Traditionally read as Shakespeare’s farewell to the stage (it was likely his last solo play), it is also the canon’s most argued-over text on power and colonization — Caliban’s “this island’s mine” has launched a thousand rereadings. Short, strange, and endlessly deep; the rare play that is both a beginner’s delight and a scholar’s labyrinth.
Which edition?
1Arden Shakespeare, Third Series (revised)
Ed. Virginia Mason Vaughan & Alden T. Vaughan · Bloomsbury, 2011
The Vaughans own this play’s scholarship — colonial readings handled with real care.
2Oxford World’s Classics
Ed. Stephen Orgel · Oxford University Press, 1987
Orgel’s introduction changed how the play is read — still the essential essay.
3The New Cambridge Shakespeare
Ed. David Lindley · Cambridge University Press
Especially good on the play’s music and stagecraft.
4Folger Shakespeare LibraryFirst read? Start here
Ed. Barbara Mowat & Paul Werstine · Simon & Schuster
Short play, clean text — an afternoon well spent.
Cover images from Open Library.
Tempest on stage
- Tickets
The Tempest
American Shakespeare Center · Staunton, Virginia
Now playing3 Sep – 13 Nov 2026Blackfriars Playhouse, Staunton
Tempest on screen
1Forbidden Planet (1956)
Film · dir. Fred M. Wilcox · inspired by The Tempest
2Prospero's Books (1991)
Film · dir. Peter Greenaway · inspired by The Tempest
3The Tempest (2010)
Film · dir. Julie Taymor
Seven Ages recommends editions on their merits and takes no payment for placement. As an Amazon Associate, Seven Ages earns from qualifying purchases.
Reading Tempest this year?
Mark it in your record when you finish — one seat, kept for decades.