South of Midnight: Shakespeare’s Tempest Meets Bayou Magic

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South of Midnight is a story that takes inspiration from various sources to spin its yarn of loss and forgiveness, with a heavy focus on folklore originating from the Deep South of America. The Rougarou, spectral Haints, and Hugging Molly – a figure known for abducting children – serve well as adversaries within the game’s setting, effectively highlighting the region’s rich traditions and multicultural population.

One unusual source of inspiration for this game isn’t the swampy bayou, but rather the works of William Shakespeare, and there are several notable similarities. While it’s uncommon for video games to directly reference Shakespeare, the storyline of “South of Midnight” bears a striking resemblance to one of his famous plays.

South of Midnight Puts a Twist on Shakespeare’s The Tempest

In “South of Midnight” or “The Tempest”, the protagonists are torn away from their familiar surroundings by a powerful storm, ending up in a strange, enchanting world surrounded by an impenetrable body of water. Here, they find themselves bound to supernatural creatures and must navigate through this magical land to find their way back home, as both stories share similarities in their exploration of personal hardship amidst otherworldly landscapes.

In the realm of Shakespeare, The Tempest unfolds on a secluded, mystical island. A sorcerer named Prospero, who had escaped to this island after being deceived in the past, deliberately summons a tempest to cause a shipwreck involving his brother Alonso, son Sebastian, and other noblemen. This act of revenge sets off a series of events where the castaways interact with the island’s inhabitants: some choose to aid Prospero, such as Sebastian marrying his daughter Miranda, while others, like two courtiers and the creature Caliban, conspire against him, weaving plots that range from comedic relief to betrayal.

The play has continued to influence numerous pieces over the centuries, even sparking connections with modern works such as the Dark Angels’ realm of Caliban in “Warhammer 40,000.” While “South of Midnight” doesn’t follow the original storyline exactly, there are clear similarities.

The following section contains spoilers for South of Midnight.

All the Similarities Between South of Midnight and the Tempest

The storm at the beginning of the narrative, which destroys the house, bears resemblance to the shipwreck in “The Tempest.” Both bodies of water, the bayou and the sea, pose threats and separate characters, much like how they stranded the nobles in the play. The Deep South’s mythical creatures can effectively represent Caliban and Ariel, embodying both friend and foe.

Water plays a significant role in both narratives, acting as a silent adversary that brings calamity and leaves the main characters vulnerable in foreign territories. The surname ‘Bunny Flood’ seems symbolic, although it doesn’t directly refer to “The Tempest”, it echoes Prospero’s actions in the play, where he brings destruction upon his own kin for personal advantage.

Consequently, the town’s name being Prospero serves as an intentional nod to the character of the same name who was a sorcerer, but it isn’t the only noticeable reference. At Kooshma’s Cabaret, Hazel is deceived into participating in a play that transports her back to the story’s opening scene, with Kooshma aiming to keep her dreaming so he can feed off it.

What gives the dream sequence its importance isn’t what’s inside it, but rather the circumstances surrounding it. After escaping, Hazel discovers herself in a setting filled with stage props, and uncovers other identical rooms where the same nightmarish ordeal is being enacted. In act four of The Tempest, the characters perform a masque, a play-within-a-play, manipulated by Prospero to make Sebastian marry his daughter. Shakespeare intentionally breaks the fourth wall with this scene as a tribute to the audience of that era.

In both stories, forgiveness plays a crucial role as they conclude, not by vanquishing their antagonists, but by replacing enmity with fresh starts. The novel “South of Midnight” effectively conveys this idea, highlighting the strength of empathy and demonstrating that cooperation is preferable to contention. However, unlike Shakespeare’s works such as “The Tempest“, “South of Midnight” lacks the same level of enthusiasm for bawdy humor, a characteristic perhaps better suited to Shakespearean tales.

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2025-04-18 18:04