‘Magic in Merlin’s Realm’ Review: Sovereigns and Sorcerers

Two of Shakespeare’s most famous plays deal with the intersection of magic and political power. “Macbeth” shows the dark side: An ambitious leader, fed prophetic temptations by a trio of witchy “weird sisters,” sets himself on a course of murder and tyranny. In “The Tempest,” however, the wizardly Prospero uses his mastery of magic to rule his island and triumph over the plots of ill-intentioned visitors.