With poetry that brings the roiling sea to heel, THE TEMPEST commands us to examine what happens when one ruler is exiled, his successor washed up on shore, and both must choose between conflict and reconciliation. Can old grievances lead to new hope or are we compelled to repeat our past sins? In the great comic fable of his artistic maturity, Shakespeare explores how the choices we make lead to unexpected consequences. Power becomes magic. Exile leads to revenge. Love paves a path to reconciliation, and poetry triumphs over all.