The Tempest: Grimoires, Alchemy, and the Making of Prospero’s Art

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In this episode, we begin by exploring how Prospero’s magic in The Tempest reflects early modern grimoire traditions—a form of ritual magic rooted in books, incantations, and precise ceremonial practice, especailly as compared to the types of magic we discussed in our Macbeth episodes. We examine how Shakespeare's depiction of Prospero's art, Prospero's relationship with Ariel, and the creation and disappearance of the masque parallel descriptions of grimoire magical practices found in a grimoire manuscript from the late 1500s.

From there, we examine how The Tempest itself mirrors the alchemical process, moving through symbolic stages of separation, purification, and reconciliation. By tracing how the structure of the play parallels the alchemist’s pursuit of transformation, we uncover how Shakespeare weaves together the worlds of science, faith, and magic to create a story of power, renewal, and artful creation.

Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp.

Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander.

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Works referenced:

Folger Shakesepeare Library. “Book of Magic, with Instructions for Invoking Spirits, Etc, ca. 1577-1583. [Manuscript].” Digital Collections, Folger Shakepeare Library, digitalcollections.folger.edu/bib228887-238418. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.

Simonds, Peggy Muñoz. “‘My Charms Crack Not’: The Alchemical Structure of ‘The Tempest.’” Comparative Drama, vol. 31, no. 4, 1997, pp. 538–70. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41153887. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.

 

Tribble, Evelyn. “'A Strange, Hollow, and Confused Noise': Prospero’s 'Start' and Early Modern Magical Practices." Shakespeare Quarterly, Volume 72, Issue 3-4, Fall-Winter 2021, Pages 229–253, https://doi.org/10.1093/sq/quac016