Reviews

The Tempest: Oxford School Shakespeare by William Shakespeare

felicity_willow's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

louisa_pennyfeather2021's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

arcyeus's review against another edition

4.0

A solid end to Shakespeare’s literary career. I loved the 17th century exploration of the dynamic between colonised and coloniser and as an admirer of Michel de Montaigne I see how his essay Of The Cannibals has influenced this work. The comedy, though a tad antiquated, still is extremely witty and satisfying to read.

usernamerobert's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

4.0 / 5

This was wonderful, in and out of the context of Shakespeare's career. There is so much beauty in the language. From Prospero's "we are such stuff as dreams are made on" monologue (or his epilogue, or most of his other lines. A favorite - "There they hoist us, / To cry to th’ sea, that roar’d to us; to sigh / To th’ winds, whose pity, sighing back again, / Did us but loving wrong"), to Ariel's whole vibe, to Miranda's famous lines "O wonder! / How many goodly creatures are there here! / How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world / that has such people in't!"

The only thing that hold me back from a higher rating is how straightforward the plot is. There are no real turns or major changes. It was just a steady pacing towards resolution.

sal3_mare's review against another edition

funny informative reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

emmamemmo's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

dandelion_books's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

4.5

mayab223's review against another edition

2.0

Old english and lifeless storylines make The Tempest boring and hard to read. If this was not for an English assignment I would have never read or even looked into the Tempest

tacanderson's review against another edition

3.5

Reading a play when you've seen it is interesting but what makes these kinds of books, like this one from the Royal Shakespeare Company, even more interesting is all the additional commentary and explanations. 

salaciousss's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0