The Tempest Productions Flashcards
1
Q
Declan Donnellan
A
- 1988
- King of Naples replaced with Queen
Alonsa, who bore an unmistakeable
resemblance to the current Prime
Minister, Margaret Thatcher - at the beginning of the play, Antonio
pushed the Boatswain out of the
way to grab the wheel of the ship,
only to be thrown to the ground by
the power of the storm - unable to
control the power he had usurped
2
Q
RSCP - Michael Boyd
A
- 2002
- Prospero’s staff was the branch of a
tree - representative of how his
magic is inherently linked to nature - betrothal masque played out on
trapezes - elevating its magical
quality - during the magical feast, the nobility
abandoned their courtly behaviour,
as they fell on the floor and
devoured it like animals - they also began to tear apart the
swan at the feast’s center - an
emblem of grace and beauty
3
Q
RSCP - Adrian Noble
A
- 1998
- Prospero is draped in curtain as he
descends from the roof - coloured
sky-blue and sea-green, these
curtains appear to represent the
natural elements - Caliban is presented as wearing only
loincloth, with manacles on his neck,
wrists and ankles - he is also caked
all over in mud - Ariel is also presented as wearing
only a loincloth, but without the
manacles
4
Q
RSCP - David Thacker
A
- 1995
- Prospero permanently on-stage
seated at his desk with a large book
open in front of him - Ariel and her three or four fellow
spirits were the logs carried by
Ferdinand as they stood rigid and
unbending - as soon as each had
been deposited they ran back to
await transport again -
representative of Ferdinand being
tested by Prospero
5
Q
RSCP - Sam Mendes
A
- 1993
- Ariel initiated the storm by climbing
out of the theatrical straw skip and
setting the hurricane lamp, hanging
above him, swinging wildly - when Prospero said farewell fondly,
Ariel spat in his face - he then
stalked away to the back wall of the
set and opened an imperceptible
door to his freedom - the masque was a life-sized pop-up
theatre, with the goddesses played
as mannequins
6
Q
RSCP - Nicholas Hytner
A
- 1988
- a barnacle-encrusted, lichen-
freckled rock lay near Prospero and
Miranda during the long
conversation in Act 1 Scene 2 - it was only when Prospero
summoned Caliban that the rock
moved and proved to be Caliban
7
Q
RSCP - Ron Daniels
A
- 1982
- Prospero presented as enveloped in
an internal turmoil with his
emotions, motives and desires - he
was not entirely in control of
himself, let alone the events of the
play - the betrothal masque took place
beneath a beautiful canopy of
golden leaves - the set was the ruined ship on
which Prospero and Miranda had
arrived 12 years prior - alluding to
how it what drives Prospero’s
planning and the events of the play
8
Q
RSCP - Clifford Williams
A
- 1978
- Caliban is presented as wearing only
a pair of breeches, his shining,
pewter- coloured skin made him
appear a creature of the earth - his posture was a permanent
crouch and his slightly stilted speech
was a constant reminder that
speech did not come naturally to
him
9
Q
Prospero’s Books - Peter Greenaway
A
- 1991
- Prospero speaks everyone’s lines up
until he puts on his Duke attire - representative of his control over
the events of the play - he is the
‘author’ - but with reconciliation
comes the surrender of his control,
alluding to the completion of his
plan - Prospero is presented as wearing
the clothing of a Pope, conveying his
God-like power, while Ariel is
presented as a cherub - childlike
and, thus, obedient - Caliban is played by a dancer, his
movements serpent-like, alluding to
how he is in harmony with the
surrounding environment - the nobility are clad in extravagant
clothing, each wearing an absurd
ruff and hat, conveying the
corruption of the ‘Old World’ - the meeting of Miranda and
Ferdinand takes place surrounded
by wheat beneath a blue sky - it is
the first scene to be shot outside of
Prospero’s library - when Miranda becomes betrothed
to Ferdinand, she too wear the
extravagant ruff, alluding to how she
has conformed to the ‘Old World’s’
societal conventions
10
Q
RSCP - 2017
A
- in the beginning of the play,
Miranda is wearing a flowing shirt
and trousers - upon meeting Ferdinand, she is
wearing the same trousers, but with
a corset - then, at the betrothal masque,
she is wearing the same corset, but
with a dress, conveying her lack of
liberty upon her betrothal, as well as
her conformity to what society
perceived to be the ‘proper’ attire
for women - when Ariel advises Prospero to act
with compassion and liberate the
nobility from his spell, Ariel is
evidently taller than Prosper,
meaning Prospero had to look up at
him to him both physically and
symbolically - at the play’s end, Caliban stand tall,
dispelling the subservience imposed
on him by Caliban
11
Q
Aimé Cesaire, Une Tempête
A
Caliban is a ‘black slave’ and Ariel a ‘mulatto slave’ (mixed race), Caliban requests to be known as X, indicative Malcolm X , thus neglecting his colonised identity
Caliban believes in revolution, but Ariel believes in uniting as an equal with Prospero and Caliban ‘to build a wonderful world’
it ends with Prospero remaining on the island, but losing his power over Caliban, thus exploring the idea of ‘the master-slave relation’
12
Q
Pennington’s
A
the theatres “postage-stamp sized space” has an intimate sound design that best conjures an enchanted isle, with lapping waves of music, song and sound effects
13
Q
Quilley’s Production
A
1974
bisected make-up
half his face is an American Indian and half his face is white European Man
14
Q
Cheek by Jowl Production
A
1988
Prospero as a director, he can be seen putting other characters in their costume and directing their movements on stage
