Creatively Engaging Shakespeare's The Tempest

This is the finished product of my cake based on The Tempest.

This didn't have to do with my topic of SOUND, but instead, some good taste. I creatively engaged Shakespeare in one of the forms of art that I enjoy the most: baking. I tied in The Tempest to an edible canvas that included symbols of themes/ideas that I picked out from my reading.

This is what happens when things go wrong.

It was an interesting development, considering almost everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. I went to the store, and there was nothing that I needed. I used interesting substitutions instead. Then it was really late, and I fell over backwards on my kitchen floor with the bowl of cake batter (made from scratch, I'll have you know) and I just stayed there for a while. The cake baked, and I got back up.

I chose what I wanted my cake to include theme-wise. I really liked the idea of the POISON OF REVENGE, and the LIBERATING POWER OF FORGIVENESS. I found symbols that I could use, and then sketched out my cake. I began decorating.

I didn't have my usual things, so this was hard.

I didn't actually have all the right tools or things, so I made it up as I went along. I used Tootsie Rolls for fondant, crushed graham crackers for sand, popsicle sticks for the boat, Nilla Wafers for the hill, some little drink umbrellas, a plastic baggie, and a butter knife. Hardly professional. But it worked.

I sheared the front corner at an angle so that it could be the Sea. I made waves by whacking and squeezing and smearing the frosting. Andrew made a drowning boat and a twisted tree for me. The beach led up to a hill, made of more edible stuff, and a twisted tree from which a pair of wings sprouted.

The symbols that I picked go something like this.

The hill was a representation of Prospero and his power. I chose a dark, murky purple not only is it a color of royalty (hence Prospero), but it is also one that is dark like revenge. It's not pure royal purple, it's stained by unclean tints. Prospero wants revenge, it consumes him. He's been studying for years, planning for how he can take the chance when it comes along. The swirling mass on top is Propsero with his sprites and magics. The tendrils that come shooting out is his power that controls the actions of the play, such as the tempest that causes the ship to drown.

This is the cave where Caliban lives. It is also the place that harbors all of Prospero's dark feelings. It is tight, constricted. There is no freedom to move. 

This is Prospero's magic reaching out to case a storm and grab the sailors from the ship. The sprites (the little beads) lead the men on a twisted voyage confused by many twists and turns. (The ship is out side of the picture, sorry.) The ship was also covered in the tendrils of magic, showing that Prospero's revenge affected not only himself, but the lives of many others. The dark spots of the ocean are the magic at work. The way that it spreads in the water shows how vengeance spreads further than we think in real life.

This gnarled tree is the one in which Ariel was imprisoned until Prospero set him free. His wings are literally unfurling from the twisted trunk. I chose this light, dainty pattern because not only is Ariel a magical sprite, but I also saw is as a beacon of hope. When Ariel is finally set free from servitude, so too is Prospero from his desire for revenge.  Prospero, as well as the rest of the characters, are able to move on and look forward to a new life, not being burdened by the past. Being set free from the binding bark of souls twisted by anger and vengeful feelings is a new dawn.

And that was my cake. It took a lot of effort, but it was fun, and I really enjoyed looking for a way to portray the themes that I found interesting in the text. To those of you who enjoyed a piece, thank MAX who posted this comment on my last post, and so I brought cake. Thanks to all for your positive feedback in class. :) Have a great day!