The Tempest (Signet Classic) - Softcover

William Shakespeare

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0451512375 ISBN 13: 9780451512376

Publisher: New American Library, 1964

Synopsis

Believed to have been written between 1610 and 1611, "The Tempest" is likely the last play written solely by Shakespeare. The story concerns the Magician Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, and his daughter, Miranda, who have been stranded on an island by Prospero's jealous brother Antonio. The plot of "The Tempest" itself is however of less importance than in Shakespeare's other works. Supernatural elements are introduced with great freedom, and the dramatist's interest was clearly not in the reproduction of lifelike events. The presentation of character and the attractive picturing of the beauty of magnanimity and forgiveness are the things which, along with its delightful poetry, make the charm of this play. It is not to be wondered at that readers have frequently been led to find in the figure of the great magician, laying aside his robes and wonder-working rod in a spirit of love and peace toward all men, a symbol of the dramatist himself at the close of his great career; and it is surely legitimate to play with this idea without assuming that Shakespeare consciously embodied it. One can hardly conceive a more fitting epilogue to the volume which is the crown of the world's dramatic literature than the romance of "The Tempest". This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper, includes a preface and annotations by Henry N. Hudson, and an introduction by Charles H. Herford.

About this title

About the Author

The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., is home to the world's largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit www.folger.edu.

Barbara A. Mowat is Director of Academic Programs at the Folger Shakespeare Library, Editor of Shakespeare Quarterly, Chair of the Folger Institute, and author of The Dramaturgy of Shakespeare's Romances and of essays on Shakespeare's plays and on the editing of the plays.

Paul Werstine is Professor of English at King's College and the Graduate School of the University of Western Ontario, Canada. He is the author of many papers and articles on the printing and editing of Shakespeare's plays and was Associate Editor of the annual Medieval and Renaissance Drama in England from 1980 to 1989.

Edition details

• Publisher: New American Library
• Publication date: 1964
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0451512375
• ISBN 13: 9780451512376
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 217
• Editor: Robert Langbaum