The Tempest by William Shakespeare


     The Tempest is arguably Shakespeare’s last play written by him alone. The play tells the story of a sorcerer Prospero who takes revenge on his brother Antonio, who had deposed him as the duke of Milan and sent him and his three-year-old daughter Miranda to the sea on a boat.



     Prospero, after being set adrift by his enemies, had reached an island, where he met Ariel, a spirit, and Caliban, a deformed monster. He had successfully maintained the loyalty of Ariel by promising repeatedly his release. Prospero and Miranda had taught Caliban language and religion. Caliban, on the other hand, was rebellious and resentful to them as he saw them as usurpers. At the beginning of the play, Antonio, his friend and fellow conspirator, King Alonso of Naples, Alonso’s brother Sebastian, son Ferdinand and Alonso’s trusted counselor, Gonzalo, who were returning from a wedding, were shipwrecked and brought to Prospero’s island. Ferdinand and Miranda fell in love as soon as they met each other, as Prospero had desired. All characters in the play were under the spell of Prospero and behaved strangely. In the end, he forgave all of them and set Caliban and Ariel free. Prospero was a happy man as Ferdinand and Miranda readied them-selves to marry each other in Naples. As a final act, Prospero buried his magic equipment and drowned his book of magic.



     Being the last play of Shakespeare, The Tempest has many autobiographical elements according to scholars. They say burying the magical staff is suggestive of Shakespeare’s telling the world that he is now contemplating to quit writing plays. Anyway, the play is considered the most well written play of Shakespeare.



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Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare


       Have you heard the story of the moneylender Shylock who lent money on the condition that if unpaid, he will take a pound of the debtor’s flesh? The villain Shylock and the super-lady Portia who saves the hero from the villain appear in Shakespeare’s famous comedy, Merchant of Venice.



      Bassanio was a young noble Venetian, who wanted to marry the gracious, intelligent and rich young woman, Portia. He needed 3,000 ducats for the purpose, but he did not have the money as he was a reckless spendthrift. Bassanio approached his friend Antonio, a wealthy merchant of Venice. Antonio promised Bassanio money; however, since his ships were at sea, he could not bail him out this time. So, both of them approached a Jewish moneylender Shylock.



       Shylock had a bitter rivalry with Antonio, who had abused the former many times. Antonio also had the habit of lending money without interest and this had forced Shylock to lower his interest. However, finally Shylock agreed to pay enough- enough money to Bassanio on one condition: if Antonio could not produce the money, he would carve out a pound of flesh from Antonio! Despite the protests of Bassanio, Antonio signed the contract.



       At Portia’s palace at Belmont, suitors to the young maiden were flooding in. In a contest, which required the suitor to choose a casket intelligently in order to marry her, Bassanio won Portia’s hand as he choose the right casket. In the meanwhile, Antonio’s ships were reported to be lost at sea and thus he could not pay his debts. In the court, shylock refuses to accept twice the amount of money he lent and demanded his lawful pound of flesh from Antonio. A young law appeared in the court then and declared to the court that if the moneylender were adamant about the pound of flesh, he could take it. But he must take only flesh! He should not shed any drop of blood in the process. Shylock lost the case, and even his wealth due to the intelligence of the young lawyer. Now, to the surprise of Antonio and Bassanio, Balthazar turned out to be Portia in disguise. The play ends on a happy note when everything, including the safe return of Antonio’s ships, turned out well.



       While any scholars argue that Merchant of Venice is the best of Shakespeare’s comedies, the Play is accused of racism anti-Semitism the hatred of Jews. Shylock’s words in the play are quite popular: ‘If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?’



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Who was Richard III?


       ‘Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely’, said Lord Acton, a British historian. Shakespeare’s Richard III is an account of how men are intoxicated by political power and what moral corruption they undergo as they manipulate people with their power. Richard III is the first of Shakespeare’s history tetralogy. Some scholars also regard this historical play as a tragedy.



