The Tempest (Annotated with Biography and Critical Essay)
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Publisher Description
The Tempest has elements of both tragedy and comedy. The Tempest is one of two of Shakespeare’s works that is set on an island. The action takes place over the course of one day.
Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, has been exiled to the island by his brother Antonio who had usurped his title twelve years before. Antonio was able to achieve this with the help of Alonso, the King of Naples. Prospero lives on the island with his fifteen year old daughter Miranda.
This annotated edition includes a biography and critical essay.
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.
