David Threlfall as Prospero in The Tempest: 'Our revels now are ended' | Shakespeare Solos

David Threlfall speaks Prospero’s lines from The Tempest, act IV, scene 1. As a masque comes to its close, the sorcerer contemplates the end of life - and the playwright, perhaps, considers the end of his career
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[@ishmaelforester9825]

'We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.' That is a statement of a supreme mystic.

[@kelanth462]

I read this at my Mother's funeral. It was one of her favorite passages.

[@alishanty]

I am reading this at my grandmother’s funeral. She taught me to read and inspired my love of Shakespeare. My daughter is called Juno. The Tempest was her favourite play.

[@koffeeblack5717]

She had great great taste- one of the most poignant and insightful lines in all English literature.

[@marionrobson9384]

I want this at mine.

[@thomaskester9977]

This soliloquy embraces all of Shakespeare's philosophy: unadorned, direct, truthful, and supremely elegant.

[@somesuchx8912]

I listen to this often. For me nobody could ever surpass David Threlfall's delivery of this soliloquy.

[@neoxenia7014]

My favorite verse in all of drama.

[@ujustgotpwned2008]

It's especially poignant that this is one of the last big speeches Shakespeare ever wrote - it's almost Shakespeare saying goodbye.

[@IanMcGarrett]

Shakespeare was only in his late forties when he wrote it. Hardly ancient.

[@woodwyrm]

@@IanMcGarrett people didn't live long back then.

[@IanMcGarrett]

@@woodwyrm But old age was old age, even then. They figured a ripe old age was three score and ten. Not forty five.

[@ishmaelforester9825]

It's not meant to be a sad passage; the character of Prospero is a magician who absolutely believes in the spiritual word.

[@ishmaelforester9825]

All the world''s a stage...

[@JohnnyCatFitz]

That sigh. It's perfect.

[@fablemantra4138]

Serenely and gently spoken and performed.

[@lizardlenny]

This guys going to be playing wizards and sages in his latter career
just like Christopher Lee, Ian McKellen and Michael Gambon have. I can see it
now.

[@TheTheode]

I could see this guy playing sarumon if they ever remake lotr

[@jakemendoza3113]

'Our revels now are ended'
Our revels now are ended. These our actors, As I foretold you, were all spirits and Are melted into air, into thin air: And, like the baseless fabric of this vision, The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces, The solemn temples, the great globe itself, Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff As dreams are made on, and our little life Is rounded with a sleep. William Shakespeare From The Tempest, Act 4 Scene 1

[@Ananyaahhh30]

Is this a soliloquy or a monologue? do you know about it?

[@michaelgibson4705]

There are many readings of these words on You Tube by many fine actors.But David Threlfall’s version is for me the best,his melancholy and pathos captures what I think Shakespeare wanted to say about the end of life

[@alfredoca687]

So nice to see Varg Vikernes doing some Shakespeare

[@J.B24]

I watched the play tonight. How interesting is that this is not the end of the play but rather part of a scene which continues on.

[@J.B24]

This is the perfect ending to a night.

[@brunodelconte]

Easy to see why he is such a well known actor.

[@b5904]

Beautiful.

[@cynthiamaciel2331]

Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And, like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.

[@WomblesMama]

Well he certainly looks the part!

[@jamesprise4252]

this guy is fantastic!

[@joew.3354]

Your beard looks so cool.

[@WorgenGrrl]

I would have given anything to see Ian McKellen dressed like Gandalf and quoting this line.

[@kennethwayne6857]

Sir Ian has played the role of course.

[@EpicGeopolitics]

I played this over smooth jazz. Works a treat. Would highly recommend.

[@Torahboy1]

This should have been the ending to the movie ‘DREDD’
Although, in fairness, I can’t think of a single movie that wouldn’t be massively improved by the addition of this speech at the end.

[@davidhill452]

I had to take a moment to evaluate whether I was tripping balls (I am) or if the video was perfect (Both). Shakespeare must've had the best psychedelics of his day

[@rackpunch4026]

We think that we're sooo monumental, so significant but, our little lives are profoundly insignificant in the great universal scheme, just a pinprick. And then we die.........

[@philsmith2501]

We are no more significant than the flies we squash with our car windscreens. Life begins, life ends. It’s all exactly the same.

[@ruqqayahjahidi3980]

this helps me a lot

[@ishmaelforester9825]

I always think Prospero should be more upbeat, because as a master of spirits he of course believes in the afterlife. So this passage is comic, not tragic: it is a magician going about his business, not an old man lamenting about life.

[@oliverchong2428]

Got to be in the next series of Game of Thrones! 😜

[@angeloparatico4637]

Great! I believe that Shakespeare's inspiration for Prospero had been Girolamo Cardano (1501-1577?)

[@alanchriston6806]

Class 😊😊😊

[@Dranzer_Panzer]

Is it the epilogue to the masque?

[@seanom9783]

Frank, you've let yourself go!

[@James_Doyle83]

He's not Frank anymore

[@bretta7057]

I first heard this in an Alan Watts lecture. I rewound it probably 30 times lol, then immediately set out to memorize it.
It’s almost eerie how poignant it is…not that I am some sort of historian, but it sure doesn’t seem like something someone from Elizabethan England would say.

[@craigcowing1107]

On the contrary--people in Tudor England were very aware of their own mortality. They could catch a cold in the morning and be dead of pneumonia the next day. Shakespeare is a poet of mortality. He understood the brevity of life and expresses it in an immortal way.

[@salilbhatnagar]

Goodbye Commander
Goodbye Captain

[@Torahboy1]

Stewart Lee has let himself go…..

[@inkzry]

Partyyyyy

[@proto718]

Data and Picard from StarTrek: The Next Generation set me here. 👋

[@MarkBeauchamp]

2020 - th-cam.com/video/gVIUtnBQz10/w-d-xo.html #poignant #relevant #loveshakespeare

[@busterkennedy1249]

If you do not get it - then why be so upset about it.

[@IlmariLahti]

Great performance! Unfortunately ruined by the jarring and needless ad in the end 😅

[@Ananyaahhh30]

Is this a soliloquy or a monologue? Can anyone please reply 🙏🙏

[@equerty]

Monologue, there is no one else on scene

[@knightonart8886]

Preserved Killick

[@indigenius9877]

Beautifully done. 👏👏👏👏👏

[@Dizzula]

Scatter!

[@ManufacturingTV]

Perhaps the caption artist should have spelled Globe with a capital G.

[@AugustoPintodiogoalves1947]

Gosto

[@KeizerHedorah]

Frank Gallagher

[@chrimbo90]

The kiss was the only convincing part

[@prospero6337]

He got it pretty close....’bit dodgy at a time..... ;>