Blowin’ in the wind

In this chapter, the authors follow that notion into visions of quantification, multiplicity, and plenty. They begin with one place the wind can take Shakespeare's audiences – the shores of a deserted island. The authors begin, that is, with the shipwreck narrative of The Tempest. Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" holds a curious place in the pantheon of protest songs. The Tempest is listed as a "comedy" in the earliest collections of Shakespeare's works. Although the end of The Tempest does promise the end of immediate conflict, it does not particularly promise a better world on the horizon. Prospero brings the island world into order during the final act of the play. With its dozens of revelations and bewildering number of plots, Cymbeline is often understood as a combination of Shakespearean tropes and theatrical genres. Cymbeline takes place in the ancient era of peace known as the Pax Romana.