SHAKESPodosphEARE

2.1 Dramatic Reading of Shakespeare's The Tempest

December 20, 2006

Welcome back to Shakespodospheare!

The following episode is a dramatic reading of 2.1 of The Tempest.�

In this scene,�audience members and readers find the wedding party on shore at Prospero's island.��It is important to know the relationships between these men. I do my best with different voices to help readers distinguish among them.

Alonso is the King of Naples. His son Ferdinand (whom we just left) is shipwrecked elsewhere on the island. Sebastian is Alonso's brother. Antonio is Prospero's brother and the current (de facto)�Duke of Milan. Remember how Prospero told Miranda about the way Antonio came to power--partially because Prospero ignored state affairs by focusing solely on his studies (His library was dukedom large enough). Antonio, however, prone by nature to corruption, took advantage of being the substitute for Prospero and was the man behind the attempt to kill Prospero and Miranda (by sending them to sea in a boat that could barely float--even the rats did quit (flee from) it). Please note that although Gonzalo, Prospero's trusted advisor, and now Antonio's and Alonso's, did get the job of having �to kill Prospero deceitfully,�could not do it because he was friends with and loved Prospero. Gonzalo, therefore, should always be seen as a good character--a good man among many bad ones.

Two very important themes emerge in this scene:

First, utopia. Gonzalo, eternally optimistic, declares how he would strive to create a utopian world, given the chance.

Second, conspiracy. There are two�examples of conspiracy in the play so far. First, there is the one in the past just described above, the one in which Prospero was supplanted by his wicked brother, Antonio. The second is the�one that develops in this scene, as a result�of Antonio's plotting. Antonio�persuades Sebastian to make an attempt on Alonso's life. As they draw their swords, Ariel sings a song in�Gonzalo's ear, waking him up. He and Alonso find Antonio and Sebastian with their swords drawn. The conspirators lie about�why they are wielding their weapons, and all of the men eventually decide to keep walking and try to find Ferdinand.

Please do your best with the dialogue at the beginning of the scene. Imagine Gonzalo, Adrian, and Francisco on one side of Alonso (or the stage), and Sebastian and Antonio on the other. As Gonzalo,�Adrian, and Francisco speak optimistically, Sebastian and Antonio make fun of them and sepak negatively about their current state of affairs. Eventually, all but Sebastian and Antonio are put to sleep by Ariel's music, so that the two evil characters can plot against Alonso. Sleep is another theme in the play, by the way. Might there be multiple meanings�for the term?

Please pay attention to how this conspiracy plays out, how it reflects on the previous one, and how the upcoming plot created by Caliban and Stephano is a comic mirror to the serious one. Shakespeare used double plots in many plays (much to the dismay of neo-classical adherents to the criterion of unity of�plot/action).�How do each of the plots help an audience get perspective on events in the play and the nature of conspiracy in general?�

I'd like to offer another special thanks to Mary Margaret for singing the lyrics to "While You Do Snoring Lie!" She gave up valuable time to help make this series more entertaining. Thanks a million, Mary Margaret!!

And to repeat the caveat I supplied in the previous show notes, Shakespeare's text calls for Ariel to play a tabor and pipe, but I use a guitar. Look for a separate "ideacast" on the music in The Tempest, complete with authentic music (forthcoming, I hope, in January of 2007). I wrote the music for the play, and Mary Margaret used her keen ear to come up with the melodies for the tunes I created.

Thanks for joining me!

Enjoy!

("Sound effects provided by www.a1freesoundeffects.com.")

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