The analysis of the “Tempest” by William Shakespeare
References
THE ANALYSIS OF THE “TEMPEST” BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
William Shakespeare's play "The Tempest" is traditionally considered his last work. The play was first printed in folio in 1623. The text of it has reached us in good condition. The key moment of the play's action, which determined its title – a storm that wrecked a ship near Bermuda – was suggested to Shakespeare by a real event of his time. In 1609, an English squadron under Admiral George Somers, sailing to Virginia, the first English colony in America, was cruelly wrecked near Bermuda. The admiral's ship leaked and was saved from destruction only by the fact that Somers managed to make a safe landing on the shore of one of the islands, dotted with sharp rocks.
In 1610, a description of this expedition was published, in which, among other things, it is said: “Sir George Somers sat in the stern by the light of the stars and, believing that salvation was impossible, every minute expected to go to the bottom. Suddenly he came in sight of land – which, in Captain Newport's opinion and his own, could be nothing but the shores of those dreadful Bermuda Islands, which were reputed by all nations to be enchanted, inhabited by devils and witches, for there was always thunder, lightning, and the most terrible storms raging about them. The entire coast was littered with extremely dangerous underwater rocks, as a result of which it was impossible to approach it without the risk of shipwreck”. All this corresponds to the description of the island in Shakespeare's play.
The Tempest is the only play of Shakespeare in which the unity of place is almost completely observed, and the unity of time is quite, even to excess. From several places in the play, it follows that the entire action takes place within about four hours.
By genre, this is a “tragicomedy” – a play with tragic twists and turns, but a happy ending. Such a solution to the conflict in the play speaks of a serious change in the writer's worldview. “Tempest” is a picturesque and entertaining spectacle, where there are no big humanistic problems and heroic struggle for the best ideals, giving way to soft humanity and the spirit of forgiveness.
1. Аникст, A.A. Творчество Шекспира / A.A. Аникст. – М.: «Прросвещение», 1964.
2. Дубашинский, И.A. Вильям Шекспир: очерк творчества / И.A. Дубашинский. – M.: «Просвещение», 1965. – 284 c.
3. Морозов, M.M. Язык и стиль Шекспира // Морозов М.М. Избранные статьи и переводы. – M., 1954.
4. Рацкий, И. Проблема трагикомедии и последние пьесы Шекспира // «Театр», 2011 – № 2.
5. Шведов, Ю. Ф. Эволюция шекспировской трагедии / Ю.Ф. Шведов. – M.: Издательский центр «Академия», 1975. – 109 c.
6. Shakespeare, W. The Tempest [Электронный ресурс] – Режим доступа: https://liteka.ru/english/library/1786-the-tempest.
