My Reading of "The Tempest"
The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 17.0764 Tuesday, 5 September 2006
From: Gabriel Egan <
Date: Friday, 1 Sep 2006 14:21:48 +0100
Subject: 17.0761 My Reading of "The Tempest"
Comment: Re: SHK 17.0761 My Reading of "The Tempest"
Joe Egert wrote that
>the gray magus [Prospero] . . . late in the play . . . buries
>but does not destroy his instruments of power.
I assume that's an allusion to:
5.1.54 [PROSPERO] I'll break my staff,
5.1.55 Bury it certain fathoms in the earth,
5.1.56 And deeper than did ever plummet sound
5.1.57 I'll drown my book.
This is a promise, not an action, and I don't see textual warrant for
believing that it is fulfilled. Drowning a book would probably destroy
it, and breaking a magic staff would certain destroy it, so if Egert
thinks the promise is fulfilled then it's hard understand his
implication that Prospero might later dig up these object to recover
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