Illusion In Shakespeare's The Tempest

The Tempest was written by William Shakespeare, who was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon in England. He was one of the most influential writers in the history of English Literature, the writer of about 38 plays and 154 sonnets, and the part-owner of the Globe Theatre. The original date of some of his works is uncertain, therefore the order of the plays and sonnets are questionable. However, since Shakespeare used material, that was not available until late 1610 (letters from the new Virginia colony in Jamestown, and an account of a shipwreck off Bermuda), we suppose that The Tempest was written in 1610-1611. It was first performed at Court by The King 's Men (Previously known as Lord Chamberlain 's Men, a theatrical company, it became The King 's Men in 1603, when King James I ascended the throne and became the company 's patron.) in the fall of 1611. In

(p. 75) Prospero in his final speech likens himself to a playwright and asks for the applause of the audience:“But release me from my bands/With the help of your good hands:/Gentle breath of yours my sails / Must fill, or else my project fails,/ Which was to please./ Now I want Spirits to enforce, art to enchant, / And my ending is despair,/ Unless I be relieved by prayer, / Which pierces so that it assaults / Mercy itself and frees all faults. / As you from crimes would pardon 'd be, / Let your indulgence set me free.” (Epilogue). In my opinion, here, Prospero 's speech emphasizes the importance of arts and humanity, and implies that in the end the public 's approval that matters the most. In the Epilogue, Prospero bids farewell to the audience, however, since The Tempest is most likely the last play that Shakespeare wrote by himself, and it can also be interpreted as Shakespeare 's goodbye to the