The Tempest

For years, Prospero, sorcerer and overthrown Duke of Milan, and his daughter, Miranda, have been marooned on an island of magic, both good and evil. When a ship carrying his usurping brother sails within the realm of his power, Prospero unleashes a storm that leaves the crew washed ashore, separated, and vulnerable to his enchantments - and open to forgiveness, repentance, and love.

Given its themes of reconciliation and closure, and its references to the dissolution of “the great globe,” this tragicomedy of illusion and the supernatural is believed by some critics to be Shakespeare’s spellbinding farewell to the stage.

HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics. 'We are such stuff As dreams are made on; and our little life Is rounded with a sleep.' Magical and dreamlike in its tone, Shakespeare's The Tempest begins with a storm of epic proportions and a shipwreck. Banished from Italy, Prospero lives on a remote island with his daughter. Using his magic, he vows to seek revenge on the injustice dealt to him by his brother, but in doing so, Shakespeare questions the difficulty of distinguishing 'men' from 'monsters', and the realities of justice.