Author Topic: Tempest, The ~ William Shakespeare - PREDISCUSSION (Read 41976 times)

JoanP · « **Reply #200 on:** September 25, 2012, 09:58:43 AM »

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PREDISCUSSION

October Book Club Online

The Tempest, Shakespeare's last play, was written in 1611 in the final period of his career. The play is not really a comedy, but combines elements of tragedy with comedy, a tragicomedy.

Shakespeare set the play on an unnamed island in an unidentified age. In it, he portrays an aging magician, Prospero, who has been living in exile with his young daughter on a remote island for the past twelve years.

Over the course of a single day, Prospero uses his magic to whip up a tempest to shipwreck the men responsible for his banishment. He then proceeds to dazzle and dismay the survivors (and the audience) with his art as he orchestrates his triumphant return home where he plans to retire in peace.

For a lot of audiences and literary scholars, Prospero seems like a stand-in in for Shakespeare, who spent a lifetime dazzling audiences before retiring in 1611, shortly after The Tempest was completed. Its epilogue seems to be a final and fond farewell to the stage.

When Prospero (after giving up the art of magic he's spent a lifetime perfecting) appears alone before the audience he confesses, "Now my charms are all o'erthrown, / And what strength I have's mine own," we can't help but wonder of Shakespeare is speaking through this character here. From multiple sources, including Shakespearean Criticism, Gale Cengage

Discussion Schedule

Act I	October 1~7
Act II	October 8~14
Act III	October 15~21
Act IV	October 22~28
Act V	October 29~Nov.4

Relevant links: BookTV: Hobson Woodward: A Brave Vessel

DLs: Barb, JoanK , JoanP, Marcie,

marcie · « **Reply #201 on:** September 25, 2012, 10:42:29 AM »

Babi, I think that this is the book that Jude recommended:

http://www.amazon.com/Tempest-Barnes-Noble-Shakespeare/dp/1411400763/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348584092&sr=1-1&keywords=barnes+and+noble+tempest

JudeS · « **Reply #202 on:** September 25, 2012, 04:23:55 PM »

Babi
The ISBN # listed on the back of the book is:
978-1-4114-0076-4
Gordon McMullan is Editor
David Scott Kastan is the series editor.
There is no picture on the cover-just writing:
The Tempest in huge Red letters and other words in black
Shakespeare is also in red.

Is this enough info? Let me know.

JudeS · « **Reply #203 on:** September 25, 2012, 04:47:15 PM »

I promised to look for info on Shakespeares education.
Meanwhile you all have covered all the points I could have added and then some.

I will note some of the important events happening in the world at that time. (If you remember
my remark about the "Times" being the frame and the play itself the picture within the frame.

1577-1580 Sir Francis Drake sails round the world
1584 Failure of the Virginia Colony
1587 Execution of Mary Queen of Scots
1588 Defeat of the Spanish Armada
1590 First three books of Spenser's Fairy Queene published
Marlowe's Tamberlaine published
1592 Shakespeare is 27 and his play HenryVI is performed. From here we can follow his written career.

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #204 on:** September 25, 2012, 05:08:06 PM »

Jude do you have any information if Spenser's Fairy Queene influenced Shakespeare - by any chance have you read it - or has anyone here read it - it has been on my list forever and one of those book I am afraid of tackling on my own but since it was written before Shakespeare wrote his plays I just wonder if you had come across any info that he knew of Spenser and or read the Fairy Queene

JoanP · « **Reply #205 on:** September 25, 2012, 05:15:58 PM »

Barbara, I think that Shakespeare was influenced by Spenser's Fairie Queen when he wrote King Lear. (I wonder if he lifted directly from it.

) Will look it up later if time...but I think the answer to your question is a definite yes!

JudeS · « **Reply #206 on:** September 25, 2012, 06:33:48 PM »

Re Spenser & The Faerie Queene.

I have not read any of the six books of this title. Spenser planned to write 12 books but died in1599 at the age of 37.
The story is incomplete because of this,
Each book represents a specific Christain virtue.
Spenser was a very devout Protestant and his books are thought to represent the religous battles between Rome and London that raged during these early years of the Protestant Reformation.He was also a devotee of Queen Elizabeth and
resented greatly the Catholic propaganda against her.

