Greenaway’s Books
Marx, Steven
Early Modern Literary Studies 7.2 (September, 2001)
Abstract
The cinematic devices of Peter Greenaway’s adaptation of The Tempest, Prospero’s Books, highlight resemblances between Shakespeare’s last complete play and the final book of the Christian Bible, Revelations. These include spectacles of apocalyptic destruction, the presence of a central character who functions as protagonist, author, and audience, the use of masquelike incidents and structures, and a coda of climactic and anticlimactic conclusions.