       Richard was not the usual handsome prince, as he was an ugly hunchback. His brother Edward IV had acceded to the throne and was the reigning King at the start of the play. As he himself claimed, Richard wanted to be a ‘villain’. He schemed successfully to woo Anne Neville, whose husband and father were killed by Richard. He plotted to kill his brother Clarence who stood in the line of succession before him. Richard sent two murderers to kill him with whom Clarence pleaded to spare his life. He tried to convince them in many ways to save his life out they revealed to him that his brother Richard had sent them to kill him. However, he did not believe them until his death. Richard used the death of Clarence to send Edward IV, already ailing with diseases, to his death-bed. He died heartbroken and Richard went about clearing his way off the final obstacle to his dreams of becoming the king. Edward IV had sons and young Edward V was the rightful heir. Edward IV’s sons were clever and they resisted the dark hands of their uncle for a time with their intelligence. However, they were killed eventually. Richard also killed, one by one, all who stood in his path. He poisoned his wife in order to marry his niece, Elizabeth of York.



       Richard slowly lost all the popularity he had garnered through deceit and treachery. He started to become paranoid and terror-stricken. He was visited by ghosts of all people he had killed. At last, he is killed in the battlefield as he cried to his opponent, ‘A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse’.



       Richard III is the longest play by Shakespeare after Macbeth. Richard’s character undergoes extreme fluctuations of moral positions and is tilted so much to the evil that he is considered an anti-hero.



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Who was Henry V?


        One of the four important historical plays of Shakespeare, Henry V deals with Britain’s war with France and the ensuing political events. The tetralogy of Shakespeare’s histories includes Richard II, Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2 and Henry V. Some scholars think that the play is a commentary on war as Shakespeare presents the war between England and France in all its complexities.



       King Henry V, the ruler of England, was also the rightful heir to the French throne through ancestry. When he declared his claim, it was greeted with insult from the ruler of France. Following this, Henry and his troops crossed the English Channel in order to attack a port of France, Alarmed, the French King offered him his daughter and other gifts, which did not satisfy Henry.



       In the battle, the English defeated the French and took the harbor; however, the English King lost so many of his men that the French surrounded him with more than 10,000 men. In the night before the battle, Henry spoke to the soldiers, encouraging them and asking them to do the greatest sacrifice they could offer. The next day, the English army of fewer than 30 soldiers confronted the large French army successfully. Henry famously declared that ‘O God, thy arm was here’. Years later, after successful political agreements between the countries, Henry and the French Prince met as the former tried to woo the latter. The conversation between them was hilarious as both had little knowledge of each other’s language. Henry V was finally adopted as the heir to the French throne.



      The play, believed to have been written in 1599, briefly deals with John Falstaff, one of Shakespeare’s greatest characters, as he dies heart-broken because Henry had rejected him.



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Who was King Lear?


      You may have heard stories of parents being abandoned in their old age after their off-spring take away everything from them. King Lear was such an unfortunate father, who, in his old age, learned the lesson that ‘not all that glitters is gold’.



      King Lear had three daughters. In his old age, he wanted to retire from his duties as a King; and therefore, he decided to divide it among his daughters. He planned to offer the largest share to the daughter who loved him the most. Cordelia was Lear’s favourite and he had loved her very much. Two of his daughters, Goneril and Regan, who spoke first, flattered their father with praises and declarations of love and were given their shares.



       When it was the turn of Cordelia, she declared that she loved him, as she must, as a daughter to her father, no more no less! King Lear had not anticipated this. He had expected that his favourite daughter would shower him with praises and flattery. Enraged, he gave away Cordelia’s share equally divided between the deceptive daughters. The French king, impressed by Cordelia’s honesty, married her even without her inheritance. Lear had plans to stay with his daughters; however, they were not interested in accommodating the old man with an irritable temper. He was eventually banished from the homes of both his daughters.



       Lear succumbed to madness in the stormy wilderness. Only a fool and the Earl of Kent accompanied him. Meanwhile, another confidante of Lear, the Earl of Gloucester had been undergoing mistreatment by his son, He had two sons, Edgar, his legitimate son and Edmund, his illegitimate. Edmund had wanted his father to disown Edgar and thus had been plotting treacherous tricks on his father. When the King of France landed in Britain to save Lear, he betrayed his father Gloucester to the daughters of Lear. The British army won the war and Edmund deceitfully sent Lear and Cordelia to be executed. Although, Edgar intervened and mortally wounded Edmund, the executioner killed Cordelia. Goneril and Regan had horrible deaths as the former committed suicide and the latter was poisoned to death. While Cordelia was executed, Lear escaped the executioner. However, he too succumbed to death in the end.



