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The tempest essay
The epic of gilgamesh character
The tempest essay
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The lasting impressions of The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Tempest can in part be illustrated by post-colonial theories of identity. It is apparent in both texts that several characters struggle with their sense of identity; how what they face determines who they are and how they fit into their world. I will explain post-colonial identity in more detail, demonstrating how the identity lens is supported in The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Tempest. I will also provide insight into the lasting popularity of these texts well into the 21st century. The post-colonial theory of identity is explained by Cherki Karkaba as a collection of experiences throughout the story that molds the character and shapes the identity. Karkaba explains post-colonial identity: …show more content…
According to this theory, what the character faces and feels shapes whom they become, and the process of identity is continuous throughout the character’s life. This is demonstrated in The Epic of Gilgamesh as Gilgamesh struggles with his own identity in considering Enkidu, a man of the wild, as an equal. It is also apparent when Gilgamesh confronts his own mortality when witnessing Enkidu’s demise. In The Tempest, Caliban is defiant and wishes to hold fast to his identity although Prospero attempts to colonize him. This idea of evolving throughout experiences to discover one is particularly fascinating to me, and that is precisely why I chose to explore the identity lens …show more content…
Caliban is an indigenous inhabitant of the island Prospero has been shipwrecked upon, and it is apparent from Caliban’s introduction that he is viewed as a lesser being. Caliban is often referred to as a monster and treated poorly by the other characters in the play. Caliban struggles to maintain his identity despite Prospero’s efforts to teach him, and we see his savage instincts when he speaks to Prospero regarding the attempted rape of Miranda, Prospero’s daughter, in Act I, scene ii: “O ho, O ho! Would’t had been done! Thou didst prevent me; I had peopled else this isle with Calibans” (Shakespeare). This line shows us how Caliban desires to remain uncolonized and wishes to populate the island with his own people. His fight to maintain his identity is tested throughout the play through his interactions with other characters, for example trusting that Stephano will help him, and repeatedly drinking and acting foolish. However, Caliban never completely submits to Prospero, and that shows a great deal of commitment to whom he sees himself to be despite the people and experiences he faces throughout the
Caliban represents Prospero’s unconscious mind and he embodies the unpleasant feelings and thoughts of Prospero that Prospero does not openly acknowledge.
Gilgamesh was king of Uruk, and also who was a third god and one/third human. He constructed glorious ziggurats, or sanctuary’s or towers, enclosed by his city with large walls, and laid out its groves and grounds. Gilgamesh was really attractive massively solid and very smart. However since Gilgamesh was superhuman in the appearance and mind, he then started his reign as a mean ruler. He used his people in his land, and then took advantage of woman by sexually abusing several women whom hit his attention, nevertheless if she was a wife of his warriors or either the daughter of a patrician. Gilgamesh created his large building missions with involuntary employment, and his tired people in land cried during this brutality. The gods then heard that his people cries and then agreed to Gilgamesh in check by forming a uniquely man named Enkidu who was a wild creature who was almost as great as the great Gilgamesh. Enkidu after time then became Gilgamesh’s friend, and then Gilgamesh’s life was hurt when Enkidu died of an sickness caused by the great gods.
Although Caliban attempts to rape Miranda, appearing initially to be nothing more complex than a degenerate beast and so should be presented as such, Caliban is in fact a human being and not a monster, misunderstood only because Prospero, the colonizer, has unjustly depicted him as being merely a primitive native.
Prospero has enslaved this creature, even though Caliban was rightly on the island first. He is mistreated because he does not connect or resemble the others. Prospero describes Caliban in scene II when he says, “A freckled whelp hag-born--not honour'd with a human shape” (Shakespeare). Caliban is treated with less respect because he does not meet the requirements humanity has set, causing him to be enslaved. Caliban is a solid example of someone who is a victim of social injustice.
The Epic of Gilgamesh has many similarities to the Bible, especially in Genesis and it’s not just that the both begin with the letter “g”’! One major similarity being the flood story that is told in both works. The two stories are very similar but also very different. Another being the use of serpents in both works and how they represent the same thing. A third similarity being the power of God or gods and the influence they have on the people of the stories. Within these similarities there are also differences that need to be pointed out as well.
Perhaps one of the main reasons the Epic of Gilgamesh is so popular and has lasted such a long time, is because it offers insight into the human concerns of people four thousand years ago, many of which are still relevant today. Some of these human concerns found in the book that are still applicable today include: the fear and concerns people have in relation to death, overwhelming desires to be immortal, and the impact a friendship has on a person’s life. It does not take a great deal of insight into The Epic of Gilgamesh for a person to locate these themes in the story, and even less introspection to relate to them.
The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey both are held in high respect by literature analysts and historians alike for the characterization of the hero and his companion, the imagery brought to mind when one of them is read, and the impressive length in relation to the time period it was written in. The similarities that these two epics share do not end with only those three; in fact, the comparability of these works extend to even the information on the author and the archetypes used. However, The Odyssey and The Epic of Gilgamesh contrast from one another in their writing styles, character details, and main ideas. Both epics weave together a story of a lost man who must find his way, but the path of their stories contrast from one another.
