THE TEMPEST - 4^C LINGUISTICO

First performed in 1611, The Tempest  is different from many of Shakespeare's plays in that it does not derive from one clear source. The play draws on many of the motifs common to Shakespeare's works. These include the painful parting of a father with his daughter, jealousy and hatred between brothers, the usurpation of a legitimate ruler, the play-within-a-play, and the experiences of courtiers transplanted to a new environment. It is commonly classified with Pericles, The Winter's Tale, and Cymbeline in a small group of plays called "romances."  These plays contain elements of comedy and, to a lesser extent, tragedy, but do not wholly belong to either category. Common elements in Shakespearean romances include experiences of loss and recovery, as well as imaginative worlds in which magic can play an important role. Read here.

Prospero uses magic to conjure a storm and torment the survivors of a shipwreck, including the King of Naples and Prospero’s treacherous brother, Antonio. Prospero’s slave, Caliban, plots to rid himself of his master, but is thwarted by Prospero’s spirit-servant Ariel. The King’s young son Ferdinand, thought to be dead, falls in love with Prospero’s daughter Miranda. Their celebrations are cut short when Prospero confronts his brother and reveals his identity as the usurped Duke of Milan. The families are reunited and all conflict is resolved. Prospero grants Ariel his freedom and prepares to leave the island. Read here.

https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/uk-now/literature-uk/shakespeare-tempest

https://bardweb.net/plays/tempest.html

https://www.rsc.org.uk/the-tempest/the-plot

In Act 4, satisfied that Ferdinand has met all his challenges, Prospero presents the young couple with a betrothal masque celebrating chastity and the blessings of marriage. 

Prospero:
Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits, and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capp'd tow'rs, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve,
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on; and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.

Prospero is making a connection between the spirits to the physicality of life itself.  The spirits produce wonderful illusions of Gods and Goddesses, but what happens when the performance is over? There is nothing left.  This relates to that of a human dream.  While sleeping, the mind can produce amazing images to appear as real life, but once awake, the dreams disappear, as if they were never there.  Both of these examples connect to a much greater example, life.  People live their lives and then they die.  Although this is a sad realization, everything must come to an end. 

https://onlyfriendsstealyourbooks.wordpress.com/2012/02/26/we-are-such-stuff-as-dreams-are-made-on-and-our-little-life-is-rounded-sleep/

https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/tempest/quotes/page/5/

https://www.bardweb.net/content/readings/tempest/index.html