      One of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies, the story is based on a legend of Leir of Britain, a pre-Roman Celtic king. A popular expression, ‘a man more sinned against than sinning’, is from King Lear.



 



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Why did lago want to destroy Othello?


        Has Shakespeare written about racism? Albeit indirectly, his Othello discusses race, as its protagonist is a Moor, a dark-skinned slave. Love, jealousy, betrayal, revenge and guilt are all themes of the play.



       Othello was a general of the Venetian Military. Born in a family of slaves, he had fought his way up and reached the top of the social ladder by his sheer courage and skill. lago was an ensign in Othello’s army - an ensign was the flag holder. He had bitter enmity with Othello because the chief had promoted a younger man named Cassio to the post of lieutenant instead of lago. Roderigo, a Venetian, wanted desperately to get married to Desdemona, daughter of Brabantio, Venetian Senator. However, Desdemona was deeply in love with Othello. He used to visit Brabantio’s home, and his stories had enchanted Desdemona, so she fell in love, and eloped with him. The play starts with Roderigo and lago discussing Desdemona’s elopement with Othello and Roderigo informing the same to the ignorant Brabantio. Brabantio went to the Duke of Venice to complain, but when the Duke heard the story from Desdemona and Othello, he approved of their marriage.



       The villain of the play is lago, whose ‘motiveless malignity’ makes his villainy a class apart. lago, consumed by his hatred for Othello, hatched stories about Desdemona’s infidelity. He convinced Othello that Desdemona was in love with Cassio, the handsome captain of Othello. lago tricked his wife, Emilia, who was also Desdemona’s maidservant, to steal a handkerchief, which Othello had given his wife as his first wedding gift. Along with the lies he whispered in Othello’s ears, lago presented him with a proof of Desdemona’s adulterous life: the handkerchief in the possession of Cassio. lago had secretly given the handkerchief to Cassio, who gave it to his lover Bianca. Othello, not only believed everything lago had told him, but also started tormenting himself and his innocent wife over the allegations. His jealousy, in the end, results in smothering Desdemona to death. However, when he realized that Desdemona indeed was an angel, he was overcome by guilt. He stabbed lago, but did not wound him fatally so that he would live the rest of his life in pain. Running the blade through his own body, Othello committed suicide to end the heart-rending story.



       While Othello as a character has an imposing stage presence, lago steals the show for his evil nature. He never reveals anywhere why he did what he did to Othello and Desdemona. Brabantio’s warning ‘Look to her, moor, if thou hast eyes to see. She has deceived her father, and may thee’ is the central statement of the play.



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Who was Othello ?


      There was a general named Othello, in Venice. He was a Moor lago, an officer under him was angry with Othello, because he was not made a lieutenant. Instead, the general had chosen Michael Cassio.                                                  



      Othello had won the love of Desdemona, the beautiful daughter of a Senator named Brabantio lago asked his friend Roderigo to tell Brabantio that Desdemona had left to marry Othello. Brabantio was against this marriage because Othello was a Moor. However, the Duke of Venice allowed Desdemona to go with Othello, who was sent on a mission to Cyprus to stop a Turkish invasion. Othello announced a festival in Cyprus, as the Turkish fleet was out of action.



       Cunning lago made Cassio drink too much, and drew him into a quarrel with Roderigo. Othello learned of Cassio’s mis-behaviour, and stripped him of his rank. Then lago was able to make Othello believe that Desdemona was unfaithful to him, and in love with Cassio. Othello grew mad with jealousy, and he ordered lago to kill Cassio.



       Lago would not stop there, however. He planted Desdemona’s handkerchief in Cassio’s room to prove that she and Cassio were lovers. lago also had Roderigo try to kill Cassio, but the attempt went wrong. Cassio wounded Roderigo, and lago stabbed Cassio in the leg. Othello heard Cassio cry out, and thought lago had killed him.



       At the castle, Othello woke Desdemona from her sleep, accused her cruelly and strangled her to death. Then lago’s wife Emilia came there and told Othello the truth about the handkerchief. Othello was shocked to hear this and flew at lago. lago fled, but was later captured. Othello could not stand his grief and he stabbed himself in the heart. Before he died, the tragic hero’s lips touched the face of Desdemona.



