The epigraph to the Trilogy is a quote from William Shakespeare's play «The Tempest»:
ARIEL: Not a soul
But felt a fever of the mad and play'd
Some tricks of desperation. All but mariners
Plunged in the foaming brine and quit the vessel,
Then all afire with me: the king's son, Ferdinand,
With hair up-staring, – then like reeds, not hair, –
Was the first man that leap'd; cried,
'Hell is empty And all the devils are here.'
Russian translation by G. M. Kruzhkov:
Ariel, spirit of the air:
Ни одна душа
Не выдержала блеска и смятенья,
Все, кроме моряков, ополоумев,
Попрыгали за борт. Принц Фердинанд
С поднявшимися дыбом волосами
Был первым; он вскричал:
«Ад опустел. Все черти здесь!»
Brief background:
«The Tempest» (The Tempest) — considered one of the last plays in William Shakespeare's body of work. First staged in 1611. First published in 1623. It is a romantic drama with elements of comedy and fantasy. The play's main themes include power, revenge, forgiveness, and magic.
Plot: The play's protagonist, Prospero, the former Duke of Milan, was overthrown and exiled, along with his daughter Miranda, to a deserted island. There he studies magic and gains power over spirits, including Ariel, and the savage Caliban. When a ship carrying his enemies passes near the island, Prospero conjures a storm that wrecks the vessel and strands everyone on the island. Over the course of events, Prospero uses magic to control people and outcomes, but in the end renounces revenge and restores justice, forgiving his enemies and returning to Milan.
Characters:
- Prospero — the protagonist, a magician and the former Duke of Milan.
- Miranda — his daughter, falls in love with Ferdinand.
- Ariel — a spirit of the air, Prospero's servant.
- Caliban — a savage, an inhabitant of the island, also serves Prospero.
- Ferdinand — son of the King of Naples, falls in love with Miranda.
- Alonso — the King of Naples, an ally of Antonio.
- Antonio — Prospero's brother, who usurped his dukedom.
The play concludes Shakespeare's career and is often seen as his personal farewell to the theater.
Film adaptations
The play has been adapted for the screen more than a dozen times. Below are several well-known adaptations:
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"The Tempest" (1908) – one of the earliest screen adaptations of the play, a silent film made at the Vitagraph studio. Details on IMDB (☆5.7).
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"Forbidden Planet" (1956) – considered a loose science-fiction adaptation of "The Tempest", with the action moved to another planet and characters paralleling those of the play. Details on IMDB (☆7.5).
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"The Tempest" (1960) – an NBC television film directed by George Schaefer, featuring the era's stars Maurice Evans, Richard Burton, and Roddy McDowall. Details on IMDB (☆7.0).
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"The Tempest" (1979) – director Derek Jarman made an experimental film that oddly merged elements of the classic text with visual avant-garde. Details on IMDB (☆6.4).
- "Tempest" (1982) – a loose modern adaptation. The cast includes John Cassavetes, Gena Rowlands, Susan Sarandon. Details on IMDB (☆6.4).
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"Prospero's Books" (1991) – a film by Peter Greenaway, a bold interpretation of the play in which the protagonist is not just a magician but also a writer, the creator of the play's world. Details on IMDB (☆6.8).
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"The Tempest" (1998) – an American TV film directed by Jack Bender. This is a modernized adaptation set in Mississippi during the American Civil War, starring Peter Fonda in the lead role. Details on IMDB (☆4.9).
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"The Tempest" (2010) – a film by Julie Taymor, in which the role of Prospero was reimagined as female and played by Helen Mirren. This film received wide attention for its visual style and its interesting interpretation of the classic play. Details on IMDB (☆5.3).
- "The Tempest" (2019) – a filmed stage production directed by Barry Avrich, in which the role of Prospero was also played by a woman, Martha Henry. Details on IMDB (☆7.8).
Below is the 2010 film adaptation. The main difference between the film's plot and the original play is that the role of the main character, the magician Prospero, was played by a woman — the well-known British actress Helen Mirren. The film also starred: David Strathairn, Djimon Hounsou, Russell Brand, Alfred Molina, Ben Whishaw, and Felicity Jones.