Something Shakespeare This Way Comes
Ep 2: The Tempest as a Metaphor for Theater
Our revels now are not ended. They’re just getting started!
After my annual trip to the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival this year to see The Tempest, I ended up talking to my family about how Prospero acts as stand in for a playwright or director and the ties back to the theater. So I thought I’d write an episode about it!
We dip our toes into the post-colonial view of the play but it’s definitely a topic that deserves future treatment and consideration. I also try to address the question of whether Shakespeare wrote Prospero as a version of himself and how autobiographical The Tempest really is.
You can also hear me give two wildly different pronunciations of Prospero’s name, so that’s a fun puzzle.
Further Reading
The Tempest by William Shakespeare (I used the Arden edition for some info on early performances)
Shakespeare After All by Marjorie Garber (The whole book is great, but I reference The Tempest chapter in the episode)
"Of Cannibals" by Michel de Montaigne (This is the essay I reference that Shakespeare pulled from)
Links
Art by Halie Branson
Music recording by josdvg