WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S
THE TEMPEST
http://web.cc.emory.edu/ENGLISH/classes/Shakespeare_Illustrated/Romney.Tempest.html
Engraving from Boydell's Shakespeare Gallery done by B. Smith after the painting by George Romney
The purpose of this web site:
Teachers and Students, I have put together some exercises on The Tempest that I hope will be challenging and fun. The questions involve working closely with the text. This web site is designed for you not only to discover more about Shakespeare's island and his four main characters, but in doing so maybe to discover something about yourself. The creative writing assignment on each page encourages you to do just that.
How to use this site:
Each of the four main characters, Prospero, Miranda, Caliban and Ariel has their own page. Connect to the page and you will find essay questions along with a creative writing idea. Connect to For Fun for other artistic and creative assignments related to The Tempest. For a full copy of the text along with lots of other helpful and interesting Shakespeare sites, select Other Links.
A quick commentary on the play:
The Tempest may have been Shakespeare's last full play. Because there is record of it being performed for King James 1, it is dated at 1611. Scholars suggest Shakespeare was inspired by a 1609 shipwreck in the Bermudas. The play is popularly read as Shakespeare's commentary on European exploration. Prospero, former Duke of Milan, and his daughter Miranda, are banished to an island inhabited by Caliban, an island native, and the magical spirit Ariel. While Prospero and Miranda educate Caliban in their language, they also enslave him. Likewise, Ariel is enslaved by Prospero and must perform magical deeds in order to gain his freedom. The play begins with a chaotic storm that brings with it Prospero's former usurpers and a love match for Miranda. Because the play begins in chaos and ends in relative harmony with the marriage of Miranda and Ferdinand, it is often categorized as a comedy.
Why The Tempest?
I chose The Tempest because it is one of my favorite plays. Dealing with subjects such as colonialism, politics, racial intolerance, romance, and fantasy, The Tempest touches on issues that apply today. Isn't that why we are still studying Shakespeare?
Essay Questions/Creative Writing:
| Prospero | | Miranda | | Caliban | | Ariel | | For Fun |Great Shakespeare Links:
| Other Links |Thank you to http://www.rdg.ac.uk/globe/ for the background.
Author of this page:
Dawn Ford, University of Alberta, Faculty of Education.
I welcome your e-mails.
