The Tempest

For twelve years now, Prospero has lived on a mysterious island where magical beings dwell. He has been stripped of his crown and homeland because of his brother-usurper. One day, a ship with all his enemies is caught in the sea storm that Prospero caused, and they are cast onto his island. Leontes’s daughter, saved from death in childhood, lives as a shepherdess in Bohemia, knowing nothing about her noble origins. But Florisel, the son of the king of Bohemia, falls in love with her. In Illyria, the Duke is in love with Countess Olivia, unaware that his young trusted man Cesario is in fact the girl Viola, who disguises herself as a boy. But then Viola’s twin brother Sebastian arrives in the city…

The plays “The Tempest,” “The Winter’s Tale,” and “Twelfth Night” were written during the period when Shakespeare was already a well-known genius and hoped to have his works staged at the court of Queen Elizabeth I. These plays are distinguished by their lightness, charm, unexpected plot turns, and refined humor—which makes them popular with both readers and directors.