I have not read anywhere of Spenser's influence on our Will. However I am always willing to learn.

Babi · « **Reply #207 on:** September 26, 2012, 09:09:47 AM »

JUDE & MARCIE, thank you for that information. I'm sure I can find it now, if it's there.

Jonathan · « **Reply #208 on:** September 26, 2012, 05:45:59 PM »

I'm just guessing, since I haven't read Spenser, but I can't help feeling that Spenser could not have taught Shakespeare anything about fairies and queens. Both make many appearances in his plays. And I would have a bigger problem with fairies and queens that are used to promote virtue. Shakespeare would have had little use for that. Flawed characters are Shakespeare's metier. Cardinal sins count for much of the motivation: ambition, greed, jealousy, gluttony, ad infinitum. Too, too worldly wise. Makes one wonder with amazement at Shakespeare's schooling.

JoanP · « **Reply #209 on:** September 26, 2012, 06:50:39 PM »

Does this sound familiar?

From Spenser’s Faerie Queene, an opening scene similar to Leir is played:
The eldest Gonorill gan to protest,
That she much more then hew owne life him lov’d:
And Regan greater love to him profest,
Then all the world, when ever it were proov’d;
But Cordeill said she lov’d him, as behoov’d:
Whose simple answer, wanting colours faire
To paint it forth, him to displeasance moov’d,
That in his crowne he counted her no heir,
But twixt the other twaine his kingdome whole did share.
(Bullough, 333)

The first mention of Cordelia’s death by hanging is introduced by Spenser, and was probably here that Shakespeare received the idea. After replacing King Leyr to his throne, Gonorill and Regan have her in imprisoned where, "Through proud ambition, against her rebeld, / And overcummen kept in prison long, / Till wearie of that wretched life, her selfe she hong." http://king-lear.org/spensers_the_fairie_queen

Jonathan · « **Reply #210 on:** September 27, 2012, 02:22:46 PM »

That does sound familiar, Joan. That's amazing. Almost word for word. What can make of that?

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #211 on:** September 27, 2012, 04:02:52 PM »

From the list of characters in Spenser's Faerie Queene I found these that I wonder how close any of them are to the Harpy or Caliban in The Tempest.

Quote

Sansfoy, Sansjoy and Sansloy (names from the old French meaning "Faithless", "Joyless" and "Lawless"), three saracen knights who fight Redcrosse in Book One.

Satyrane, a wild half-satyr man raised in the wild and the epitome of natural human potential. Tamed by Una, he protects her, but ends up locked in a battle against the chaotic Sansloy, which remains unconcluded. Satyrane finds Florimell's girdle, which she drops while flying from a beast.

I think a girdle is not as we imagine today but after looking it up it is sort of a wide belt worn low and used to hook a small tasseled satchel that contains a book called a girdle book.

JoanP · « **Reply #212 on:** September 27, 2012, 05:38:04 PM »

I don't know, Barb,,,that Satyrane looks like a candidate.

I hope no one is confused about the other Tempest discussion. it's locked until Monday. You can continue to post here until then, though.

Babi · « **Reply #213 on:** September 28, 2012, 08:33:19 AM »

Interesting that the Satyrane is battling Sansloy, the 'lawless' one. I wonder if we will see a parallel
there? Might find a couple of characters 'without faith' and 'without joy', too.

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #214 on:** September 28, 2012, 10:57:53 PM »

Interesting article about Shakespeare using the Geneva Bible - He lived with a French Huguenot Family in London and the Bible would have been spread out on the table - there are three plays mentioned in the article, including Hamlet where there are quotes that point to Shakespeare having read this version of the Bible but no reference that the Bible was used affecting The Tempest -

From the mid sixteenth century, from about 1540 the French Huguenots were flocking to London in addition to other places like the Netherlands, South America in Brazil, South Africa and later Florida where the colony was wiped out, Wales, Ireland, Germany - during the early migration they were Calvinists, later even in London some were Catholic - the religious wars were taking place all over Europe and Stewart James becoming King in 1603 had Catholic leanings compared to the House of Tudor.

