The Tempest: Timeless Shakespeare

Written by William Shakespeare and Brady Timoney

Narrated by Saddleback Educational Publishing

Prospero uses magic to raise a tempest at sea and wreck the ship of his enemies. What will he do when the survivors come ashore? Will he exact revenge? Or will he need all his magical powers to match his daughter with the love of her life?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Saddleback Educational Publishing
• Release date: Jan 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9781612475363

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) is arguably the most famous playwright to ever live. Born in England, he attended grammar school but did not study at a university. In the 1590s, Shakespeare worked as partner and performer at the London-based acting company, the King’s Men. His earliest plays were Henry VI and Richard III, both based on the historical figures. During his career, Shakespeare produced nearly 40 plays that reached multiple countries and cultures. Some of his most notable titles include Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet and Julius Caesar. His acclaimed catalog earned him the title of the world’s greatest dramatist.

Reviews for The Tempest

[davefragments · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read this before I saw it staged at the Pittsburgh Public Theater. This is Shakespeare's masterpiece.

[futuremrsjoshgroban · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My favorite play by Shakespeare!!!

[datrappert · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of Shakespeare's more unusual an fanciful plays. Not as silly as most of the comedies (and I don't mean silly in a good way). Full of great characters and some of Shakespeare's best quotes. And, of course, the inspiration for Forbidden Planet.

[elmyra_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was prompted to read this by my re-reading of the entire Sandman series by Neil Gaiman - and now I can go back and read the last chapter. I only read the play, and very little of the additional material in this edition - I probably will go back and read the rest and re-read the play. I kept expecting something horrible to happen at the end. I did like it rather more than Midsummer Night's Dream.

[jpsnow · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This wasn't quite a comedy and isn't a tragedy. Prospero is an interesting character -- a scholar, a duke, a stranded man, a plotter, and a dad.

[jenniferthomp75 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Thunder, lightning, magical creatures and islands. A lovely fantasy.

[mrslee_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this, though it was a little hard to keep track of everyone and the spirits too.

[crowyhead · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is one of my favorite of Shakespeare's plays, in terms of the richness of the story and the language.

[leslie398 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3½ stars - I found I had some trouble in parts with following the action just reading this rather than seeing a performance. I also found Prospero's sudden reconciliation with his brother rather unconvincing.

[oldflame_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

None of the characters sucked me in, but the themes it explores are fascinating within the historical and biographical background.

[maferpabe · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The tragic story of Prospero, a wizard that is actually the duke of Milan. He is send to and island after his jelous brother. Propero is send with his only daughter, Miranda. Tweleve years had pass now and the beautiful Miranda is now fifteen.In the island, Prospero now has under control Arial, a spirt, and Caliban a men that is now his slave. With the help of Ariel and his own magic, Prospero sank the fleet in were his bother and some other friends were trabeling. His plans of revenge for the moment seem to work out perfectly, it is needed time to see what happens.This is a story full of magic, tangles and mysteries. The characters made this play full of life, letting the reader involves in the events. Although the language used get complicated some times the plot is very interesting.

[kennethwdavis_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

For me, the most wondrous of the plays.

[fleurdiabolique · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely my favorite of Shakespeare's plays. His vision and poetic skill have come to full maturity in this fantasy of loss and redemption.

[cyafer · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is my second read through of the play. I'm still not necessarily a fan; the way that Prospero gives blanket forgiveness to Alonso and Antonio seems forced, even if I have a better understanding of why he did it. In addition, the subplot with Sebastian and Antonio's attempt on the king's life goes nowhere. Prospero is still incredibly unlikeable as a main character.

As far as this specific version goes, it has to be one of my favorite editions in terms of how it handles footnotes. Most versions have ALL notes either lumped into the bottom, or on the facing page to the play. It makes it difficult sometimes to find what you're looking for without disturbing the flow of your reading. This book relegates short notes (one or two word translations of the Renaissance word into modern English) to the left of the line it occurs in, and longer footnotes and explanations to the facing page. Aside from an uncomfortable amount of white space on each page, it is an excellent edition.

[harrod_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What's not to like about Will

[aramissciant · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A quick reread ahead of seeing Julie Taymor's big-screen adaptation. The first/last time I read this play was aeons ago in school, and since it's not one of my favorite ones --the ones I read/see again and again-- I found I needed some help from time to time. I enjoyed the re-encounter with the play as I only remembered vaguely that there was a sorcerer and his daughter, and the most popular quotations: strange bedfellows, brave new world and such stuff as dreams are made of.. Now, I'm ready but it's still not one of my favorite plays.

[bookishjojo · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

i read this on my nook e-book and think it would have been a better experience in tree-book form. with shakespeare, i like to go back and forth and re-read passages and while i highlighted a lot of places in the text, it wasn't the same experience.