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Why is Julius Caesar also the story of Brutus?


       If you are arrogant and ambitious, your success will not stay with you for long! Julius Caesar, who was the epitome of courage, nobility and power, did not heed the premonitions of his wife Calpurnia and a soothsayer from the crowd; and as a result, his most trusted friend, Brutus, assassinated him.



       Caesar was returning from a battle when he encountered in the crowd that was jostling against him in the jubilant crowd, a mad man who shouted to him, ‘Beware of the ides of March.’ One of the most famous lines from Shakespeare, it was a warning to him to be careful during the middle of the coming month of March. He dismisses the warning out of his arrogance and pride. In the meanwhile, his political enemy, Cassius was trying to convince Brutus to assassinate Caesar. They heard that Mark Antony had offered Caesar thrice the crown of Rome, but he refused it all three times hoping that the people watching them would plead with him to accept it. However, that did not happen to the utter disappointment of Caesar. The conspirators went ahead with their plan and killed Caesar after convincing Brutus to join them. They stabbed him one after another and when Brutus’ turn came, Caesar uttered in dismay the most famous line of the play, ‘Et tu, Brute?’ meaning ‘you too, Brutus?’ The Conspirators, convinced about their action, tried to persuade the people, explaining everything. Brutus gave a long speech, which satisfied the people. However, Mark Antony made an ironic speech starting with ‘Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears’. The people, understanding what Antony meant, instantly turned against Brutus and the other conspirators. In the ensuing battle, one after another, all the conspirators were to die. Mark Antony, however, convinced of the noble heart of Brutus, called him ‘the noblest Roman of them all’ because he acted for the good of Rome.



       Julius Caesar is based on true historical events. While the title suggests the protagonist as Caesar, Brutus’s role takes more stage time and many scholars contest that the protagonist of the play is, in fact, the latter and not the former.



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Who was Julius Caesar ?


      Julius Caesar was valiant leader of Rome. His popularity grew like that of a king. The citizens loved and supported him, but some started to fear his increase in power. They feared that Caesar would become a king and turn their republican government into a monarchy, so they conspired to assassinate Caesar. Cassius, the leader of the conspirators, also convinced Marcus Brutus, Caesar’s trusted friend, to join them.



       Caesar had just returned to Rome after defeating his archenemy, Pompey the Great. A soothsayer stopped him and warned, “Beware of the Ides of March.” But Caesar ignored the warning and proceeded to celebrate his victory. The next morning he visits the Senate House, where the conspirators killed him.



       Caesar’s friend Mark Antony gave a brilliant funeral speech, which incited the crowd to riot, which led to a civil war. Antony and Octavius joined the fight against the conspirators, and avenged Caesar’s death. Thus, order was restored in Rome.



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Why is the balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet so heart-rending?


       Romantic lovers are often compared to Romeo and Juliet. They are celebrated for their steadfast love for each other and their sacrifice. Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy, Romeo and Juliet presents the story of two lovers whose fate does not allow them to live a life together.



      The ‘balcony scene’ in the play where Romeo meets Juliet for the first time is one of the most celebrated scenes in all of Shakespeare’s plays. He compares the balcony to the east and her, to the sun! Lines such as ‘Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs’ and ‘O teach me how I should forget to think’ are some of the most memorable lines of the play.



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Who first told the story of Romeo and Juliet?


      The story of these two lovers was popular in England and other parts of Europe long before Shakespeare wrote the famous play. Shakespeare’s chief source was a poem written by Arthur Brooke in 1562, titled ‘The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet’. Brooke’s poem was in fact a free translation of a French story by Pierre Boaistuau (1566). The source for this story, in turn, was another story by an Italian writer named Mateo Bandello. Several variations of this tale existed long before that, but it was a writer named Da Porto who first named the lovers as Romeo and Giulietta, and set the action in Verona.



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When was Macbeth written?


     Macbeth was probably written between 1603 and 1606. It was penned during the reign of James VI, and Shakespeare’s relationship with sovereign nobility is best reflected in this play, which is also one of Shakespeare’s shorter tragedies.



