A storm conjured by art wrecks a ship within sight of an enchanted island, and the magician who raised the winds watches as his old enemies stagger onto the sand, delivered at last into his power. Shakespeare wrote this play around 1611, likely his final solo work, and its themes of forgiveness and artistic farewell have made it irresistible as autobiography, though the play exceeds any single reading. Prospero commands spirits and controls destinies, yet the drama moves toward the surrender of that control, the breaking of the staff and drowning of the book. Caliban and Ariel embody the claims of earth and air that no mastery can settle. The epilogue dissolves the stage, asking the audience to release the enchanter with their applause.