THE TEMPEST

THE TEMPEST (2022)

Concept and Costume Design, editing.

A reinterpretation of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, focusing on Prospero’s way of coping with his exile. My concept emphasizes the dichotomy between a broken Prospero, unable to cope with what has happened to him, and the way he portrays himself. This is done by showing the audience two Prosperos: a passive one, dwelling in a bed, watching his life unfold through another strong and fair, powerful Prospero.
The reader is focused on Antonio, Sebastian, Alonso, and Gonzalo as they represent the anti-heroes who we expect to, in the end, be punished by Prospero’s newfound powers. We forget how little danger they present to the hero because all along, he has the power to control them. Prospero’s powers reveal some limitations as we see the three less powerful characters in the play gather and form a plan to kill Prospero and gain power over the island. Caliban, Prospero’s slave, Stephano, the drunk butler, and Trinculo, the greedy jester.
The film portrays Trinculo as a manifestation of Prospero’s paranoia.