Customer Reviews

The Tempest (Oxford School Shakespeare)

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Book Review For The Tempest, by Shakespeare

The Tempest is a play like no other works of Shakespeare. The play starts out with an array of colorful characters, which are easy to loathe or become friendly with through out the play. Page after page of reading, you find out more about the characters lives and roles in the play. The play has, in the beginning, almost all of the characters trapped on a boat in the middle of a tempest (a storm)-hence the name of the play. This being Shakespeare's last play, he hid some messages in the speeches of Prospero. One of these speeches is in the epilogue. The other is in a speech that Prospero recites from a play which Shakespeare took from the famous Greek playwright, Ovid. Shakespeare shows this by saying that he will, "Drown his book" and, " Break his staff" as well as, " Let your indulgence set me free" to hint of Shakespeare's retirement as a playwright. Prospero was my favorite character in the play. He had shown a large display of trickery, genius, and brainpower, to be able to set up the whole scenario of placing the people on the island in such strategic places. I recommend this play because it is one of my favorites, of all the works of Shakespeare. The Tempest is a wonderful play for people of all ages to read, act out, or to just have some fun.

By Andrew Katz, Grade 9

The Tempest is rightly regarded as being one of the Bard's greatest works, containing some of his deepest thoughts on the nature of power and the relationship between rational man as controller of nature, and the animal man always to be at the mercy of the passions both of himself, others, and the world around him. In fact, this play could be thought of as representing Shakespeare's final and definitive statement on topics that he had explored throughout his cannon. But profound as the philosophy is, and despite the beauty of the poetry and the many magical elements contained within the play, the fact is that as far as the average attention lacking teenager is concerned, not a lot happens. This is why this Cambridge schools edition scores over most others. It is almost entirely activity focused, the expressed aim being to 'bring the play to life'. With at least one suggested activity beside each page of Shakespeare's text (as well as a decent amount of background notes and interpretation), every teacher armed with this book should be able to enthuse his charges with the very real relevance of this play to the world which we have bequeathed them.

Yes, there is once again murder brewing in the play of Shakespeare but only in a comical way. Not able to claim to be a Shakespeare expert, I have only read four of his other plays. However, it is in my opinion that this be the best one, most likely because it is a comedy and is much lighter that his other plays. This classic play tells the story of the former Duke of Milan who was wrongly dethrowned by his brother. Using his magical power that originally expelled him from Milan, he is able to bring the King (Alonso), Alonso's brother (Sebastian),his own brother (Antonio) and other servants to the his mostly vacant island. Ordering about the spirit Ariel, he manipulates his way into an interesting and funny situation. There is much to gain from reading this wonderful play which is one of Shakespeares last. I recommend this book to Shakespeare lovers and even more so, to variety readers such as myself. You won't be dissapointed by the plays light mood which is much better than Shakespeares serious murder stories.

I looked over the 48 other reviews of this book and found that just one of them reviews the Arden edition, which is the page all these reviews are on, and the page this review of mine is meant for.

First, anyone who looks at what Amazon reviewers think of Shakespeare before deciding to buy a Shakespeare play is going about it wrong. I can't even fathom what motivates people to write an Amazon review and say things like "I read this play and it sucked." Good grief, people, this is Shakespeare, the preeminent artist of the English language. You're welcome to your opinions, but I think Shakespeare's reputation will withstand the amazon.com review page.

As for the Arden edition: I've looked at many and read a few different editions, and this one wins for several reasons. The notes are outstanding even for Arden's generally high standards. The editors do a wonderful job not just of clarifying the language but also highlighting in an unobtrusive way the subtleties of the drama.

Better still is their long introduction, which is beautifully written and comprehensive. A very fine work (you'll want to read it *after* you've read the play, of course.)

And I also want to mention that the book itself is incredibly sturdy -- I am hard on books and like all the Ardens, this is one tough book. Very strongly bound with good paper and covers. It seems kind of silly, but that sort of thing matters to me in a book I intend to read more than once.

Penguin needs to take more care before putting out the Kindle editions of their Pelican Shakespeare plays to make sure they're all properly formatted. This Pelican Kindle edition of The Tempest doesn't have active footnotes for the Kindle, unlike their edition of The Merchant of Venice which I downloaded at the same time. Without active footnotes, you have to click through several pages to get to the information referred to and then click several pages back to where you left off reading. Not a fun way to read Shakespeare.

I took this play with me out on my morning walks this week, and I feel that at the same time I was excercising my body I was also giving my mind and my imagination a pretty good workout.

