The Tempest (play)

The Tempest is one of William Shakespeare's last plays. Its first known performance was on November 1, 1611 at Whitehall Palace in London. It would also have been performed at the Globe Theatre and the Blackfriars Theatre.

Sources

The Tempest is one of the few Shakespeare plays for which there is no known source for the overall narrative. However, some of the words and images in the play seem to derive from a report by William Strachey of a real-life shipwreck in 1609 on the islands of Bermuda of sailors travelling toward Virginia. Strachey's report was written in 1610; although it was not printed until 1625, it circulated widely in manuscript and Shakespeare may have taken the idea of the shipwreck and some images from it.

Related Topics:
William Strachey - 1609 - Bermuda - Virginia - 1610 - 1625

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In addition, one of Gonzalo's speeches is derived from 'On the Cannibals', an essay by Montaigne that praises the society of the Caribbean natives; and much of Prospero's renunciative speech is taken word for word from a speech by Medea in Ovid's Metamorphoses.

Related Topics:
Montaigne - Caribbean - Medea - Ovid - Metamorphoses

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