The Tempest

by William Shakespeare, Julie Taymor, Jonathan Bate (Foreword by)

Overview

The book of The Tempest is both a handsome edition of Julie Taymor’s eminently readable adaptation of Shakespeare’s play and a stunning visual narrative of her new film, which stars Helen Mirren as Prospera, the magician/alchemist in a bold, gender-switched realization.

One of Shakespeare’s greatest and most popular plays, The Tempest begs to be visualized by a master filmmaker. Taymor’s definitive film version combines romance and tragicomedy in one powerful story. She uses all of her considerable storytelling skills to make the action and atmosphere of the play come vividly to life. With an artist’s touch, she combines extraordinary locations with experimental visual effects to create the magic that suffuses this great work.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780810996557
Publisher:	Abrams
Publication date:	11/01/2010
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	12.18(w) x 11.80(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

Julie Taymor is is an award-winning director of theater, opera, and film. The Tempest is her fourth feature film. She also directed Titus, Frida, and Across the Universe. Her stage adapation of The Lion King has been presented in 13 countries. Her production of The Magic Flute has become a modern classic and is in the repertory of the Metropolitan Opera.

Jonathan Bate is well known as a critic, biographer, broadcaster, and Shakespeare scholar. Professor of English Literature at the University of Warwick, he is the author of many books, including The Genius of Shakespeare.

Date of Death:

2018

Place of Birth:

Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom

Place of Death:

Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom

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Chapter 1
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Introduction
Shakespeare’s Life
Shakespeare’s Theater
William Shakespeare and The Tempest: A Brief Chronology
A Note on the Text

The Tempest

Appendix A
From Aristotle, Politics (fourth century BCE)

Appendix B
From Ovid, Metamorphoses (8 CE)

Appendix C
From Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda, The Second Democrate; or, The Just Causes of the War against the Indians (1547)

Appendix D
From Bartolomé de las Casas, A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies (1552)

Appendix E
From Michel de Montaigne, “Of the Cannibals” (1578–80)

Appendix F
From William Strachey, A True Reportory of the Wracke (1610)

Appendix G
From John Dryden and William Davenant, The Tempest; or, The Enchanted Island (1670)

Works Cited and Select Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

I heartily welcome this new edition of The Tempest. In their introduction, the editors offer a deftly balanced, deeply nuanced interpretation of the play. While fully explicating its historical context, sources, and afterlife, the editors engage deeply with the play’s ethical ambiguities. They reveal The Tempest as a canonical play that speaks powerfully to today’s social concerns about justice, memory, revenge, service, freedom, and power. As the editors put it beautifully, ‘it is a quality of great works of art that they—unlike the people who make them—grow younger, stronger, more various, and more influential as they grow older.’ Long may it be so.” — Gail Kern Paster, Director Emerita, Folger Shakespeare Library

“This stellar edition of The Tempest does an excellent job of situating the play in its historical contexts. A splendid introduction and a well-chosen set of secondary materials will give students and teachers alike a clear entry point into the play’s noted interests in political and ethical questions posed by colonial conquest and other forms of usurpation. The vivid illustrations and longer notes interspersed throughout the playtext itself offer the reader an experience unique to this edition, beautifully illuminating the importance of visual art and staged image to The Tempest, Shakespeare’s most spectacular play.” — Adam Zucker, University of Massachusetts Amherst

“Despite there being many fine editions of this play, past and present, this one is a good choice for both the classroom and the study, and one that scholars should consult when considering editing, interpreting, or teaching The Tempest, a play that has been a favourite of many… Bernard and Yachnin have produced a balanced, measured, thoughtful, scholarly, clear, and well-considered edition, and they and their publisher are to be commended.” — Jonathan Locke Hart, Renaissance and Reformation

From the Publisher

On an uncharted, storm-swept island, the magician Prospero uses his powers and those of the flighty spirit Ariel to wreck the ship of his wicked brother, Antonio, stranding its crew and passengers. Meanwhile, through more magic, Prospero’s daughter, Miranda, has fallen in love with Ferdinand, son of the of king of Naples. This 2001 BBC Radio 3 production starring the late Philip Madoc (Prospero) and Nina Wadia (Ariel) sounds timeless in its traditional use of stage rhythms and diction. This is not an audiobook one mows the lawn to. For American ears it may take a little concentration to pick up all the words, and it may be worthwhile to read along (as this reviewer did) to maximize the pleasure of listening to one of Shakespeare’s most romantic and fanciful works. B.P. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

JUNE 2013 - AudioFile