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The Tempest, one of Shakespeare's last plays, is remarkable for its elaborate staging and close adherence to the neo-classical "Aristotelian" unities. A traditional approach to the play was to see it as Shakespeare's formal farewell to the stage; more modern readings see it as a more complex study in the use of power, especially in its overtones of colonialization.

The subjects in the following pages include:

• The "unities" in The Tempest
• Prospero, the magus, and Shakespeare
• Caliban and colonization
• Ferdinand and Miranda, the young lovers
• Tricks of the trade: issues of staging
• Music and masque

See also:

• A modern text of The Tempest.
• An old-spelling text of Folio 1.
• A list of book facsimiles that contain The Tempest.
• The essential facts about the play.*

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