Our revels now are not ended. They’re just getting started!

After my annual trip to the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival this year to see The Tempest, I ended up talking to my family about how Prospero acts as stand in for a playwright or director and the ties back to the theater. So I thought I’d write an episode about it!

We dip our toes into the post-colonial view of the play but it’s definitely a topic that deserves future treatment and consideration. I also try to address the question of whether Shakespeare wrote Prospero as a version of himself and how autobiographical The Tempest really is.

You can also hear me give two wildly different pronunciations of Prospero’s name, so that’s a fun puzzle.

Listen here or wherever you find your podcasts:

Further Reading

The Tempest by William Shakespeare (I used the Arden edition for some info on early performances)

Shakespeare After All by Marjorie Garber (The whole book is great, but I reference The Tempest chapter in the episode)

“Of Cannibals” by Michel de Montaigne (This is the essay I reference that Shakespeare pulled from)

Credit where credit is due

Art by Halie Branson

Music recording by josdvg