The Tempest

Eıilted. introduced nnd aımoUıted by Cedric W(ills. Resenrch Pmjessor o[ Engtish. University of SuisexThe VVordsworth Classics' Shakespeare Series prcscnts a nevvly-cditcd seqüence of VVilliam Shakcspcarc's \vorks. The tcxtual edjtjng takes account of rcccnt scholarship vvhiic givlng the material a careful rcappraisal.The Tempcst is the mosE lyrical, profound and fascinating of Shakcspeare's late comedies. Prospero, long cxiled from Italy vvith his daughter Miranda, sccks to use his magical powers to defeal his former cncmics. Eventually, having proved merciful. he divests himsclf of that magic, his "art', and prcpares to return to the mainland. The Tcnıpcst has oftcn boen regarded as Shakespearc's 'farcvveil to the stage' before his retirement.İn the past, critics cmphasiscd the romantically beautiful features of The Tempest, sceing it as an imaginative fantasia. İn recent decades, ho\vever, The Tcnıpcst has also been treated as a poteniiy political drama vvhich offers contro-versial insights into coioniaiism and racism. Frequcntly staged and divcrsely filmed, the play has influcnccd numerous poets and novelists.