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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wanted to like The Tempest, I really did, so much so that I read it twice.
Note: The editions I read of this book are not the editions used to shelve this review on Goodreads.
READ #1: Late 2015, Lost in Translation.
The first time I read The Tempest the biggest problem was not the play, but the edition of the play I was reading. Each edition of a play, handled by different publishers and editors, ends up slightly different. The one I read was a Canadian publication that claimed that it was meant to translate Shakespeare into "Canadian", whatever that means. The result was a translation where the language was stifled and choppy. It was a frustrating read because it ended up removing a lot of what I love about Shakespeare in an effort to make it easier to understand. Turns out I couldn't understand it and I didn't realize that my edition was so screwy till I got to the end and read the editor's notes. Not cool!
READ #2: Early 2016, Education Station. (Warning: spoilers)
The second reading I did of the Tempest was for school. The version of the play I read was much, much better and I actually enjoyed doing the required analysis. Reading about how the play fit into Shakespeare's other works and the themes it was representing made The Tempest make a lot more sense. I also enjoyed reading about the theatrical meta commentary Shakespeare was weaving into the play.
It still wasn't a great play though. I simply didn't enjoy it. It was interesting, but not enjoyable by my standards.
I found that too much of the plot hinged on me feeling sympathy for Prospero. I kept asking myself: Why do I care if Prospero gets his Dukedom back? At the beginning of the play Prospero tells us the backstory that while he was Duke all he did was retreat into his studies leaving the actual governing to his brother, Antonio. Then, surprise! Antonio decides that if he's doing all the work he also wants the perks and the title of actually being the Duke. OMG SHOCK!
Now, is Antonio an asshole? Absolutely! He sent a small child to her death and tried to talk some other guy into killing his own brother just so he wouldn't have to pay tribute, but I also totally understand his motivations, which makes him an interesting character. If Prospero is the protagonist it doesn't work if I care more about the villain than I do about him.
The characters I did feel for were primarily, Ariel and Miranda. Poor, poor Miranda. You hear all this fuss about Romeo and Juliet, but you never hear anyone talk about Miranda.
In the end, I think that The Tempest and I just weren't meant to be. I started questioning the entire narrative and once you question one thing all other sort of questions follow. Like, question, if Prospero has these magical powers, the help of a magical servant, and an island full of resources why couldn't he just leave the island? I'm sure there are some assumptions that could be made, but never in the entire play does anyone explain why they remained trapped there.
Personally, I think that The Tempest would be much better performed on a stage than read about on the page. It lacks that sparkle that really makes me love Shakespeare and the magic is difficult to visualize without the all important visuals.
On the plus side, if you've made it this far in my review, I did discover some interesting Shakespeare resources in my studies. For exacble I found Ben Crystal and his video/talk about Shakespeare's accent. I also learned through watching his talks that I am, indeed, not too old to have girlish crushes. If I leave you with anything I highly suggest checking out his work. It's really interesting stuff!
Note: The editions I read of this book are not the editions used to shelve this review on Goodreads.
READ #1: Late 2015, Lost in Translation.
The first time I read The Tempest the biggest problem was not the play, but the edition of the play I was reading. Each edition of a play, handled by different publishers and editors, ends up slightly different. The one I read was a Canadian publication that claimed that it was meant to translate Shakespeare into "Canadian", whatever that means. The result was a translation where the language was stifled and choppy. It was a frustrating read because it ended up removing a lot of what I love about Shakespeare in an effort to make it easier to understand. Turns out I couldn't understand it and I didn't realize that my edition was so screwy till I got to the end and read the editor's notes. Not cool!
READ #2: Early 2016, Education Station. (Warning: spoilers)
The second reading I did of the Tempest was for school. The version of the play I read was much, much better and I actually enjoyed doing the required analysis. Reading about how the play fit into Shakespeare's other works and the themes it was representing made The Tempest make a lot more sense. I also enjoyed reading about the theatrical meta commentary Shakespeare was weaving into the play.
It still wasn't a great play though. I simply didn't enjoy it. It was interesting, but not enjoyable by my standards.
I found that too much of the plot hinged on me feeling sympathy for Prospero. I kept asking myself: Why do I care if Prospero gets his Dukedom back? At the beginning of the play Prospero tells us the backstory that while he was Duke all he did was retreat into his studies leaving the actual governing to his brother, Antonio. Then, surprise! Antonio decides that if he's doing all the work he also wants the perks and the title of actually being the Duke. OMG SHOCK!
Now, is Antonio an asshole? Absolutely! He sent a small child to her death and tried to talk some other guy into killing his own brother just so he wouldn't have to pay tribute, but I also totally understand his motivations, which makes him an interesting character. If Prospero is the protagonist it doesn't work if I care more about the villain than I do about him.
The characters I did feel for were primarily, Ariel and Miranda. Poor, poor Miranda. You hear all this fuss about Romeo and Juliet, but you never hear anyone talk about Miranda.
In the end, I think that The Tempest and I just weren't meant to be. I started questioning the entire narrative and once you question one thing all other sort of questions follow. Like, question, if Prospero has these magical powers, the help of a magical servant, and an island full of resources why couldn't he just leave the island? I'm sure there are some assumptions that could be made, but never in the entire play does anyone explain why they remained trapped there.
Personally, I think that The Tempest would be much better performed on a stage than read about on the page. It lacks that sparkle that really makes me love Shakespeare and the magic is difficult to visualize without the all important visuals.
On the plus side, if you've made it this far in my review, I did discover some interesting Shakespeare resources in my studies. For exacble I found Ben Crystal and his video/talk about Shakespeare's accent. I also learned through watching his talks that I am, indeed, not too old to have girlish crushes. If I leave you with anything I highly suggest checking out his work. It's really interesting stuff!
The only shakespeare play I ever read besides Romeo and Juliet, and it's put me off the man for years...
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
I was looking forward to reading this and wanted so much to like it, but honestly just couldn't get into it, despite the lyrical style. I'll be seeing it performed later this year on stage and may try catching one of the film versions, so we'll see if I just missed something in my reading.
There were, though, plenty of good quotes. My favorites:
“O, wonder!
How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,
That has such people in't!”
“What's past is prologue.”
“Your tale, sir, would cure deafness.”
There were, though, plenty of good quotes. My favorites:
“O, wonder!
How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,
That has such people in't!”
“What's past is prologue.”
“Your tale, sir, would cure deafness.”
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Suprisingly easy to read with enchanting lines and interesting characters but the ending was a bit of a letdown, i expected blood lol
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes