“…be not afeard, the isle is full of noises…”

One of Shakespeare’s truly original and most personal plays, The Tempest is a symphonic vision of forgiveness, discovery and self-discovery. Famous for its language, context, enchanting characters and breathtaking theatricality, the play is a reflection of the world’s most famous playwright at the height of his powers and at the end of his remarkable career.

This tempest is not only in Prospero – the storm lies in the contradictions and ambiguities the story throws up about freedom and slavery, civilisation and barbarism, legacy and letting go, lust and chastity, youth and age, revenge and forgiveness. The sea is a place of transformation but also represents the capriciousness of nature, chaos, or fate.