his artistry by depicting Prospero arranging the tempest and its resulting shipwreck. With help from Ariel and a large cast of nude spirits, Prospero sinks a tiny toy boat in a pool within his palace, seeing the fear of the boats crew only in his head. There is no indication that the storm occurs anyplace besides Prosperos imagination. Greenaway stages this fantastic scene with soaring music, flickering lighting, and layers upon layers of action; there are, literally, frames within frames, and the movie screen is broken up into many layers, suggesting three-dimensional depth. Although much of Greenaways direction takes liberties with Shakespeares script, it remains relevant to the plot by emphasizing the same themes. Building upon The Tempests constant awareness of its own fictional status, Prosperos Books continually stresses artificiality and performance.To emphasize his roles as an artist and creator, Prospero confronts his audience at the end of the movie with a farewell speech that deliberately corresponds to Shakespeares departure from the theater. Although many critics have drawn parallels between Prosperos closing speech and Shakespeares departure from the theatre, Greenaway takes the comparison to another level. In Prosperos Books, Prospero actually becomes the bard, his identity flickering back and forth between these roles just as the images dance across the screen. By portraying the final scene this way, Greenaway hails Shakespeares career and works. Indeed, Shakespeare is very much a character in both The Tempest and Prosperos Books. His artistic vision is paralleled by both Prosperos and Greenaways.Ultimately, Prosperos Books presents the story of The Tempest through the eyes of three masterful artists: Shakespeare, Prospero, and Greenaway. Their characters emphasize the importance of performance and illusion, thus depicting the artist as a creator. By portraying the film in this way, Greenaway achieves a master...
