Direct and indirect evidence of Strachey in Shakespeare's texts

Strachey and Shakespeare

In his account of a storm encountered by a group of colonists heading to Jamestown on a ship called the Sea Venture, William Strachey writes that "for surely (Noble Lady) as death comes not so sudden no apparent, so he comes not so elvish and painful (to men especially even then in health and perfect habitudes of body) as at Sea," and is echoed by Shakespeare when the latter writes "Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea for an / acre of barren ground, long heath, brown furze, any / thing. The wills above be done! But I would fain / die a dry death" (1.1.65-68). In both instances, the speaker is lamenting the particular negatives of dying at sea, especially when one is otherwise fit and healthy. Gonzalo is speaking to the audience, but he echoes Strachey's sentiment regarding the possibility of dying at sea.

In his letter, Strachey notes that "joining (only for his own sake, not yet worth the saving) in the public safety; there might be seen Masters, Masters Mate, Boatswain, Quarter Master, Coopers, Carpenters, and who not, with candles in their hands, creeping along the ribs viewing the sides, searching every corner, and listening in every place, if they could hear the water run." Shakespeare inverts this image of class equality in the face of impending death by having the noble get in the way, to the point that the boatswain must tell them "you mar our labor: keep your / cabins: you do assist the storm" (1.1.13-14). The image of everyone helping out is adapted in Shakespeare to demonstrate the uselessness of the noble characters in the face of the storm, so that the boatswain may actually make fun of them in a preview of what will happen to them in the rest of the play.

Strachey mentions "an apparition of a little round light, like a faint Star, trembling, and streaming along with a sparkling blaze," that "the superstitious Seamen" identify as what "the Italians, and such, who lie open to the Adriatic and Tyrrene Sea, call [...] (a sacred Body) Corpo sancto: the Spaniards call it Saint Elmo, and have an authentic and miraculous Legend for it." This same concept is used in The Tempest in order to demonstrate how powerful the storm is, as seen when Miranda claims that "the sea, mounting to the welkin's cheek, / dashes the fire out" (1.2.4-5). Shakespeare seems to be suggesting that this storm is so bad that it has even managed to extinguish the magical fire seen by sailors.

Finally, Strachey and his fellow passengers make it to land, and he recalls that they "We found it to be the dangerous and dreaded Island, or rather Islands of the Bermuda..." This ominous mention of "the island" brings to mind the entire island of The Tempest, on which not only are the noble characters shipwrecked but even Prospero and Miranda, who at first find themselves on a cursed island, where Ariel's "groans / did make wolves howl and penetrate the breast / of ever angry bears" (1.2.287-289). The island of The Tempest is thus likely inspired by Strachey mention of the "dreaded Island" they landed on in Bermuda.