The Tempest

Edited, introduced, and annotated by Cedric Watts, M.A., Ph.D., Emeritus Professor of English, University of Sussex.

The Wordsworth Classics' Shakespeare's Series presents a newly-edited sequence of William Shakespeare's works. The textual editing takes into account recent scholarship while giving the material a careful reappraisal.

About The Tempest

The Tempest is widely regarded as the most lyrical, profound, and fascinating of Shakespeare's late comedies.

The story follows Prospero, who has been long exiled from Italy with his daughter, Miranda. Using his magical powers, Prospero seeks to defeat his former enemies. Ultimately, he proves merciful, relinquishes his magic—his ‘art’—and prepares to return to the mainland.

This play is often viewed as Shakespeare's ‘farewell to the stage’ before his retirement.