The Tempest (Signet Classics) - Softcover

Shakespeare, William

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0451527127 ISBN 13: 9780451527127

Publisher: Signet, 1998

Synopsis

The Signet Classics edition of William Shakespeare's fantastical play that combines elements of tragedy and comedy.

Prospero, sorcerer and rightful Duke of Milan, along with his daughter Miranda, has lived on an island for many years since his position was usurped by his brother Antonio. Then, as Antonio's ship passes near the island one day, Prospero conjures up a terrible storm...

This revised Signet Classics edition includes unique features such as:

· An overview of Shakespeare's life, world, and theater
· A special introduction to the play by the editor, Robert Langbaum
· Selections from William Strachey, Sylvester Jourdain, Montaigne, and Ovid, sources from which Shakespeare derived The Tempest
· Dramatic criticism from Samuel Taylor Coleridge, E.M.W. Tillyard, Lori Jerrell, and others
· A comprehensive stage and screen history of notable actors, directors, and productions
· Text, notes, and commentaries printed in the clearest, most readable text
· And more...

About this title

Book Description:

The Tempest is one of Shakespeare's most suggestive, yet most elusive plays. It is a magical romance, yet deeply embedded in seventeenth-century debates about authority and power. This edition attends to the implications of Prospero's magic, his political and paternal ambitions, and the controversial issue of his 'colonialist' control of Caliban. The Tempest was also Shakespeare's response to the new opportunities offered by the Blackfriars theatre, and careful attention is given to the play's dramatic form, stage-craft, and use of music and spectacle, to demonstrate its uniquely experimental nature.

From the Publisher:

This joyous play, the last comedy of Shakespeare's career, sums up his stagecraft with a display of seemingly effortless skill. Prospero, exiled Duke of Milan, living on an enchanted island, has the opportunity to punish and forgive his enemies when he raises a tempest that drives them ashore--as well as to forestall a rebellion, to arrange the meeting of his daughter, Miranda, with an eminently suitable young prince, and, more important, to relinquish his magic powers in recognition of his advancing age. Richly filled with music and magic, romance and comedy, the play's theme of love and reconciliation offers a splendid feast for the senses and the heart.

About this edition

• Publisher: Signet
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0451527127
• ISBN 13: 9780451527127
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 288
• Editor: Langbaum Robert