Abstract: A theatre company is shipwrecked on an island tormented by an evil ruler, Prospero. The play is based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and within this framework, Prospero commands the theatre company to reenact scenes from Hamlet, Richard III, and Othello.

Details: Prospero holds a speech accompanied by Ariel, an air spirit, which translates into sign language. A theatre company is on a boat sailing to Denmark. Prospero commands Ariel and the three witches to sink the ship. The passengers scatter along the stage. A man stands upon a box and screams that there, he is Othello. Miranda, Prospero’s daughter, deaf and mute, is introduced, and the shipwrecked people awake. Prospero commands a servant, Caliban and Ariel, to take ‘their roles’ from the passengers. The passengers scream as rolled paper sheets are taken away from them. The man who claimed to be Othello defends his role viciously from Caliban and wins. Miranda applauds him. They stare at each other and almost kiss. Prospero calls her back. The director of the group of actors is Antonio. He is Prospero’s brother and hopes that wild beasts have killed Prospero on the island. Caliban discusses this with both him and Prospero. A woman, Emilia, awakes and wonders who he has been. She is bald, too, like Caliban. They meet and bond over their mutual baldness. Prospero calls them back, too. The rest of the actors are awake. They have lost their memory. They were traveling to Denmark for a festival to become famous. Prospero appears. He commands them to play in his plays, mirroring his suffering. Antonio plays Claudius, and Miranda will be Queen Gertrude. The actors wonder why Miranda does not speak. The actors discuss how they will act in these circumstances and conclude that they will not use Shakespeare’s verses and that they have always managed to play. Ariel teaches them to sign language. Ghosts using wheelchairs surround the actors in the middle of the stage and push them into a corner. Prospero commands: “Hamlet.” Miranda is crowned Queen Gertrude and gives Antonio Claudius the other crown. The director makes derogatory comments. Then, they take to acting: Ophelia tells Polonius that Hamlet is in her room with torn clothes. With the help of another actress, she reenacts what has happened: Hamlet sent her away. Polonius tells Queen Gertrude and the King that Hamlet has turned mad. He talks to Hamlet about Polonius’ daughter, Ophelia. Polonius commands her to go to Hamlet, which she refuses. The play becomes increasingly anarchic; Antonio wants to divorce Queen Gertrude. Polonius commands Ophelia to bring the jewelry to Hamlet. They seek cover in hiding. Ophelia starts to undress. The scene ends, and the actors clap. Hamlet lays his head on Ophelia’s lap. Two persons wearing paper crowns appear. The woman commands the man to sleep, and he follows after some convincing. A third person appears, drips poison into the king’s ear, and steals the crown. The king dies. The person crowns himself and leaves with the crown. The person with the crown reappears and starts flirting with the crying queen. Antonio interrupts the scene. Prospero commands him to play it again. Ophelia climbs the rope on stage. Antonio ends the scene again and asks for the play’s name (“Mousetrap”). He confesses the attempted murder of his brother but then says that since Prospero is alive, everything has turned out fine. Hamlet kills Polonius while trying to kill Antonio as king. An actor carries Ophelia away from the ropes, lays her down, and covers her with a shroud. They play the cemetery scene since she has died. The king, the queen, and their following discuss the circumstances of her death. A face-off between Laertes and Polonius takes place. Laertes says his goodbyes. Hamlet runs onto the stage. A fight between Laertes and Hamlet happens. The actor playing Hamlet interrupts by screaming that Hamlet cannot be played this way. Prospero commands that they should not be so loud. Miranda and Othello appear with Caliban and Emilia. Prospero exclaims that he does not want love stories. He says they need ‘the full truth’ and tells them to play Othello. Therein, Caliban is supposed to be Othello. Prospero tells the actual Othello that he will “feel the torment of love.” Prospero orders Miranda to observe and the actors to play in a language his daughter understands. Othello has painted his face black and dances with Desdemona. He gives her a red kerchief. She hides it under her clothing. Caliban says he cannot play the role of Jago since he is evil. The position is taken on by the actor who first played Polonius. Jago tells Othello that he saw his wife with Cassio. Desdemona tells Othello that his guests are there and waiting for him. She dabs his forehead with the red cloth. A festive scene starts. Othello monologues about his wife. Then, a monologue from the actor playing a woman takes place. He also has a red cloth; Desdemona has dropped it. The lion tears on the cloth, and they both fall. Jago’s wife, played by Emilia, finds the cloth. She says that the wife must have lost it and that Jago needs to have it. Jago takes the cloth from his wife. She cries and says that her lady will be unhappy about it. A dialogue between Jago and Cassio unfolds. Cassio refuses to drink, but Jago convinces him nonetheless. Cassio quickly becomes drunk. Jago puts the cloth in Cassio’s pocket and runs to Othello. He says that Othello will not believe him but shows Othello Cassio caressing the red kerchief. Cassio says that he sees Othello’s wife behind his back. Othello commands his lion to kill Cassio, but Jago stops him. He says Cassio is only dreaming; perhaps there is a second cloth. Othello asks Desdemona about the cloth. She cannot find it. Desdemona sinks to the ground. Othello asks whether she has repented. She says that she has always been faithful and that she loves him. He caresses her and proceeds to strangle her. The servant, Jaro’s wife, finds them and grieves. She tells him that Jaro has commanded her to give him the cloth. Jaro kills Cassio and then his wife. Othello kills Jaro. Othello kills himself. Antonio interrupts again. The actors say it is fun playing. Prospero does not want an entertaining theatre and declares Antonio Richard III. Antonio encounters Miranda as Lady Anne at the grave of King Henry VI. She holds a monologue. Antonio leaves the role again and says that he does not understand anything she says. He says that he has not killed her husband, that it was King Edward’s doing. He offers the grieving queen a knife and takes it back when it becomes clear that she wants to kill him. The actors break into laughter—Miranda and Othello hug. The group mounts onto bowls, representing the ship, and reads new roles. They do not let Antonio onto the ship. Prospero cries for Miranda to come back. Slowly, they tell their story while speaking and performing sign language.