The Tempest - Context

Written 1610-1611
1. Believed it was first performed at court (1611) for the marriage of Jame's daughter, Elizabeth
Jacobean era
1. King James I
  1. 1566 - 1625
Tragicomedy
1. Shakey's last play
  1. Ending - really about Shakey leaving his 'art' behind?
    1. Can be seen as aborted revenge tragedy spectacle
      1. Link to masques
Witchcraft
1. King James - Daemonologie
  Annotations:
  - A treatise about witchcraft
  1. He presided over many witch trials. Many people condemned.
    1. He believed witches caused the storm which delayed him and his new wife getting back to Scotland
Colonisation and fear of the Other
1. Sycorax originates from Algiers in the play
  Annotations:
  - Algiers - North Africa
William Strachey
1. 'Eyewitness Account of a Shipwreck in the Bermudas'
  1. 'A most dreadful Tempest'
  2. By the mercy of God [we were brought] safe into the Island'
Montaigne 'Of the Cannibals'
1. those who forgive immediately are less virtuous than those who want to take revenge, but struggle against this desire
Francis Bacon 'Of Revenge'
1. Revenge is 'a kind of wild justice'
  1. Those who take revenge are equal to the person who wronged them but those who forgive are superior
Machiavelli (The Prince)
1. Antonio
  1. Machiavellian Character
White Magic ('rough magic')
Etymology of Names
1. Prospero - 'prosperous'
2. Miranda - 'worthy of admiration'
3. Ferdinand - 'bold adventurer'
John Dee
1. Possible influence on the characters of Faustus and Prospero
  1. Marlowe likely knew Dee
2. Magician at court of Queen Elizabeth
3. Fell out of favour in Jacobean era as James I was unsympathetic towards magic
4. Died in poverty 1608/9
Performed where?
1. open air globe
2. Indoor Blackfriars

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The Tempest - Context

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