ENG LIT: Critics/ productions for Tempest

When was the tempest first performed and how was Prospero presented?

• 1611

• Prospero shown as a powerful patriarch

When was Davenant and Dryden’s production? What did it emphasise?

• The Enchanted Island 1667

• Their adaptation was more romanticised, removed the more negative aspects of the play following the Restoration

• Adds more song and emphasises spectacle

How is Dryden’s 1667 production evidently a result of the Restoration?

It satirises Restoration concerns and attacks features of the Commonwealth, showing how the natural, monarchical order is best

How would critics from the 1600s have viewed Ariel?

• His servitude was a form of the classical servant-hero motif with a supernatural twist

• Him as a slave carries a different approach to Caliban since he is a Typical Paradigm, meaning he is more intelligent than other slaves

Who would have played Miranda in 1600s

An accomplished boy actor

How would Caliban have been presented in the 1600s?

As non-human and monstrous

How was power presented in the play in the 1600s?

• First performed for King James, shows association with courtly power

• Elaborate court masques show theatrical authority

What did Pepys write in the 1600s about Caliban?

That he was a monster

When was David Garrick’s production and what did it reintroduce?

• 1757

• Cut version of the play

• Moved away from spectacle/ romance and reintroduced psychological complexity of Prospero

Who played Ariel in 17th century and how did this change?

• Played by a man 17th cent

• From 18th cent-1930s played by a girl

How did the presentation of Ariel change in the 18th century?

Was softer, less threatening

What did Shadwell introduce in his production and when was it?

• 1674

• Added more spectacle in an operatic production

• Was v successful

• More of a light-hearted comedy

How did ideas of power change in the 18th century?

Romantic era, made Prospero’s power softer, more protective (Davenant and Dryden 1667)

What did Hogarth’s and Fuseli’s painting of the Tempest highlight about Prospero in the 18th century?

• Presented as a grey bearded magus

• He controlled the corrupt political forces of Antonio and Sebastian

• He signified patriarchal protection of his daughter against Caliban

• Seen as wise and authoritative

When was John Kemble’s production and how was Prospero presented?

• 1806

• P shown as a “a figure of wisdom and power, softened by age and experience” (Leigh Hunt)

When was Charles Kean’s production and how was Prospero presented?

• 1857

• At the Princess’ theatre in London

• Prospero shown as distant and authoritative

How was Ariel depicted in the 1800s?

• Henry Fuseli’s painting of Ariel presented him as more androgynous

• Still had allusions to his magic eg: the wands, wings and flying

When was MacReady’s production and how was Caliban and Prospero presented?

• 1838

• Banished the Restoration additions of spectacle, original version performed again

• Reintroduced Prospero’s complex power dynamics, seen as more tyrannical

• production sees Caliban more sympathetically (romanticism)

What does MacDonnell say in response to MacReady’s production?

He felt a “degree of pity for the poor, abject, degraded slave”

What coincided with the year of MacReady’s production?

The abolition of slavery in England, allowing for a more sympathetic view of Caliban as an aggrieved slave

How did Caliban’s presentation in the 19th century appeal to Victorian audiences?

His struggle for knowledge likened him to the Victorian fascination with progress

How was Miranda presented in the 19th century?

• Her position in the script was mostly adhered to

• However her more outspoken lines were assigned to Prospero so she could appear more modest and likeable

• Her role was thus diminished

When was Graham Browne’s production and what did it focus on?

• 1937 at the Old Vic

• Magical elements were enhanced with a lavish set

When was Arnold Moss’ production and how was Prospero presented?

• 1945

• played Prospero as a colonial figure, reflected post-war concerns about power and justice

How was Ariel played in 1930s?

Ariel being played as male again by Harcourt Williams

What shifted in the 1900s?

• Focus shifted to Caliban, presented as more human who struggles to rid himself of his brutish elements

• 1904 production at Her Majesty’s Theatre shows Caliban peering out his cave as the Duke and court sail away

• He stretches out his arms in despair:(

When was Peter Brooks’ production and what approach did it take?

• minimalist approach

• symbolism of Prospero’s books, focused on intellectual power dynamics between Prospero and other island inhabitants

When was the Sam Mendes production and what was significant about it?

• Prospero shown as more paternal

• Ariel spits in his face

When was Johnathan Miller’s production and what did it emphasise?

• 1970

• Mermaid Theatre

• Focused on colonialism

• Ariel presented as an “educated slave, planning to take control when the colonists left”

• Ariel picks up Prospero’s broken staff and points it at Caliban threateningly

How was Prospero presented in Pennington’s production and when was it?

• 2006

• Prospero shown as more tyrannical

In which production is it set in a women’s prison?

Phyllia Lloyd’s production 2016

What is important about Trevor Nunn’s production?

• In 2011

• Ariel presented as androgynous, reflective of the growing integration of LGBTQ+ themes into mainstream media.

What did Doran include in his 2016 production?

Use of technology and lighting to show Prospero’s power goes beyond the stage 

Which other productions have shown Prospero as a female character?

• 2010 = Helen Mirren as Prospera in 2010 film 

• 2024 Sigourney Weaver as female Prospero

What did Romantic writers/ audiences rely on for their opinions of the Tempest?

• They relied on their private readings

• Separated the study of the play as poetry and the study of it as a performance

• They saw poetry as self-expression thus Prospero was seen as Shakespeare’s mouthpiece

How were some of Prospero’s lines interpreted by Romantic audiences?

His “our revels are now ended” speech was seen as Shakespeare’s retirement speech

What did Coleridge say about the Tempest?

Called it a “specimen of purely romantic drama”

What is Kermode’s argument?

• Nature vs Nurture

• Caliban is  “representative of Nature uncontrolled by Art”

• Caliban is degenerative and acts as a foil to Prospero’s civilised arts

What did Bowen say about power?

It is used and abused which “exposes” the “fault lines” in the social order

Give 3 of Shapiro’s key points about the masque

• The dance between the reapers and nymphs “reinforces the image of concord”, symbolises unity

• Masques as “inextricably implicated in political self-interest” and distracts from bigger ideas Shakespeare was dealing with ie: loyalty and responsibility

• The masque simply “papers over” the cracks within the play but solves nothing hence Prospero has to interrupt it to deal with the real issue of Caliban

What did Frye say about Prospero?

He was a remarkably incompetent ruler

What is Kott’s view of the island?

“the rules of the real world apply”

What is special about Prospero’s island?

• It’s location and time period is not specified whatsoever

• Thus the play can be adapted in many different ways

• Artists are able to comment on human relations without reality’s constraints which CHALLENGES KOTT

What does Green say about Prospero’s power in the play?

He can be seen as the “composer of the events”

What does Meckler say about Miranda?

She is the “catalyst of the story” - challenges feminist readings

What did Augherston argue about class and status?

“In the face of destructive nature,all are the same”

Who does Prospero direct the epilogue to in Sher’s production of the tempest?

To Caliban, reflecting the themes of forgiveness post-Apartheid as it was set on a desert in South Africa

What is significant about the end of the play being ambiguous?

Adaptations often attempt to fill in the gaps or add things to the narrative about characters