An examination of William Shakespeare's "The Tempest" and its relationship to Elizabethan colonialism.

Written in 2009; 2,000 words; 4 sources; MLA; $ 63.95

"The Tempest" is one of William Shakespeare's later plays probably written between 1610 and 1611. The early 1600s were marked by the beginning of the emigration from England and Spain to North America and the paper sets out to examine how the theme of colonization was expressed in the play. This paper contends that Shakespeare's play, "The Tempest," raises issues about the relationship of Europeans with native peoples but does not aim at describing the experience of one particular nation, be it English or Spanish. The paper's main argument is that Shakespeare utilizes the pattern of colonialism seen as a general phenomenon, and the colonialist endeavors of one European nation in particular.

"The literary critics who argue against the theme of colonization in "The Tempest" claim that rationalization (attempting to justify Prospero's cruelty towards Caliban by making the former seem good, and the latter inherently bad), is a technique which works against colonialism in Shakespeare's play because this way, Caliban is given the chance to exhibit a series of qualities which were not associated with savage men such as Caliban. Caliban represents anarchy, uprising and the unwillingness to surrender. These, however, were general traits shared by most of the natives who were faced with colonialism. In this sense, he is a generalized reflection of "the other" in the English imperialists' drive for hegemony overseas (Marshall: 387). Both Skura and Marshall challenge the idea that Prospero and Caliban are actors in the typical European-Native American colonial narrative. The Indian as the bogeyman which fits the Caliban mould does not exist until after 1622 whereas Shakespeare's play was written around 1610 (Marshall: 389). Skura also points at a very interesting detail which has been largely disregarded by critics. Sycorax, Caliban's mother, came from the Old World hence Caliban can only be considered half-native because although he was born on the island, his mother was not (Skura: 50)."

Tags: colonizing england spain Elizabethan, New World, Prospero Caliban European theatrical patron native authority civilization slave Plymouth

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