Understanding Shakespeare: The Tempest by Robert A. Albano - HTML preview

Sources

1. One of the questionable sources is the German play entitled The Fair Sidea by Jacob Ayrer. Published in 1618, the date of composition is unknown. However, since Ayrer died in 1605, The Fair Sidea definitely precedes The Tempest. The number of similarities cannot be attributed to mere coincidence:

1. benevolent magician
2. captive, log-bearing prince
3. magician’s daughter falls in love with prince
4. bewitching of prince’s sword
5. eventual happy union of lovers

Although the German play is not a very good one, it does have entertainment value; and Shakespeare would surely have noticed the potential in this lesser drama. Since Shakespeare never did see the published work or a performance of Ayrer’s play, two possibilities might account for the similarities:

(1) Shakespeare received a report or summary of the play by a visitor to Germany or (2) both Shakespeare and Ayrer used the same source material of a now- lost play. Both possibilities are credible; but the truth of the matter will, most likely, never be known.