Like any form of excercise, reading Shakespeare isn't always easy, especially when you're just getting started. But if you stick with it, you're apt to find that it gets easier and the benefits become more apparent. Shakespeare's metaphorical language forces your mind to stay nimble and alert and his rich imagery gives you no other choice than to reconnect your soul to the world around you.

"The Tempest" is a lot of fun to read and it's not as weighty or ponderous as some of Shakespeare's dramas. It's a good choice to start with if you haven't read Shaksepeare before, or if you haven't read him since high school. The story involves Prospero, a duke who has been banished to a deserted island, along with his young daughter, Miranda. Propsero uses his magic to shipwreck a party of ex-compatriates who were originally responsible for his ousting. The ensuing drama deals with issues of loyalty, treachery, forgiveness, freedom, and the mind and body dichotomy. But the best part of it all is the vivid imagery. In the play's best moments, the words glow on the page.

A tempest is defined as a violent storm. In his play, Shakespeare uses tempests as elements of power. The play begins with a crew at sea, caught in the midst of a terrible thunderstorm. The shipwrecked crew foreshadows figurative storms that later occur amidst the characters of The Tempest. Among them, storms erupt over authority, revenge, acceptance, and love.

[I weep] at mine unworthiness, that dare not offer
What I desire to give, and much less take
What I shall die to want. But this is trifling,
And all the more it seeks to hide itself
The bigger bulk it shows. Hence, bashful cunning,
And prompt me, plain and holy innocence.
I am your wife, if you will marry me.
If not, I'll die your maid. To be your fellow
You may deny me, but I'll be your servant
Whether you will or no (III.i.77-86).

The quote above is a poignant illustration of a tempest in the heart. As Miranda expresses her love for Ferdinand, we see some of Shakespeare's finest poetry. Shakespeare's true genius is expressed when he uses verse to capture emotions of the heart-the true sailor lost in a tempest at sea.

The Oxford School Shakespeare series is excellent for students, both high schoolers and undergraduates. They provide play text that is clearly and attractively laid out on the page with copious notes and annotations, as well as line-drawings and illustrations to enliven and elucidate. The introductory material on sources, plot summary, characterizations, thematic interpretations, music, and even suggestions for classwork and projects for expanded study, are excellent. Highly recommended!

Comedy, in the strictest sense, is concerned with ultimate forgiveness and reconciliation. In Shakespeare's play, "The Tempest," the protagonist, Prospero, must come to terms with his brother Antonio, who conspired to have him driven from his duchy in Milan, and with the world of social interaction in general.

Magic, Power, and Conspiracy are the foundational thematic elements through which Shakespeare effects Prospero's reintegration into human society. Thrown into a boat with his infant daughter Miranda, Prospero comes to live on a nearly deserted island in the Mediterranean Sea. Prospero's concentration on developing his proficiency in Magic caused him to become alienated from his political and social responsibilities in Milan, leading to his expulsion. His brother Antonio conspired with Alonso, king of Naples, and seized the power Prospero forsook for book-learning.

Prospero hears of a sea voyage undertaken by his enemies, and, using his Magic, whips up a storm, a great tempest, which causes his enemies to be shipwrecked on his island. On the island, Prospero exercises total power - over the education of his daughter, his slave, the deformed Caliban, and now over his enemies. He engages Ariel, a sprite, to orchestrate the division of the traveling party, and to put them through various trials to exact vengeance and ultimately, submission from them.

"The Tempest" is a fine effort from Shakespeare, but the power relations in the play are problematic. Prospero's insistent dominance over the action of the play is extremely troubling. Although he is presented as a benevolent character, Prospero's relationships with Miranda, Caliban, and Ferdinand, King Alonso's son, complicate his overall worth as a man and an authority figure. The dynamic between the slave Caliban and the drunks, Trinculo and Stephano, is also very unsettling.

Overall, "The Tempest" remains a whimsical flight of imagination, while exploring intriguing themes of education, political intrigue, and romance. Certainly, it is still a well-constructed and entertaining play after nearly four hundred years.

The Tempest is the most beautiful, magical play written by Shakespeare that I have ever read. Everything about the play is sparklingly beautiful: the setting on an uninhabited (tropical?) island; the character's personalities (Prospero's wisdom and magic, Miranda's innocence); and especially the poetry ("Be free, and fare thou well...", for example). Definitely my favourite Shakespeare play. I read what two American reviewers said about The Tempest and I am appalled. Although Shakespeare is not for everybody, The Tempest is a wonderful play to read, even for anti-Bards. At the very least, attempt this play with an open mind and you may be surprised at it's beauty.