A brave vessel: the true tale of the castaways who rescued Jamestown and inspired Shakespeare's The tempest
A brave vessel: the true tale of the castaways who rescued Jamestown and inspired Shakespeare's The tempest
17th century 1572?-1621 Bermuda Islands Bermuda Islands - History - 17th century Caribbean & West Indies Caribbean & West Indies - General Colonial Period (1600-1775) Europe General Great Britain Great Britain - Colonies - America - History - 17th century History History - U.S. History: American Jamestown (Va.) Jamestown (Va.) - History - 17th century Literary Criticism North America Sea Venture (Ship) Seafaring life Seafaring life - History - 17th century Shakespeare Shakespeare; William Ships & Shipbuilding Ships & Shipbuilding - Shipwrecks Shipwrecks Shipwrecks - Bermuda Islands - History - 17th century South State & Local Strachey; William Strachey; William; Transportation U.S. - Discovery And Exploration United States United States - Colonial Period Virginia Virginia - History - Colonial period; ca. 1600-1775
EDITORIAL REVIEW:
**A gripping tale of shipwreck and survival that changed the fate of the colonies and enriched our literary legacy**
In 1609, aspiring writer William Strachey set sail aboard the *Sea Venture*, bound for the New World. Caught in a hurricane, the ship separated from its fleet and wrecked on uninhabited Bermuda, a bountiful island paradise its passengers would inhabit for nearly a year before reaching their intended destination, the famine-stricken colony of Jamestown. Strachey's meticulous account of the wreck, the castaways' time on Bermuda, and their arrival in a devastated Jamestown was read by his contemporaries and remains among the most vivid writings of the early colonial period. Following the life of this ordinary man, Hobson Woodward tells one of the neglected but defining stories of America's founding.
Strachey had literary aspirations and sought to capitalize on his epic experience, but his writings did not bring him the acclaim he sought. Only in the hands of *another* William would his tale of the wreck and its aftermath make history as *The Tempest*.* A Brave Vessel* is the fascinating account of a near-miss in the settling of Virginia, the true story behind one of Shakespeare's great plays, and the tragedy of the man who failed as an author but who contributed to the creation of a masterpiece.