Weyland tells the story of Weyland the smith; who in Norse myth was crippled by the insane King Nudand and imprisoned. But the smith is able to turn the Kingrsquo;s madness to his own advantage; especially when Nud imprisons his own daughter and sons in the same cell as Weyland. The myth of Weyland follows the lineage of Philoctetes and other stories describing the struggle between art and authority.
#4039375 in eBooks 1996-01-01 1996-01-01File Name: B00AVXAFEM
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. "The great globe itself..."By B. Wilfong"The Tempest" is Shakespeares last great play; and in an oddly appropriate way it is very different from much of his earlier efforts. Unlike most of Shakespeares work; "The Tempest" seems to have come mostly from the Bards own mind; and does not have source materials from which Shakespeare lifted the plot. This may explain the weakness of the plot of the play; regardless it does not matter in the big scheme of things.The play takes the form of following three separate groups on an enchanted isle. A group of foul noblemen; who gained power through the usurpation of the rightful ruler; a comic trio who stumble about in drunkenness and plot evil deeds (the plays comic relief) and the "lord" of the island (Prospero) and his faithful spirit world servants. When the three plots converge in the final act of the text Shakespeare gives the reader a satisfying conclusion; but one that still has a hint of sadness and darkness to it. The famous epilogue of the play spoken by Prospero (Now my charms are all oerthrown...) leaves the reader with a plethora of questions and emotions. This epilogue is one of the most beautiful pieces in the entire canon.It has become fashionable to make "The Tempest" a valedictory play for Shakespeare; and there are many moments in the text that can be read as Prospero speaking for him. At the plays conclusion Prospero frees his trusty servant Ariel (some say his muse); acknowledges the half human Caliban as "mine own" (some say his own dark nature) and gives up his magic powers (his talent). This is an appropriate reading; and a satisfying one for lovers of Shakespeare. Just be careful not to limit the text to just that interpretation.I think the greater strength in the piece is its portrayal of the absolute humanity of forgiveness; and how lucky we as humans are to be able to practice it. The most poignant scene in Shakespeare begins at the beginning of Act V when Ariel tells Prospero that he would be moved to pity for the people that Prospero has entrapped on the island (with the plan of taking revenge) "were I human". This stunning declaration causes Prospero to recant his vengeful purposes; "the rarer action is in virtue than in vengeance." A grown up Shakespeare has lived a life and seen the capacity for good that humanity can engender. It is hard to imagine the man who wrote "The Tempest" as the same man who wrote the revenge blood fest "Titus Andronicus" so many years earlier. A mature work; from a mature playwright!As for the Pelican Shakespeare series; they are my favorite editions as the scholarly research is usually top notch and the editions themselves look good as an aesthetic unit. It looks and feel like a play and this compliments the texts contents admirably. The Pelican series was recently reedited and has the latest scholarship on Shakespeare and his time period. Well priced and well worth it.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Now my charms are all oerthrownBy CustomerAwesome play. Considered Shakespeares last play written solo. Henry VIII; The Two Noble Kinsmen came after but Shakespeare co-wrote these with John Fletcher. When reading this you can really see how Shakespeare has mastered his skill as a playwright. Unlike many of his other plays; The Tempest follows the Aristotelian unities of time; place; and action. Like with many of his plays Shakespeare gives us a comical subplot poking fun at the main plot. This is very interesting as it also effectively pokes fun at colonialism. While I would not suggest this as your first read in Shakespeare; I would still call it a must read when studying Shakespeare.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Easy To Read AlongBy Say What?This guide is very simple to follow along; compared to the Old English versions. My sister purchased this edition for her class; and it has greatly helped her to make sense of the writing; rather than to have her mind boggled. The side by side of the original and the modern text; once its able to be grasped the meanings and the contexts; really does allows one to appreciate the beauty of the play and the writings.