The Tempest
by William Shakespeare
Twelve years before the start of the play, Prospero, Duke of Milan, was usurped by his
brother, Antonio, with the help of Alonso, King of Naples and the king's brother, Sebastian.
Cast adrift with his daughter, Miranda, he landed on an island where, by using his knowledge
of magic, he has ruled over the beast, Caliban and the spirit, Ariel.
Now Prospero uses his powers to raise a tempest which shipwrecks his enemies on his island
so that he can take his revenge on them. They are separated into different groups.
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Sebastian
plots with Antonio to usurp Alonso; the drunken butler, Stephano and the jester, Trinculo,
are persuaded by Caliban to kill Prospero; and Miranda meets Alonso's son, Ferdinand,
and they fall in love. Prospero sets various trials for Ferdinand before presenting
the young couple with a fantastic masque.
Finally all the different groups are gathered together, Prospero
forgives his enemies, gives Ariel his freedom, renounces his magic art, and prepares
to leave his island and return to Milan.
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"The Tempest" Set Model
The designs for this production were an attempt the re-create the feel of a Jacobean masque,
as some elements in the play - like the appearance of the three goddesses - are clearly
in that tradition.
Prospero and the characters associated with his island were dressed predominantly in
cream and blue and mauve - more spiritual colours, while as a contrast, the outsiders
were dressed mainly in reds and blacks the colours of passion and darkness.
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The set was a wrecked ship, which avoided the problem of the magic island being
totally different things to different people.
Some see it as a verdant paradise,
while others see it as a desert, depending on their natures. The shipwreck reflected
Prospero's own arrival on the island, as well as the imagined shipwreck which brought
his enemies to him in the opening tempest.
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