The Tempest
Why study this text?
"MERIT AND CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE
The Tempest is believed to be one of Shakespeare’s final plays, if not the last. It is notable for the influence of continental theatrical traditions and conventions on its subject matterand style. Popular in adapted and musical versions from the Restoration era onward, it was not until William Macready’s 1838 production that Shakespeare’s original text reasserted itself inthe history of English theatre. Critical estimation of the play rose significantly in the 20thcentury, and it is now widely considered to be one of Shakespeare’s greatest works.The Tempest has been adapted numerous times across the centuries in a variety of mediums, forms and styles,including plays, operas, orchestral compositions, paintings, poems, fiction and films.
"NEEDS AND INTERESTS OF STUDENTS
Students will be engaged by the play’s mixture of drama, comedy and romance, and its focus on magic and the supernatural. The play examines political and ethical questions relating to ambition, usurpation, authority, power and captivity, while also dealing with family relationships and loyalties and personal dilemmas and struggles. The setting and subject matter of the play reflect the European voyages of discovery that were opening up the known world at that time.
"OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHALLENGING TEACHING AND LEARNING
Unlike earlier Shakespearean dramas, The Tempest is unified in time, action and setting. Students will explore and respond to the play’s comparatively extensive use of stage directions, its parallel plots and the varied approaches to characterisation. Students will have an opportunity to investigate the influence of other European andEnglish forms and styles of literature, such as the tragicomedy, courtly romance, masquesand pageants, commedia dell’arte and the emerging genre of ‘traveller’s tales’encompassing real and imaginary voyages of travel and exploration. Current post-colonial and gender-based appraisals of the play can be compared and contrasted with more traditional approaches and the prevailing values and attitudes of Shakespeare’s day. Other interpretations have focused on finding autobiographical connections in the play, viewing Prospero’s renunciation of his ‘art’as an analogue for Shakespeare’s farewell to the theatre."
Source: NSW Board of Studies. Annotations of Selected Texts.
The Tempest is one of Shakespeare's most interesting plays. Set on an exotic island filled with magic, it can be examined from many different perspectives - a study of gender relationships (focused on Miranda and Prospero, the effects of colonialism (focused on Prospero and Caliban), the nature of revenge (focused on Prospero and his family), the nature of power (focused on Prospero's fascist control at the beginning of the play), ecological perspectives (focused on the role of the wilderness) ,and psychoanalyic analysis (focused on the role of dreams and desires) etc. Any of these perspectives could function as a framework for discussing the discoveries of the characters/responders. Some of these perspectives can be found in the sample pages of Pickwick House's Study Guide [https://www.prestwickhouse.com/samples/303142.pdf]. Let me know if you would like me to buy this text!
If you are having trouble accessing Shakesprean language, try reading the parallel (modern/shakespearean) text at Sparknotes [http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/tempest/]. This is a wonderful site with plot summaries and character and theme analyses. Don't forget to thank the publisher for providing free online access! Other study guides include:
BBC's 60 Second Shakespeare [http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/shakespeare/60secondshakespeare/themes_tempest.shtml] - summarises the play in a short newpaper article
Schmoop [http://www.shmoop.com/tempest/] - the best study guide around
Universal teacher [http://www.universalteacher.org.uk/shakespeare/tempest.htm#28] - a quick overview with some good analytical questions
Bear in mind that none of these study guides relates to discovery - this is something you will have to develop for yourself. A good essay on themes and characters that does not answer the AOS question will not get you marks!
The State Library [http://guides.sl.nsw.gov.au/content.php?pid=471883&sid=5224172] has some outstanding critical resources on Shakespeare, including an e-book of The Tempest: A Critical Reader. You will need to get a library card to access the e-resources. You can apply for this card here [http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/using/access/register_card.html?HomeLink=howdoi].
Neil Whitfield [http://neilwhitfield.wordpress.com/treasures-from-geocities/from-geocities-6-the-tempest-essay/] has an essay on The Tempest (not on discovery though) in three versions, so you can see editing in process.
Performances
The Royal Shakespeare Company [http://www.rsc.org.uk/explore/shakespeare/plays/the-tempest/]has a page with links to resources on the Tempest.
Actors from the Royal Shakespeare Company [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uILTrmymNlk] discuss the Tempest in this Youtube clip
Shakespeare Unbound [http://splash.abc.net.au/digibook/-/c/1403896/5] also has a clip with John Bell as Prospero
Teacher guides can be found at
Penguin [http://www.penguin.com/static/pdf/teachersguides/tempest.pdf]
Sample Essays
Anna McHigh [http://discoveryhsc.blogspot.com.au/2015/07/sample-essay-tempest-and-ones-who-walk.html]