shakespeare the tempest Flashcards
Who wrote ‘The Tempest’?
The English poet and playwright William Shakespeare (1564-1616).
When was it first performed?
Probably 1610-11, although we cannot be exact. It is generally accepted to be Shakespeare’s last play.
When and where is it set?
On a remote island; the date is uncertain
What are the play’s themes?
The Tempest explores themes such as power, authority, justice, loyalty, illusion and what it means to be ‘civilised’.
Is it a comedy or a tragedy?
While it has more elements of comedy than tragedy, ‘The Tempest’ fits neither genre perfectly and so has been categorised as one of “Shakespeare’s late romance
What was the Age of Exploration?
The period in history, spanning the 1500s and 1600s, when European explorers voyaged into parts of the world then unknown to them. They travelled by sea - journeys fraught with danger, shipwreck and disease - and brought back tales of amazing lands and remarkable native people.
What was the ‘New World’?
The name Europeans gave to the new lands they discovered: the Americas and nearby islands such as those of the Caribbean.
What is colonialism?
The establishment of ‘colonies’ of settlers from a country in a new land they have just discovered or conquered. The European powers colonised many newly-discovered lands - notably North America.
What happened to the native populations of colonised lands?
Some were killed or enslaved, others died of diseases brought by the colonisers; most, in time, were either ruled or supplanted by the new arrivals.
Did people at the time believe in magic?
In Shakespeare’s time there was widespread superstition about magic and witchcraft
What was King James I’s opinion of magic?
James was fascinated yet suspicious - he published a book called ‘Demonology’ outlawing the practice of black magic.
