10 Tempest facts we thought you’d like to know
Monday 27 July 2026
The Tempest is one of Shakespeare’s most imaginative and layered plays; a work that blends magic, music, philosophy, and politics. Before you experience it on stage, here are ten facts we thought you might be interested to find out:
1.
We know that The Tempest, written by Shakespeare around 1610 and likely premiered in 1611, was performed at court during the celebrations of the marriage of Princess Elizabeth Stuart to Frederick, Elector Palatine, on Valentine’s Day in February 1613. Contemporary and later accounts often portrayed the marriage as an affectionate one, not just a political alliance. Their youngest daughter, Sophia, became the progenitor of the Hanoverian royal dynasty, whose descendants still occupy the British throne today.
2.
The image of a mysterious island filled with wonders and magical sounds might have been inspired by the ‘discovery’ of the Bermuda Islands. Juan Bermúdez (part of Columbus’ expedition) sailed near them in 1505 but did not land as the sailors were frightened by the loud cries of unknown birds and believed the islands to be inhabited by demons. In 1609, English sailors were shipwrecked near Bermuda but survived and returned home on newly built ships. It’s important to note however that the island in the play is situated between Tunisia and Naples, so somewhere in the Mediterranean.
3.
The name Caliban is an anagram of the word “cannibal.” Though we can’t be sure if this was intentional, Shakespeare was likely familiar with Montaigne’s essay On Cannibals, in which the French philosopher admires the “simple morals” of so-called savages. Mirroring this, it is noteworthy that Caliban is arguably given the most beautiful poetry in the play.
4.
The theme of a new, unexplored land where newcomers must atone for past sins has been widely developed in world literature – from Jules Verne’s The Mysterious Island to Stanisław Lem’s Solaris. Before Shakespeare was writing, this was a trope in earlier Italian drama, and dates back even further to ancient epics like Homer’s Odyssey.
5.
The Tempest has countless interpretations. The most famous sees it as Shakespeare’s farewell to the theatre. Prospero and Miranda’s twelve-year stay on the island, when mapped onto the author’s biography, points to a significant year for him. In 1599, the Globe Theatre was built, Hamlet was written, and Shakespeare’s period of creative flourishing began. The Tempest is his final play. During court performances, the final monologue was traditionally delivered by the author himself, and it is possible that we hear Shakespeare’s own voice in it.
6.
The theme of reconciliation and mercy is clearly expressed in Shakespeare’s late plays. The ‘Hamlet dilemma’ – restoring justice at the cost of innocent lives and one’s own soul – is resolved through the act of forgiving one’s enemies.7.
In The Tempest, it could be said (with hindsight) that Shakespeare anticipates the end of the Renaissance. Despite all the knowledge acquired, a human being – created in God’s image and placed at the centre of the universe – cannot overcome the evil within. The magical island ultimately returns to the control of the irredeemable ‘savage’ Caliban. Miranda’s line, “O brave new world!”, was later chosen by Aldous Huxley as the title of his famous dystopian novel.
8.
The Tempest has had a profound influence on the arts, particularly music. Composers such as Purcell, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, and Adès have drawn on the play.
9.
The plot of Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute (1791) is often considered a Masonic reinterpretation of The Tempest. Its characters echo Shakespeare’s: the magician Sarastro resembles Prospero, Pamina recalls Miranda, Tamino mirrors Ferdinand, and Papageno parallels the man-of-nature Caliban.
10.
During the Baroque era, The Tempest was adapted into musical works based on literary revisions by Dryden and Davenant; the philosophical dimension was pushed into the background, while the romantic and comic elements were emphasized. In this 2026 production, we return to Shakespeare’s original plot and script, using music by Baroque composers such as Purcell, Locke, Dowland, Johnson, and Couperin to enhance the drama.
© Anna Rulevskaya, trans. Jonathan Darbourne
Step onto the island with us and discover its magic anew…
Shakespeare’s The Tempest, a semi-opera
Saturday 29 August, Sunday 30 August, Saturday 5 September, Sunday 6 September 2026
Or join us for SPLASH! an adapted, shortened and relaxed version of the show, MC’d for accessibility with BSL interpretation, and taking place morning of Sunday 6 September
