The Tempest (Dover Thrift Editions: Plays)

This bewitching play | Shakespeare's final work | articulates a wealth of the playwright's mature reflections on life and contains some of his most familiar and oft-quoted lines. The story concerns Miranda | a lovely young maiden | and Prospero | her philosophical old magician father | who dwell on an enchanted island | alone except for their servants -- Ariel | an invisible sprite | and Caliban | a monstrous witch's son.Into their idyllic but isolated lives comes a shipwrecked party that includes the enemies who usurped Prospero's dukedom years before | and set him and his daughter adrift on the ocean. Also among the castaways is a handsome prince | the first young man Miranda has ever seen. Comedy | romance | and reconciliation ensue | in a masterly drama that begins with a storm at sea and concludes in joyous harmony. Students | poetry lovers | and drama enthusiasts will treasure this convenient | modestly priced edition of one of Shakespeare's greatest plays and one of literature's finest comedies.