Here is an interesting link of how Shakespeare was acquainted with the Bible and how the Geneva Bible was used in some of his plays.

http://www.reformation21.org/articles/shakespeare-and-the-geneva-bible.php

Babi · « **Reply #215 on:** September 29, 2012, 08:37:18 AM »

My stepmother's family emigrated from Switzerland, and they always thought the name 'Chatoney' (accent on the 'chat')
was German. They were much surprised when a Chatoney stationed overseas discovered the name was pronounced
'Cha-to-nay', accent on last syllable, and they were descenndents of French Huguenots.

JoanK · « **Reply #216 on:** September 29, 2012, 10:33:00 PM »

I have read the first act, and I got great pleasure from reading a scene first, following footnotes as needed to get the meanin, and then reading it straight through aloud. Just straight deadpan reading (no hamming it up). It made me appreciate it more, and still did not take much time.

(I avoided what has been a trap for me -- thinking I have to read all the forwards and background material in my book first, before I read the play. No. I dived right in!)

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #217 on:** September 29, 2012, 10:58:20 PM »

Sounds like diving in rather than inching in the cold water - however, we filled up a month of getting a handle on this or that tidbit didn't we...Monday it is and JoanK thanks for suggesting reading it aloud will be so satisfying.

bookad · « **Reply #218 on:** September 30, 2012, 04:50:31 AM »

I must say it is so nice to have words translated into meanings that help make sense of the book....I have a couple of copies of the book (from the library of course), one with translations of English words into our usage today/1, (amazing how much the English language can transition thru the years; fascinating!) and one crib book you might say that has Shakespeare's English on one side of the page, and a current translation on the other/2 (interesting to think one must translate English to English)

1/..2008-Modern Library paperback edition..The Tempest by W. Shakespeare edited by Jonathan Bate and Eric Rasmussen (978-0-8129-6910-8)
2/..No Fear Shakespeare The Tempest edited by John Crother...'Spark's Notes'
(13:978-1-5866-3849-8)

the above along with all the insight gained from the group, I hope i have all my bases covered ....looking forward to tomorrow and beginning....................

Deb

Babi · « **Reply #219 on:** September 30, 2012, 08:52:48 AM »

I like that idea, too, JOAN. I've started reading the play but I think it would
be a great idea to read it aloud.
By amusing coincidence, I had a "Tempest" clue in a crossword puzzle yesterday.
The 'King of Naples'. Voila! Alonso!

My copy is written in the original English,too, BOOKAD, but there are footnotes
to tell me the meaning of words I can't figure out from context and/or similarities.

Jonathan · « **Reply #220 on:** September 30, 2012, 11:53:17 AM »

Fair weather. Calm seas. The King of Naples and his distinguished company are sailing home after the royal wedding of his daughter. What could possibly happen to spoil the festive atmosphere?

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #221 on:** September 30, 2012, 02:02:19 PM »

Fair weather indeed Jonathan -

Interesting Babi you had a crossword puzzle and lo and behold if this weekend our local PBS station at the end of it donation drive didn't repeat following each other all 4 episodes of Michael Wood tracing the life of Shakespeare.

Dana you sound like the old saying, you have come loaded for bear - what a nice collection of resources you have accumulated.

I am anxious to read how closely the description of the storm in The Tempest resembles the description of the storms in either The Brave Vessel or the Aeneid.

JoanP · « **Reply #222 on:** September 30, 2012, 09:55:56 PM »

This has been a remarkable pre-discussion, jam-packed with so much information we could not be better prepared to set off on this journey. If you are jus joining us now, do not worry. Though we are locking this discussion now, it will won't go anywhere and we can refer to it often as we go along.

Our discussion of Shakespeare's play begins HERE, TODAY Come join us! We're looking for you!

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Author Topic: Tempest, The ~ William Shakespeare - PREDISCUSSION (Read 41976 times)