The Tempest as Mystery Play: Uncovering Religious Sources of Shakespeare's Most Spiritual Work
Comparison of Shakespeare's works to their likely sources is one way to deepen our appreciation. Sources for The Tempest, however, have long eluded the grasp of scholars, who have unearthed only bits and pieces that resemble minor elements of the play. Few traces of the special qualities of The Tempest have turned up in any works so far considered as sources. \ This author is the first to identify a strong biblical basis for The Tempest. Further, she demonstrates that the play's use of...
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Comparison of Shakespeare's works to their likely sources is one way to deepen our appreciation. Sources for The Tempest, however, have long eluded the grasp of scholars, who have unearthed only bits and pieces that resemble minor elements of the play. Few traces of the special qualities of The Tempest have turned up in any works so far considered as sources. This author is the first to identify a strong biblical basis for The Tempest. Further, she demonstrates that the play's use of biblical imagery, characters, and concepts echo the way these elements were interpreted in the English Mystery Plays. Thus Hall is able to trace the links between The Tempest and the best known religious works of Elizabethan society: the Bible, the Mystery Plays, and the 1559 Book of Common Prayer. These links reveal The Tempest as a profoundly spiritual work, allowing the modern reader to experience the play as a harmonious religious vision.BooknewsFinding what she believes to be the long-sought sources for Shakespeare's final play, Hall points out the biblical imagery, characters, and concepts and shows how they echo the way those elements were interpreted in the English Mystery Plays. She characterizes the play as a profoundly spiritual work and suggests modern readers experience it as a harmonious religious vision. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
AcknowledgmentsPreface1Introduction3IBardic Shards, Artifacts and Sources13IIThe English Cultural Climate and Mystery Play Scholarship25IIIShakespeare's Turbulent Overture41IVShakespearean Typology: The Several Identities of Characters in The Tempest49VBiblical Fabrics: Ludus Coventriae and Descriptive Portraits in The Book of Common Prayer and the Bible73VIThe Language of Belief: Wordplay in The Tempest93VIIShakespeare's Paronomastic Plot107VIII"All the Tuned Spheres": A Cosmological Framework121IXWeaving the Tapestry: Themes, Focus, and Design135XGolden Hours, Yellow Sands: Time and Place in The Tempest147XIBeyond This "Little Life": A Vision169Notes179Works Cited195Index201
\ BooknewsFinding what she believes to be the long-sought sources for Shakespeare's final play, Hall points out the biblical imagery, characters, and concepts and shows how they echo the way those elements were interpreted in the English Mystery Plays. She characterizes the play as a profoundly spiritual work and suggests modern readers experience it as a harmonious religious vision. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)\ \
