The Tempest - William Shakespeare – Jacobean England and the Early 1600s

A concise and professionally structured resource exploring how Jacobean ideas about authority, rebellion, religion, learning, exploration and spectacle shape The Tempest.

This resource provides focused analysis of the Jacobean context of The Tempest, examining James I, hierarchy, political order, treason, Prospero’s authority, magic and knowledge, providence, forgiveness, exploration, colonial encounters, marriage, masque and theatrical illusion.

Key features:

• Clear analysis of how early seventeenth-century concerns inform the play’s conflicts and themes
• Focus on Prospero, Miranda, Ariel, Caliban, Antonio, Sebastian, Alonso, Ferdinand, Gonzalo, Stephano and Trinculo
• Exploration of kingship, hierarchy, rebellion, knowledge, magic, forgiveness, exploration, patriarchy and spectacle
• Activities to reinforce and practise key concepts, including close reading, contextual vocabulary, interpretation, symbolic stage design and extended essay planning
• Detailed answer key included for straightforward checking and review