The Tempest
An adaptation of Shakespeare’s play
Introduction Long, long time ago, there was a certain island in the sea; its only inhabitants were an old man, called Prospero, and his daughter Miranda, a very beautiful young lady. She was so young when she came to this island that her father was the only human face that she could remember. They lived in a cave, which was divided into several apartments; one of them was Prospero’s study and there he kept his books of magic. He found the knowledge of this art very useful to him, because at first the island was enchanted by a witch called Sycorax. She died a short time before Prospero’s arrival and thanks to his magic powers he released many good spirits who were imprisoned in the bodies of large trees. The evil witch imprisoned them there because these good spirits refused to execute her wicked commands. So when they got free, they felt really grateful to Prospero and obeyed all his orders, especially Ariel, the chief of all these gentle spirits. 1