Lesson video

Welcome everybody.

This is Mr. Dyke, within the English lesson, focusing on The Tempest.

Before we begin just make sure you've got a pen at the ready pen of a different colour to mark and prove your work.

Clear away any of the distractions that you might have.

It be also really useful to gather any previous notes from your other 10 plus lessons, because you might want to use them to support your learning when you're ready with all of that, just write down today's title, which is on the screen, The Theme of Magic Prospero's Epilogue.

Okay, let's begin as always with our recap, so our recap today is going to be based on contextual ideas.

So remember, those are ideas that sit behind the text so they could be to do with Shakespeare's world.

They could be to do with things that were going on at the time when The Tempest was written, they could be to do with issues in the world, which influenced The Tempest thinking all the way back to our first lesson and everything you can remember about those contextual ideas.

I'm going to give you three images to help prompt your memory with that.

So just pause now and spend two minutes writing down as much as you can remember about contextual issues.

Okay, these are three really key ones, which I want you to remember.

There are many contextual issues, things that could be explored and explained even more detailed than this, but on a basic level, these are the ones that I want you to have super underpinning understanding of how this play is wrapped up.

So the first one being colonialism and exploration, we know that at this point history and many different places in the world were still being discovered by the Western world by powerful nations in Europe.

So there were many different nations being discovered and different people who were sadly also enslaved and treated quite badly by colonialists.

Those who have more power and went in to take different lands.

And that was certainly something that happened with those, A belief in magic and mysticism it would been everybody believed in magic, but people were still intrigued by the concept of magic and supernatural beings.

Some would have believed some wouldn't have, but they were certainly something which was people had a real interest in and appeared in Shakespeare's comedies.

So that's why we see lots of fairies and spirits in his comedies.

And of course the concept of Shakespeare in comedy itself and all the different rules around it is really key to remember.

So the fact that the play will end in a marriage has a lighthearted tone, and et cetera, and also how some of those confusing elements and slightly strange elements like we talked about that with magic and mysticism, the really key that you've got those three down.

So just make sure you've written those down already.

If you haven't, let's do a quick recap of where we are right at the end of the play now.

So let's remind ourselves of what has been happening and what is about to happen at the end of the play.

So Prospero, having forgiven Antonio and having revealed the love of Ferdinand and Miranda to a joyous reception from all asks Ariel to prepare a ship for their return to Italy.

So everybody has been kind of satisfied.

Everyone's happy.

Everyone's been either forgiven and there's reconciliation everywhere.

And now it's about Ariel preparing that ship.

And I did say it in one of our previous lessons, this aspect will be about Prospero relieving himself of his magic.

And that's going to be the focus of his epilogue.

We're going to focus on that epilogue at the end of the play.

So I'm going to tell you what happens in the epilogue first, then I'm going to define epilogue for you, and then we're going to read it together.

So, first of all, and remember, as we do this, just make a note of the key points and the key ideas that you see, so just bullet points, if you need to.

The other characters exit and Prospero delivers the epilogue.

He describes the loss of his magical powers and says that as he imprisoned Ariel and Caliban, the audience has now imprisoned him on the stage.

He says that the audience can only release him by applauding and asks them to remember that his only desire was to please them.

He says that as his listeners would like to have their own crimes forgiven, they should forgive him and set him free by clapping.

So it's very much an epilogue, which kind of breaks the fourth wall, where Prospero is directing himself towards the audience and recognises that he's conscious that he in fact exists in this play.

And it's a comment on that idea of the role of the audience and what they should think about characters and how they can imprison or release and free different characters on stage with their own attitudes and views.

So let's make sure we're happy with this term epilogue.

So epilogue is a noun, and it's a really specific term to English in different plays and also with the literature.

So it's a section or speech to the end of a book or play that serves as a comment on or a conclusion to what has happened.

So it will typically come from, sometimes it comes from just one character.

Sometimes it might come from a chorus of characters are involved or a voice.

And it's very much a conclusion and it's like a comment on the play, almost summarising what it's like and what our attitude should be at the end.

So just make sure you've written the definition of epilogue down for me.

Let's read the epilogue together, then we'll go through.

We're focusing on the theme of magic so it's Prospero saying about the idea of magic and also the idea of fiction and theatre and the role of the audience.

Now, my charms are all overthrown and what strength I have's mine own, which is most faint.

Now, 'tis true.

I must be here confined by you sent to Naples.

Let me not since I have my dukedom got.

So he's saying it's now up to the audience to free Prospero.

and allow him to go back to Naples and by forgiving him and showing that the audience is appreciated his work.

And pardon the deceiver dwell in this bare island by your spell.

But release me from my bands with the help of your good hands, gentle breath of yours my sails must fill or else my project fails, which was to please.

Now I want the spirits to enforce art to enchant and my ending is despair.

