William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was an English dramatist, poet, and actor, generally regarded as the greatest playwright of all time.
'The Tempest is a play that insists on both a dreaminess and its metaphysical significance.' Henry Hitchings, Evening Standard 15.6.10 'It's often said The Tempest is better read than performed.' Christopher Hart, Sunday Times, 4.7.10 'Because the Vaughans are steeped in The Tempest, having both produced separate volumes about the play, their attempts to cram in as much detail as possible into the introduction makes for a very dense read. But refreshingly their work lacks an agenda; probably because they've worked through their own opinions elsewhere they're more relaxed about simply presenting the arguments of others and letting the reader decide as to their merits, pleasingly giving due prominence to contemporary thinkers like Bate, Wells and Kermode.' Stuart Ian Burns, The Hamlet Weblog, 30.8.11