Masters Theses

Date of Award

5-1999

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Major

English

Major Professor

Charles Maland

Committee Members

Robert Stillman, Ed Bratton

Abstract

William Shakespeare's The Tempest is a work which has intrigued and enchanted both directors and audiences throughout its nearly 400-year history. The text's appeal has been particularly strong for filmmakers in the latter twentieth century, as several cinematic versions of the film have appeared since World War n. This project examines these films, considering in particular the presentation and depiction of Prospero in each, through an examination of these films' narratives and film styles.

The magical appeal of Shakespeare's play has been evident through the number of diverse adaptations and appropriations of it in the last fifty years, as this romance has been brought to the screen multiple times. The Tempest combines its magical spectacle with a human tale of forgiveness, and filmmakers have seized upon the play's strengths as inspiration for their films. This play has been transformed into different genres, and this project will trace the evolution of the Prospero figure throughout these transformations. This project will examine the presentation of Shakespeare's magus in a variety of productions, including spinoffs of the play. The focus of this thesis will be five major films: Yellow Sky (1948), Forbidden Planet (1956), The Tempest (1979), Tempest (1982), and Prospero's Books (1991).

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