Reading Order
The Tempest Reading Order
The Tempest (c. 1610–1611) by William Shakespeare is widely regarded as Shakespeare's farewell to the theatre — his last solo-authored play and the first in the First Folio. It is the most compressed of his late romances: 1,500 lines set entirely on an island over the course of a single day. Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, has been exiled to a magical island for twelve years, where he has enslaved the spirit Ariel and the native Caliban and has used his art (his books of magic) to raise a tempest that wrecks the ship carrying his usurping brother Antonio and the King of Naples. Prospero's daughter Miranda falls in love with the king's son Ferdinand; Caliban plots with two shipwrecked drunkards to overthrow Prospero; the usurping nobles are bewildered and enchanted. In the end, Prospero renounces his magic, breaks his staff, and drowns his books — the most significant act of self-limitation in Shakespeare. The Tempest has been read as Shakespeare's autobiographical farewell, as an allegory of European colonialism (particularly after Aimé Césaire's postcolonial rewriting Une Tempête, 1969), as a meditation on art and power, and as a study of the relationship between freedom and service. Caliban's famous speech about the island's music and his recognition that 'this island's mine, by Sycorax my mother' have made him a central figure in postcolonial studies.
Where to start
The Tempest (c. 1610–1611) — any good scholarly edition. Best reading order: the Arden Third Series (ed. Virginia Mason Vaughan and Alden T. Vaughan) is the definitive text; Peter Brook's 1968 production, the 2010 film with Helen Mirren as Prospera, and Aimé Césaire's Une Tempête (1969) are essential supplements for understanding the play's range of interpretation.
Complete The Tempest Book List
- 1Buy
The Tempest
William Shakespeare (Arden Third Series)·1999·The definitive modern scholarly edition — the Vaughan and Vaughan Arden text with its extensive treatment of colonial interpretations is the standard text for critical study - 2Buy
Une Tempête
Aimé Césaire·1969·The postcolonial rewriting — Martinican poet Aimé Césaire rewrites The Tempest with Prospero as white colonizer, Caliban as Black slave asserting his freedom, and Ariel as mulatto collaborator; the most important response to The Tempest in world literature and essential for understanding Caliban's significance - 3Buy
Prospero's Books
Peter Greenaway (dir.)·1991·Greenaway's experimental film adaptation — a meditation on Prospero's library and the power of books that is one of the most visually striking Shakespeare adaptations; reveals the play's concern with art, knowledge, and the nature of magic - 4Buy
Station Eleven
Emily St. John Mandel·2014·The contemporary novel that uses The Tempest as an organizing myth — a traveling Shakespeare theatre company performs the play in a post-pandemic world; shares The Tempest's concern with art's power to sustain civilization - 5Buy
Hagseed
Margaret Atwood·2016·Atwood's retelling of The Tempest as part of the Hogarth Shakespeare series — a disgraced director stages The Tempest in a prison with inmates as his cast; one of the most intelligent modern retellings of the play - 6Buy
The Sea, The Sea
Iris Murdoch·1978·The Booker Prize-winning novel with Prospero as its model — a retired theatre director in a seaside cottage, with power over others and an obsession with a woman from his past, reimagines the Prospero figure in contemporary England; Murdoch's explicit tribute to The Tempest
The Tempest — Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Tempest about?
The Tempest (c. 1610–1611) by William Shakespeare is set on a magical island over the course of a single day. Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan exiled to the island for twelve years, uses magic to raise a tempest wrecking a ship carrying his brother Antonio (who usurped him) and the King of Naples. Prospero's daughter Miranda falls in love with the king's son Ferdinand; Caliban (the island's native inhabitant, enslaved by Prospero) plots with two shipwrecked drunkards against Prospero; the nobles are enchanted and bewildered. In the end, Prospero forgives his enemies, renounces his magic and drowns his books, and prepares to return to Milan. The play is widely regarded as Shakespeare's farewell to theatre and has become central to postcolonial studies through the figure of Caliban.
Why is Caliban important in The Tempest?
Caliban is Prospero's enslaved servant — the son of the witch Sycorax and the original inhabitant of the island, who taught Prospero its resources. His famous speech ('This island's mine, by Sycorax my mother, / Which thou tak'st from me') articulates a claim of original ownership and colonial dispossession that has made him a central figure in postcolonial studies since the 1960s. Aimé Césaire's Une Tempête (1969) rewrites The Tempest with Caliban as a Black slave asserting his freedom, inaugurating a tradition of postcolonial readings of the play. In these readings, Prospero represents European colonialism, Caliban the colonized native, and the magic books the violence of European knowledge-systems. Caliban's speech about the island's music ('Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises') is among the most beautiful in Shakespeare.
Monthly Newsletter
Never miss a big release
Get the most anticipated upcoming books delivered to your inbox once a month — no spam, no filler.
Monthly only. Unsubscribe anytime.
Book links are Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, BookReleaseRadar earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.