How Shakspere Came to Write the Tempest

** "How Shakspere Came to Write the 'Tempest'" by Rudyard Kipling is a clever essay that investigates the possible origins of Shakespeare's famous play, "The Tempest," looking at the link between real-world events and the playwright's creativity. Presented as part of the "Papers on Playmaking" series from Columbia University's Dramatic Museum, the essay imagines a stage manager listening to a sailor's drunken stories of shipwrecks and strange islands, suggesting these tales sparked Shakespeare's imagination. Kipling skillfully connects elements of the sailor's story with characters and events in "The Tempest," set against the backdrop of the Elizabethan era's dramatic flair, showing how everyday experiences may have inspired Shakespeare to craft his wondrous theatrical masterpiece. **