Set on a remote island, where the sorcerer Prospero, lives with his daughter Miranda, and his two servants: Caliban, a savage monster figure, and Ariel, an airy spirit, The Tempest was written c. 1610-11 and is believed to be one of the last plays that Shakespeare wrote alone. With music and songs that evoke the spirit of enchantment on the island, The Tempest explores many themes, including magic, betrayal, revenge, and family.

Although The Tempest is listed in the First Folio as the first of Shakespeare's comedies, modern studies have created a category of romance for this and others of Shakespeare's late plays. Some modern interpretations have seen it as a fable of art and creation, with Prospero representing Shakespeare, and Prospero's renunciation of magic representing Shakespeare's farewell to the stage, while others consider it an allegory of Europeans colonizing foreign lands.

This edition is based on the First Folio and includes an extensive introduction by Chris McNab that examines the origins of the work, the plot and the characters as well as notes on the text, a glossary and a timeline of Shakespeare's life and work.