      In Verona, Italy, there were two families who were sworn enemies: the Capulets and the Montagues.



     Romeo, a young man in the Montague family, was sad because a woman named Rosaline would not return his love. Meanwhile, Juliet, a Capulet, was asked to marry a Count named Paris, although she was not in love with him. Her parents prepared for a huge party that night.



      Romeo’s best friend Mercutio wanted to cheer him up, and suggested that they go to the Capulet party. Romeo agreed, though reluctantly. He knew they would not be welcome by the enemy family.



     At the party, Romeo and Juliet saw each other and fell in love. When the party was over, Romeo stood below Juliet’s balcony and called to her. They made ardent vows of love. Juliet’s trusted nurse and Friar Laurence, a priest, helped them to get married in secret.



     Unfortunately Romeo got involved in a fight between the two families, and he happened to kill Juliet’s cousin Tybalt. Romeo fled the scene, but the Prince ordered that Romeo should be exiled and should never return to Verona. Then Juliet’s father told her that marriage with Count Paris would take place soon. Filled with sadness, Juliet visited Friar Laurence, who gave her a special potion. It would put her into a deep sleep, making her appear to have died. The plan was that Friar Laurence would send word to Romeo about this fake death. Once Juliet was entombed, the marriage to Paris would be called off. Then Juliet would awaken, Romeo would find her, and both could live happily ever after.



      However, the message about the fake death could not reach Romeo. All he came to know was that Juliet had died. He got some poison himself and visited the tomb. Thinking she was dead, Romeo drank the poison and died next to her. When Juliet woke from her deep sleep, she was horrified to see Romeo lying dead. She took Romeo’s dagger and stabbed herself.



      Later, both the families repented their enmity, and decided to live in peace.



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Where did the story of Macbeth come from?


       There really was a king of Scotland named Macbeth, who died in 1057. Shakespeare’s play is based on the legend of his life. The real Macbeth was a ‘mormaer’ or chief, in the province of Moray, in northern Scotland. He later ascended the throne after killing his cousin King Duncan in a battle (not by murdering him in bed, as in the play). Shakespeare seems to have got the story from a book titled ‘Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland’ by Raphael Holinshed, and he was more interested in drama than historical facts. So, Shakespeare’s depiction of the character of Macbeth is entirely fictional.



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Macbeth ?


       Macbeth was a brave general, serving under King Duncan of Scotland. Once he was returning from a victorious campaign, with another general named Banquo. Three witches met them on the way, and prophesied that Macbeth would become thane (baron) of Cawdor, and also King of Scotland.



       The witches then vanished. Soon after, word reached them that Macbeth was to assume the title of the thane of Cawdor. Part of the witches’ prophecies had come true. This set Macbeth dreaming of ascending the throne.



       King Duncan welcomed Macbeth and Banquo with all praise, and he spent the night at Macbeth’s castle. Macbeth shared the witches’ prophecies with his wife, and her mind was filled with greed. Macbeth stabbed Duncan, and the servants were framed for the murder. The king’s sons fled in fear, and Macbeth assumed the throne. Banquo became suspicious, remembering what the witches had said.



       Macbeth soon had Banquo killed. He was indeed descending into madness. He visited the three witches again, who assured him he was safe – “none of woman born” would harm him; and he would be safe until he sees the forest of Birnam Wood rise against him. Macbeth then ordered the murder of Macduff, the nobleman who had first seen Duncan dead. But Macduff had fled to England, and his entire family was killed, instead.



       Lady Macbeth’s conscience was ridden with guilt, and she killed herself in madness. Macduff and Duncan’s son Malcolm rode back to Scotland with an English army to take revenge, The English soldiers held up branches from the Birnam Wood to hide their real numbers, and it really looked like the forest was moving. And Macduff was not naturally born of his mother. Macbeth was struck down and beheaded by Macduff, and Malcolm inherited his rightful throne.



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Why is ‘Hamlet’ considered one of the greatest tragedies written by Shakespeare?


   ‘The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark’ is a great revenge tragedy. In this play Shakespeare strongly brings out the complexity of the human mind. Prince Hamlet is given the task of revenge, but he is not naturally suited to it. This leads to an inner turmoil which is unveiled brilliantly by Shakespeare. Combined with this is the power of the story itself.



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