Monday, February 21, 2011

What is the Tempest?

This is a video of what our production should not be...
What is the Tempest?

One of the great comedy's by William Shakespeare. Themes illustrated in the play are freedom, friendship , repentance and forgiveness and feature different temperaments illustrating temperance and intemperance. The plot starts when King Alonso of Naples and his entourage sail home for Italy after attending his daughter's wedding in Tunis, Africa. They encounter a Tempest. Everyone jumps overboard and are washed ashore on a strange island inhabited by the magician Prospero who has deliberately conjured up the storm. Prospero and Miranda live in a cave on the island which is also inhabited by Ariel, a sprite who carries out the bidding of Prospero, and the ugly, half human Caliban. Various plots against the main characters fail thanks to the magic of Prospero. The play ends with all the plotters repenting the Tempest is calmed.

Why the Tempest?

As mentioned above, the themes in the play are universal in that every human being connects easily to this piece. Freedom, Freindship, Repentance and Forgiveness are all easily adapted to any circumstance and the fact that the Tempest is a fantasy adds to its lure for an audience. We are in a recession after all. Also, the Tempest is one of Shakespeare's more popular works and always brings in a crowd.



"YouTube - The Tempest in a Minute." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NouDku4FefU&feature=related>.

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