a banquet for the royal party, but Ariel, disguised as a harpy, claps his wings
over the table, and it vanishes. Ariel warns the royal party that the storm was a punishment for their
foul deeds, and there is no way out except repentance. In another part of the island, Prospero relieves
Ferdinand of his duties, telling him he has endured the difficult trial of love and has won Miranda’s
hand in marriage. Ariel arranges a masque in honor of the happy couple, but while the masque is in
progress, Prospero suddenly remembers Caliban’s plot to kill him, and the masque vanishes. Ariel
has lead the conspirators from the filthy-mantled pool to Prospero’s “glistering apparel” hanging on
a lime tree in front of his cave. Though Caliban is annoyed, his companions are gleefully
sidetracked, stealing the royal robes and forgetting their purpose at hand which is to murder
Prospero. Finally, spirits in the shape of dogs are released, and the thieving trio are driven out.
The king and his party are brought to Prospero where he charms them in his magic circle, praising
Gonzalo for his kindness, but censuring Alonso for his cruelty and Antonio for his ambition.
Removing his magician’s robe, Prospero gives up his magic powers, presenting himself to Alonso as
the “wronged Duke of Milan,” and the repentant king immediately restores his dukedom. In a
sudden spirit of forgiveness, he pardons all of them for their crimes against him. He then leads
Alonso to his cell where Ferdinand and Miranda are making a pretense of playing chess. Alonso is
overjoyed to see his son alive.
Ariel enters with the master and boatswain of the ship. To the king’s amazement the ship is
undamaged and docked in the harbor. The three conspirators, driven by Ariel, appear in their stolen
royal apparel. Caliban calls himself a “thrice-double ass” to have taken Stephano for a god. Prospero
invites the king’s entire party to spend the night in his cell where he will give them an account of his
last 12 years on the island. In the morning they will return to Naples where they will prepare for the
marriage of the betrothed pair, Ferdinand and Miranda.
Prospero rewards Ariel for his services by giving him his freedom and releasing him to the elements.
In the epilogue Prospero tells the audience his magic powers are gone, his dukedom has been
restored, and he has forgiven his enemies. He now asks them to praise his performance with their
applause and, thereby, release him from the illusory world of the island.
.
19
20
.
21