The Tempest

From the Royal Shakespeare Company a modern, definitive edition of Shakespeare s magical vision. With an expert introduction by Sir Jonathan Bate, this unique edition presents a historical overview of The Tempest in performance, takes a detailed look at specific productions, and recommends film versions. Included in this edition are three interviews with leading directors Peter Brook, Sam Mendes and Rupert Goold providing an illuminating insight into the extraordinary variety of interpretations that are possible. This edition also includes an essay on Shakespeare s career and Elizabethan theatre, and enables the reader to understand the play as it was originally intended as living theatre to be enjoyed and performed.

Introduction to The Tempest.- Introduction to the Text.- Key Facts.- The Tempest.- Textual Notes.- Second Quarto passages that do not appear in the Folio.- Scene-by-scene Analysis.- The Tempest in Performance: the RSC and Beyond.- Four Centuries of The Tempest: An Overview.- At the RSC.- The Director's Cut: interviews with Peter Brook, Sam Mendes, Rupert Goold.- Shakespeare's Career in the Theatre.- Shakespeare's Works: a Conjectural Chronology.- Further Reading