Unless I be relieved by a prayer.

Which pierces so that it assaults mercy itself and frees all faults.

As you from crimes would pardoned be.

Let your indulgence set me free.

He's actually asking for a round of applause to set him free.

Okay, so the five quick questions here to just check your understanding.

If you need to rewind and watch parts of that again and read it again that's absolutely fine.

So five quick questions spend about five minutes answering these in full sentences.

So pausing the video here.

Okay, change into your other coloured pen.

And here are our answers.

So number one, was Prospero had over thrown his spells.

He's kind of cast away his magic and his books and his ability because he doesn't need it anymore.

He's regained his dukedom, he's going back to Italy.

What does he say he audience now have the power to do? So they have the power to imprison him on the stage, just like he imprisoned Caliban and he imprisoned Ariel.

What does he plead with the audience to do? To set it free so he can return home.

How can the audience help him? By giving him applause and allowing him to set home in freedom.

And the final thing he asks the audience for is their forgiveness for his own actions and his own behaviours, which he recognises it doesn't take maybe weren't always the best.

We've got to answer this question.

How does Prospero's epilogue communicate the power of magic? So just write this question down on your page.

Okay, well I'm going to show you how different sections of the epilogue, and next each section is a question which asks you to analyse that particular passage or section.

So I'm going to read that section to you again, then read the question to you, and then you're going to pause the video and spend a couple of minutes writing an answer to that question, okay? Are you ready? So now my charms are all overthrown and what strengths I have's mine own, which is most faint.

So your question on this passage is how does Shakespeare present the power that Prospero's magic gave him in this passage? So what I want you to look for really closely is where do we see the power of Prospero's magic? How do we know that it's powerful? And do we see any hint as to what he is like without his magic? So pause now answering that question.

Let's have a go to another.

So this section I'll read it to you now 'tis true I must be here confined by you sent to Naples.

Let me not since I have my dukedom got.

So the question here is what does this passage suggest about the power and magic held by the audience? So you thinking about what does it tells us about the audience and the power of the audience has.

Pausing the video here for this one.

And your third one, But released me from my bands with the help of your good hands, gentle breath of yours, My sails must fill or else my project fails.

Which was to please.

So the question on this one.

What does this passage suggest about Shakespeare's aim in the play? What does it suggest about the magic of theatre? So we're thinking a bit more outside of the text here, what it Shakespeare's aim ultimately with this play and how do we know? Pause the video here, answering this one.

Let's have another one, so final line here.

Let your indulgence set me free.

So to indulge in something is to kind of enjoy it and appreciate it.

So what does the final line suggesting about what Shakespeare's aims were in presenting The Tempest to his audience? Pause the video and ask the question.

Okay, let's get marking our answer.

So I'm going to give you an answer from me.

You can check yours against mine and add anything that you might be missing.

So this question was about the power that Prospero's magic gave him.

So this passage implies that Prospero powers were what made him strong as without them he is most faint, meaning that as a mere mortal, he is not as powerful.

So the fact that he is fain without them suggests the power that is his magic enabled him to have.

So just check that you have made a comment on that and also maybe you've selected a specific quote, like mine to prove it so I zoomed in on most of it.

So this question was asking about power and magic that the audience has.

So this passage suggests that, ultimately the power of the theatre is held in the audience's perceptions and judgements, and it is up to them what is done with the character of Prospero.

So, ultimately under the player, the audience can decide what they think of Prospero.

Is he someone they want to set free? Is he someone that they want to judge or someone they want to forgive is up to them.

This question was about Shakespeare aim in the theatre and his role, okay, as a piece of art.

So this passage emphasises Shakespeare's ultimate desire to entertain and to please.

And therefore, if the all were to applaud, he would have succeeded in his task.

This reinforces Shakespeare's intention to entertain.

So ultimately with his comedies, that is his end goal.

He is exploring different themes and ideas, but ultimately his end goal is that of entertainment and that revealed through Prospero's epilogue.

So final question.

What does the final line suggest about Shakespeare's aims? The final line suggests that his audience, despite their judgments and their opinions and all of the issues and characters in the play occupying their minds, needs to just indulge, accepting that theatre is a form of illusion and magic, which will disappear in front of their eyes as soon as it is over.

So if one of the key themes in this play is illusion and magic, if you think about where that's being used, Prospero use delusion and magic to get people to the island.

He's used illusions and magic to entrap Caliban and torment him.

He's used delusions and magic to trick Caliban think he wants to follow and get them.

He's used delusions of magic to help stop the plot, to kill the king.

So that comes all the way through the play.

And ultimately the play itself is a huge illusion.

It's a piece of art.

It's a piece of magic that appears in the audience's eyes and then disappears.

So it's a very self conscious statement to make he's happy on that.

And that brings us to the end of our lesson.

Thank you as always for your focus.

And I look forward to next time.