The Tempest Research Paper
The Tempest
The Tempest is a play written by the legendary, William Shakespeare. It is disputed if whether or not it was the last play he wrote in 1611, perhaps fascinating his audience for the last time. The play falls under the romance (tragicomedy) category which designates it to be a tragedy and a comedy cleverly intertwined. Not unlike his other plays, Shakespeare wrote The Tempest in iambic pentameter with the exception of some prose here and there. This mysterious tale is very deserving of its acclamation, from both the modern and Elizabethan ages.
Time Period
Shakespeare wrote and published this play in the early seventeenth century, known by most as the late Renaissance era. The Renaissance is usually distinguished as a time of revolutionary culture starting in Italy and spreading outward to the rest of Europe. During the Renaissance, play-writers began to exaggerate the word “drama,” whereas blending tragedy and comedy became a much simpler task for Shakespeare. The Tempest was one of the tragicomedies within this trend.
The story takes place on an island in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Italy, and makes important references to Naples, Milan, Carthage, and Tunis. These references help readers understand the time-in-history of the play. This is best represented when Prospero tells Miranda about how they got to the island:
To have no screen between this part he played
And him he played it for, he needs will be
Absolute Milan. Me, poor man, my library
Was dukedom large enough. Of temporal royalties
He thinks me now incapable, confederates—
So dry he was for sway—wi ' th ' King of Naples
To give him annual tribute, do him homage,
Subject his coronet to his crown and bend
The dukedom yet unbowed—alas, poor Milan!—
To most ignoble stooping. (Crowther, I.ii. 107-116)
The Tempest was one of the more remarkable Shakespearean plays that resulted from the Renaissance period.
Shakespeare’s Connection
William Shakespeare is probably
The Tempest is a play written by the legendary, William Shakespeare. It is disputed if whether or not it was the last play he wrote in 1611, perhaps fascinating his audience for the last time. The play falls under the romance (tragicomedy) category which designates it to be a tragedy and a comedy cleverly intertwined. Not unlike his other plays, Shakespeare wrote The Tempest in iambic pentameter with the exception of some prose here and there. This mysterious tale is very deserving of its acclamation, from both the modern and Elizabethan ages.
Time Period
Shakespeare wrote and published this play in the early seventeenth century, known by most as the late Renaissance era. The Renaissance is usually distinguished as a time of revolutionary culture starting in Italy and spreading outward to the rest of Europe. During the Renaissance, play-writers began to exaggerate the word “drama,” whereas blending tragedy and comedy became a much simpler task for Shakespeare. The Tempest was one of the tragicomedies within this trend.
The story takes place on an island in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Italy, and makes important references to Naples, Milan, Carthage, and Tunis. These references help readers understand the time-in-history of the play. This is best represented when Prospero tells Miranda about how they got to the island:
To have no screen between this part he played
And him he played it for, he needs will be
Absolute Milan. Me, poor man, my library
Was dukedom large enough. Of temporal royalties
He thinks me now incapable, confederates—
So dry he was for sway—wi ' th ' King of Naples
To give him annual tribute, do him homage,
Subject his coronet to his crown and bend
The dukedom yet unbowed—alas, poor Milan!—
To most ignoble stooping. (Crowther, I.ii. 107-116)
The Tempest was one of the more remarkable Shakespearean plays that resulted from the Renaissance period.
Shakespeare’s Connection
William Shakespeare is probably
Cited: Crowther, John, ed. “No Fear The Tempest.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2005. Web. 17. Jan. 2013. Kinsella, Kate. "William Shakespeare." Prentice Hall Literature. Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes, Platinum Level. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005. 704. Print. Kinsella, Kate. The Tempest. Prentice Hall Literature. Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005. 708. Print.