The Tempest
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- $0.99
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- $0.99
Publisher Description
"The Tempest," written in 1611, was the final play that William Shakespeare wrote on his own. It is also one of only two Shakespeare plays that are entirely original. Because of those two facts, many assume that Prospero, one of the major characters in the play, is an amalgamation of Shakespeare himself.
"The Tempest" explores themes of betrayal, forgiveness, colonialism, and servitude through the tale of a group of nobles stranded on a mysterious island.
As the play begins, a boat is caught in a violent storm. Aboard are a number of nobles, including the king of Naples and Antonio, the duke of Milan, all fearing that the ship will be wrecked and they will be drowned. On a nearby island, a young woman, Miranda, begs her father, Prospero, to stop the storm, which he has created through sorcery. Prospero refuses, explaining that the men on the boat are their enemies...
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Prospero-like in their artistry, Spirin's dazzling watercolors dominate this retelling of Shakespeare's final play. Shaped like altar panels fit for a Renaissance church or palace, the illustrations are romantic, regal and magical, richly interpreting the play's themes of betrayal, revenge and all-conquering love. A wispy ethereal air pervades island scenes, beautifully suggesting the atmosphere of enchantment, while Antonio and the King of Naples are pictured in brocade and velvet, the stench of power upon them. The other characters, too, are both otherworldly and very much flesh and blood. Especially well rendered is the monster Caliban, shown here as part man, part beast, part mythical creature, a sense of evil glee lighting his features. While this prose adaptation does not, of course, retain the full magic of the Bard's work, Beneduce nonetheless provides an intelligent, gripping story. Several passages from Shakespeare introduced at key points give a taste of the original. Symbols and small pictures integrated into the text further enhance the lavish presentation. All ages.
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