Classic Shakespearean romance in French translation. According to Wikipedia: The Tempest is a play written by William Shakespeare. Many scholars believe that it was written in 1610–11, although some researchers have argued for an earlier dating. While listed as a comedy when it was initially published in the First Folio of 1623, many modern editors have since re-labeled the play a romance. It did not attract a significant amount of attention before the closing of the theatres in 1642 and after the Restoration it attained popularity only in adapted versions. Theatre productions began to reinstate the original Shakespearean text in the mid-19th century, and in the 20th century, critics and scholars undertook a significant re-appraisal of the plays value, to the extent that it is now considered to be one of Shakespeares greatest works.