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The Tempest | Music and the Masque
Many critics have commented that music and spectacle inform The Tempest to an extent unequalled in any of Shakespeare's earlier plays. Related to the magical atmosphere in the play, music foregrounds the work, setting its mood and reiterating many of its themes. The following excerpt by Theresa Coletti explores this theme.
Theresa Coletti
[In the following essay, Coletti analyzes music as "the medium through which order emerges from chaos" in The Tempest. Perhaps more pervasive in this work than in any other of Shakespeare's plays, music is, according to Coletti, a structural principle that suggests the thematic struggle between harmony and disorder and the difficulty of achieving the former over the latter. By comparing Shakespeare's use of music in The Tempest with that in an earlier work, As You Like It, Coletti explains how music sets both tone and theme, and...
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- The Tempest: Introduction
- The Tempest: Summary
- The Tempest: William Shakespeare Biography
- The Tempest: Reading Shakespeare
- The Tempest: List of Characters
- The Tempest: Historical Background
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The Tempest: Summary and Analysis
- Act I, Scene 1 Summary and Analysis
- Act I, Scene 2, lines 1-188 Summary and Analysis
- Act I, Scene 2, lines 189-320 Summary and Analysis
- Act I, Scene 2, lines 321-374 Summary and Analysis
- Act I, Scene 2, lines 375-504 Summary and Analysis
- Act II, Scene 1, lines 1-184 Summary and Analysis
- Act II, Scene 1, lines 185-328 Summary and Analysis
- Act II, Scene 2 Summary and Analysis
- Act III, Scene 1 Summary and Analysis
- Act III, Scene 2 Summary and Analysis
- Act III, Scene 3 Summary and Analysis
- Act IV, Scene 1, lines 1-163 Summary and Analysis
- Act IV, Scene 1, lines 164-266 Summary and Analysis
- Act V, Scene 1, lines 1-87 Summary and Analysis
- Act V, Scene 1, 88-171 Summary and Analysis
- Act V, Scene 1, 172-255 Summary and Analysis
- Act V, Scene 1, Lines 256-330 Summary and Analysis
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The Tempest: Quizzes
- Act I, Scene 1 Questions and Answers
- Act I, Scene 2, lines 1-188 Questions and Answers
- Act I, Scene 2, lines 189-320 Questions and Answers
- Act I, Scene 2, lines 321-374 Questions and Answers
- Act I, Scene 2, lines 375-504 Questions and Answers
- Act II, Scene 1, lines 1-184 Questions and Answers
- Act II, Scene 1, lines 185-328 Questions and Answers
- Act II, Scene 2 Questions and Answers
- Act III, Scene 1 Questions and Answers
- Act III, Scene 2 Questions and Answers
- Act III, Scene 3 Questions and Answers
- Act IV, Scene 1, lines 1-163 Questions and Answers
- Act IV, Scene 1, lines 164-266 Questions and Answers
- Act V, Scene 1, lines 1-87 Questions and Answers
- Act V, Scene 1, 88-171 Questions and Answers
- Act V, Scene 1, 172-255 Questions and Answers
- Act V, Scene 1, Lines 256-330 Questions and Answers
- The Tempest: Essential Passages
- The Tempest: Themes
- The Tempest: Character Analysis
- The Tempest: Principal Topics
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The Tempest: Essays
- Does Shakespeare Critique European Colonialism in The Tempest?
- Prospero and Shakespeare
- Ariel and Allegory in The Tempest
- Caliban: A Character Study
- Themes in The Tempest
- Father-Daughter Relationships in Shakespeare's Pericles, The Winter's Tale, and The Tempest
- The Tempest: Illusion and Reality
- The Tempest: An Overview
- The Tempest and Colonialism Revisited
- The Tempest: Criticism
- The Tempest: Selected Quotes
- The Tempest: Suggested Essay Topics
- The Tempest: Sample Essay Outlines
- The Tempest: Modern Connections
- The Tempest: FAQs
- The Tempest: Bibliography and Further Reading
- The Tempest: Pictures
- Copyright
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