Discuss the importance of magic in 'The Tempest' and how the audience might respond to this.

... Discuss the importance of magic in 'The Tempest' and how the audience might respond to this. Magic is central to The Tempest. First, it provides the mechanism for the action to be seen by the audience and for set pieces. Second, it enables Prospero to have the power to achieve his project. The relationship between magic and the good use of power is key to the underlying meaning of the play. Shakespeare uses magic to create the play's plot. For example he uses magic to get all the characters together by getting Prospero to create 'the tempest', rather than coincidence, like in some of his early plays such as 'The Comedy of Errors'. A contemporary audience may think the play unrealistic because of the magic in the play, but Shakespeare's original audience might have been more open to witchcraft and magic, than coincidence. Shakespeare also uses the magic to create specific

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