E X T E N S I O N SHAKESPEARE, A FORERUNNER 1 OF THE FANTASY GENRE 2 The fantasy genre is very popular nowadays: everybody knows the adolescent magician Harry Potter, created by J.K. Rowling, and Frodo Baggins, the hero of The Lord of the Rings by J. R.R. Tolkien. They move in a magic world and Shakespeare s island is magic, too: Sycorax, the original owner3 of the island, is a witch, and Prospero is a powerful magician. Like Harry and Frodo, Prospero needs help: Ariel and Caliban help him and Miranda to survive on the island. At various times in the play, Prospero uses his magic art for a good purpose4. In fact the criminals repent and the two young people fall in love. The Tempest is not often put on stage because it is technically difficult and expensive to organise the scenes. But there are many film editions with various interpretations of the play. Forbidden5 Planet (USA 1956, directed by F. MacLeod Wilcox) is set in another dimension, on the star Altair, where professor Morbius lives with his daughter Altaira and a robot called Robbie. Prospero s Books (1991, directed by P. Greenaway) is another adaptation of the play, but it is not conventional and is set6 in the magic world of illusion. The Mississippi marshes near New Orleans are the setting of a television adaptation of The Tempest (1998, directed by J. Bender) and the action takes place7 immediately after the American Civil War (1861-65). Other films (Age of Consent, Australia 1969, or The Tempest, USA 1982) focus on8 the relationship9 between the characters and Prospero s creative function. 1. forerunner: one who does things before others, precursor.. 2. genre: a style of literature that has particular characteristics. 3. owner: proprietor. 4. purpose: intention. 5. forbidden: prohibited. 6. set: located. 7. takes place: happens. 8. focus on: give attention to. 9. relationship: connection. 71