THE TEMPEST

By the end of this unit, students will be able to: define the basic elements of Renaissance tragedy and Renaissance comedy; define the Elizabethan Romance as a combination of Renaissance tragedy and comedy; identify and discuss the distinctly Shakespearean motifs of this play; discuss the island as a metaphor for colonialism in the New World; discuss character relationships in this play that exemplify conflicts among social classes; discuss the significance of this play in relation to popular culture of the Elizabethan era; identify the instances in this play in which the conventions of social class structure are challenged; analyze the characters of Alonzo, Prospero, Miranda, Caliban, Ferdinand, and their relationships to one another; analyze Shakespeare’s use of comic relief; and analyze the techniques Shakespeare uses to convey character and character relationships to his audience. 93 pages. ©2008.