Introduction; A summary of the plot; What is The Tempest about? What does the play tell us about power? If The Tempest is so sceptical about power, why did James I like it? How are the themes of the play reflected in its structure? Are we meant to sympathise with Prospero? Why has Prospero been so vilified in recent years? Isn't Prospero right when he describes Caliban as a "born devil"? How does Miranda rebel against her father? When does Prospero decide to be merciful? How much weight should we attach to psychological readings of the play? What is distinctive about Shakespeare's use of language in The Tempest? How seriously should we take Prospero when he argues that life itself is an illusion? So with what view of the world does Shakespeare leave us at the end of The Tempest? A short chronology; Ten facts.
Professor Graham Bradshaw is the author of Shakespeare's Scepticism, described by Harold Bloom as "one of the half-dozen or so best modern books about Shakespeare" and numerous other books and essays. A former Professor of English at Chuo University in Tokyo and before that a Reader at the University of St Andrews, he began his career at Cambridge. He is now an Honorary Professor of English and Fine Arts at the University of Queensland.
"The perfect introduction to The Tempest". Sir Peter Hall, founder of The Royal Shakespeare Company.
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