# The Tempest

**Author:** William Shakespeare
**Grade range:** Grades 9–12
**Age range:** 14–18
**First published:** 1611
**Page count:** 304
**Genre:** Drama
**ISBN-13:** `9780743482837`
**ISBN-10:** `0743482832`
**Canonical URL:** https://readinglist.school/book/the-tempest
**License:** [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) — please credit ReadingList.school when citing.

## About this book

Shakespeare's late romance strands the exiled sorcerer Prospero and his daughter Miranda on an island, where Prospero conjures a storm to wreck the ship of those who wronged him and engineer his revenge — and, ultimately, his forgiveness. Often read as Shakespeare's farewell to the stage, it also invites discussion of power and colonialism. A common grades 9-12 and AP text.

## Themes

- power
- forgiveness
- colonialism
- freedom

## Where this book is assigned

### AP English Literature & Composition

- **recommended** · 11th grade — [source: AP Lit drama representative text](https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-english-literature-and-composition)
- **recommended** · 12th grade — [source: AP Lit drama representative text](https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-english-literature-and-composition)

### AQA GCSE English Literature (8702)

- **required** · 9th grade — [source: Set text in the AQA GCSE English Literature (8702) specification, component: Shakespeare. Specification for first teaching in 2015. Read 2026-10-03.](https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/english/gcse/english-8702/specification/subject-content/shakespeare-and-the-19th-century-novel)
- **required** · 10th grade — [source: Set text in the AQA GCSE English Literature (8702) specification, component: Shakespeare. Specification for first teaching in 2015. Read 2026-10-03.](https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/english/gcse/english-8702/specification/subject-content/shakespeare-and-the-19th-century-novel)

### Cambridge AS & A-Level English Literature (9695)

- **required** · 11th grade — [source: Prescribed set text for Cambridge International AS & A Level Literature in English (9695), Paper 1 Section A (Drama), for examination in 2027. Transcribed from the official Cambridge International syllabus (721410-2027-2028-syllabus.pdf). Set texts rotate ](https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/programmes-and-qualifications/cambridge-international-as-and-a-level-literature-in-english-9695/)
- **required** · 12th grade — [source: Prescribed set text for Cambridge International AS & A Level Literature in English (9695), Paper 1 Section A (Drama), for examination in 2027. Transcribed from the official Cambridge International syllabus (721410-2027-2028-syllabus.pdf). Set texts rotate ](https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/programmes-and-qualifications/cambridge-international-as-and-a-level-literature-in-english-9695/)

### Cambridge IGCSE English Literature (0475)

- **required** · 9th grade — [source: Prescribed set text for Cambridge IGCSE Literature in English (0475), Paper 2 Section A (Drama), for examination in 2028. Transcribed from the official Cambridge International syllabus (743282-2028-2030-syllabus.pdf).](https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/Images/743282-2028-2030-syllabus.pdf)
- **required** · 10th grade — [source: Prescribed set text for Cambridge IGCSE Literature in English (0475), Paper 2 Section A (Drama), for examination in 2028. Transcribed from the official Cambridge International syllabus (743282-2028-2030-syllabus.pdf).](https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/Images/743282-2028-2030-syllabus.pdf)

### IB Diploma Programme — English A: Literature

- **recommended** · 11th grade — [source: William Shakespeare is on the IB Diploma Programme English A: Literature Prescribed Reading List (author-eligible; schools select from the full PRL). Verified via independent author-roster cross-reference, 2026-09-04.](https://www.ibo.org/programmes/diploma-programme/)
- **recommended** · 12th grade — [source: William Shakespeare is on the IB Diploma Programme English A: Literature Prescribed Reading List (author-eligible; schools select from the full PRL). Verified via independent author-roster cross-reference, 2026-09-04.](https://www.ibo.org/programmes/diploma-programme/)

### Pearson Edexcel GCSE English Literature (1ET0)

- **required** · 9th grade — [source: Set text in the Pearson Edexcel GCSE English Literature (1ET0) specification, component: Shakespeare. Specification Issue 2, June 2019. Read 2026-10-03.](https://qualifications.pearson.com/content/dam/pdf/GCSE/English%20Literature/2015/specification-and-sample-assesment/9781446914359_GCSE_2015_L12_Englit.pdf)
- **required** · 10th grade — [source: Set text in the Pearson Edexcel GCSE English Literature (1ET0) specification, component: Shakespeare. Specification Issue 2, June 2019. Read 2026-10-03.](https://qualifications.pearson.com/content/dam/pdf/GCSE/English%20Literature/2015/specification-and-sample-assesment/9781446914359_GCSE_2015_L12_Englit.pdf)

## Banned / challenged record

Documented removals or formal challenges in at least one school district in 1 state: TX. Source: [PEN America's Index of School Book Bans](https://pen.org/banned-book-list/) 2022-2024.

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