William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”

The Tempest by William Shakespeare

The Tempest by William Shakespeare is one of the oldest dramas that continues to receive a lot of attention today. Trinculo, Stephano, Sebastian, Gonzalo, Ferdinand, Antonio, and Alonso are on board the ship when it is hit by a storm on the play's remote island setting. After Alonso's daughter's nuptials to the Prince of Tunis, a Kingdom in Africa, the ship sailed for Italy. The royal party and the Mariners all get ready to sink once the ship is hit during this first Act. Prospero (the Duke of Milan), Sabastian (Alonso's brother), and Miranda Prospero's daughter play major roles in later episodes that are located on a desolate island. Miranda and the father were placed in a rotten boat that found its way to an Island that had witch Sycorax as its ruler. In a nutshell, The Tempest explores numerous themes such as magic arts, death, marriage, and revenge. The performers of this play at the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival managed to bring out the play as it was written by Shakespeare.

The Staging of the Play

The staging of the play was excellent. The performance space was accustomed to the play itself. Different lightings depicted diverse scenes. For instance, blue lights were immensely used in the acts that took place in the ocean while green and yellow lighting was used to depict other activities that happened on land. The costumes used complimented the setting of the play. The actors wore traditional attire that was worn during different events. The characters used ancient English language accents that painted a true picture of the play. Therefore, the characters, lighting, staging, and costumes perfectly match the original play as it is evident that the original "The Tempest" play was used in producing the performance at St. Louis Shakespeare Festival.

Mood and Tone

The performance created different mood and tones for each act and scene. For instance, the mood of fear was evident in the first act when the ship ferrying the royal party and Mariners to Italy was hit. The tone of the performers in this act matched the mood of fear. The tones and mood were concurrent in the other scene as marriages were celebrated by people being happy and revenge and rage went concurrently.

Understanding the Play

The first sections (act 1 scene 1) of the play were the easiest to understand. The staging, and lighting communicated to the audience the occurrences in this scene. The soundtracks also guided the performers, and the actors were eager to grasp the concentration of the audience. Consequently, the appearance of the characters, lighting, staging, and costumes stood out, making this part easier to understand. Another detail that stood out throughout the performance was the soundtracks that matched the activities taking place in every scene.

The Role of Theatre in Contemporary Culture

The performance at St. Louis Shakespeare Festival was a traditional play acted in modern time. The play suggests several aspects regarding the role that theatre plays in contemporary culture. First, theatre is pivotal as it serves entertainment purposes. The audience of the The Tempest play at the festival were entertained. Theatre also links the traditional and contemporary culture, thereby explaining the origin and existence of the different phenomena witnessed in modern-day culture. Lastly, theatre is crucial in contemporary culture as it enhances creativity. The play "The Tempest" was produced several centuries ago, but with the creativity in video production, the performers in this play managed to present the events as they would have unfolded in the 17th century.