Shakespeare’s Island: Saint Helena and The Tempest: This year marks the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare. Most of Shakespeare’s plays were adapted from existing stories or histories, but The Tempest, Shakespeare’s last play, has no identifiable literary source.

There has, however been much speculation by scholars that Shakespeare had a real island in mind when he wrote the play.

Local author, David Jeremiah, argues that this was Saint Helena, a remote island in the South Atlantic, now largely famous for being the final place of exile of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Discovered in 1502, the island had a much higher profile in England in Shakespeare’s time than it enjoys today.

The book is meticulously researched and David presents the evidence with the skill of the experienced lawyer that he is - a Queen’s Counsel and former Attorney General of the island. The support for the case is compelling. He identifies a mutilated man who lived on the island in the 16th century as the prototype Caliban and shows that an Elizabethan sea captain’s plan to seize the island and be proclaimed its king is closely reflected in the play’s plot.

There is much interesting detail in David’s entertaining and highly readable account, including that Shakespeare’s plays were acted, during Shakespeare’s lifetime, on board a ship that called at Saint Helena.

‘Shakespeare’s Island’ gains considerably from David’s first-hand knowledge of Saint Helena. He lived there for six years and is married to Joy, a Saint Helenian who is descended from an English soldier sent to the island in 1816 to guard Napoleon. David and Joy return to the island frequently.

The publication of ‘Shakespeare’s Island’ coincides with the completion of a runway on Saint Helena, ending 500 years of Saint Helena being reachable only by sea.

The official opening of the airport was due to take place this month, but has been delayed for further safety checks to take place, necessitated by the strong and unpredictable winds affecting the island, which is situated over 1,200 miles from the nearest continental landmass. The island’s ship, the RMS Saint Helena, is to be retired and will pay its final visit to London next month, when it will be moored within site of The Globe Theatre.

Signed copies of the book are available, priced £7.99, at Tenby Bookshop on Tudor Square.

It is also available on Amazon and will be available on Kindle shortly.