Introduction – Genre

About the lecture

In this lecture, we begin our introduction to The Tempest, focusing in particular on: (i) where the play comes in Shakespeare’s career; (ii) the idea of the classical (or Aristotelian) unities: unity of action, unity of time, unity of place; (iii) the theory of the harmony of the spheres and the definition of tragedy and comedy; and (iv) the genre of the Tempest.

About the lecturer

John McRae is Special Professor of Language in Literature Studies and Teaching Associate in the School of English at Nottingham University, and holds Visiting Professorships in China, Malaysia, Spain and the USA. He is co-author of The Routledge History of Literature in English with Ron Carter, and also wrote The Language of Poetry, Literature with a Small 'l' and the first critical edition of Teleny by Oscar Wilde and others.