Identity is a state of mind in which someone recognizes/identifies their character traits that leads to finding out who they are and what they do and not that of someone else. In other words it's basically who you are and what you define yourself as being. The theme of identity is often expressed in books/novels or basically any other piece of literature so that the reader can intrigue themselves and relate to the characters and their emotions. It's useful in helping readers understand that a person's state of mind is full of arduous thoughts about who they are and what they want to be. People can try to modify their identity as much as they want but that can never change. The theme of identity is a very strenuous topic to understand but yet very interesting if understood. How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez and Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki are two remarkable books that depict the identity theme. They both have to deal with people that have an identity that they've tried to alter in order to become more at ease in the society they belong to. The families in these books are from a certain country from which they're forced to immigrate into the United States due to certain circumstances. This causes young people in the family trauma and they must try to sometimes change in order to maintain a comfortable life. Both authors: Alvarez and Houston have written their novels Is such an exemplifying matter that identity can be clearly depicted within characters as a way in adjusting to their new lives.
Caliban, the son of the evil witch Sycorax, is the perfect brute, who would be petted and patted, given food and drink, and taught to speak. Caliban learns language only to turn it against itself. He becomes vindictive and rewards his master's, Prospero, efforts with curses. His developed consciousness leads him into deeper enslavement, inducing him to overeach his limits by attempting to murder his lord. Earlier, he became rebellious and attempted to "violate" his master's daughter, the innocent, pure Miranda. He later, after getting drunk, turns on Prospero and professes his loyalty to Stephano.
In this whimsical play, Prospero, the former Duke of Milan, after being supplanted of his dukedom by his brother, arrives on an island. He frees a spirit named Ariel from a spell and in turn makes the spirit his slave. He also enslaves a native monster named Caliban. These two slaves, Caliban and Ariel, symbolize the theme of nature versus nurture. Caliban is regarded as the representation of the wild; the side that is usually looked down upon. Although from his repulsive behavior, Caliban can be viewed as a detestable beast of nature, it can be reasonably inferred that Shakespeare’s intent was to make Caliban a sympathetic character.
In the play ‘The Tempest’, Prospero and Caliban are portrayed as two completely opposite characters with contradictory and clashing views. Prospero, who was the rightful heir to become duke of Milan before being cast away and the ‘deformed slave’ Caliban are symbolic of opposite extremes, particularly in their roles in society and hierarchy. Prospero is a natural leader and is intellectually disciplined, while Caliban not only does not behave in this kind of manner, he seems to completely stand against it and ignore any order and is ‘capable of all ill’ according to Prospero. Caliban’s careless, unethical nature, and being born as part of a ‘vile race’ is an immediately apparent reason for Prospero’s hatred of him. Shakespeare quickly portrays the two characters as of clashing personalities during the passage, depicting Prospero as a person who emphasizes social lustre and class and uses his great intellect to only give others what he thinks they deserve. While Caliban is illustrated as an animalistic character, wi...
Prospero’s trust is broken with Caliban because he tried to rape Miranda. There is no evidence of rape, however Miranda was the only female on the island practically supports the idea. Caliban being a natural creature he would not know the different in societies rule against sexual engagement. Prospero learns from his second betrayal, apparently tyrannical state is revealed in verbal abuse ...
As a victim of colonial injustice, Caliban is given no other choice than to conform to the superior power and work as a slave on his own island. Knowledge is power and Caliban believes that all Prospero’s magic is contained in his books, which is why they present great danger. Without these books, “[Prospero’s] but a sot, as [Caliban is], nor hath not/ One spirit to command” (3.2.92-93). Egotistical individuals continue their reign by instilling fear in those thought to be inferior, which is exactly what Prospero does to Caliban.
The issue of identity is of primary importance in the cosmopolitan today’s world characterized by blending of cultures and globalization processes. Identity is a construct: the ways an individual understands what it is to belong to a certain gender, race or culture. As Jonathan Culler says “Literature has not only made identity a theme; It has played a significant role in the construction of the identity of the readers. Literary works encourage identification with characters by showing things from their point of view” (2005: 112). In this regard there is a lot of theoretical debate that concerns the nature of ‘subject’ or ‘self’. The question about the ‘subject’ is ‘what am I?’ and further the question whether the identity of the ‘subject’ ‘something given’ or ‘something constructed’ has
Caliban from his first appearance in the play speaks with a remarkable eloquence despite his deformed image, "As wicked dew as e'er my mother brushed/ With raven's feather from unwholsome fen/ Drop on you both!" (1.2.324-326). These lines show how Caliban speaks in the same eloquent tongue that Prospero speaks with. His lines are long and his words are filled with imagery: "wucked dew", "unwholesome fen", "raven's feather". Caliban doesn't in the play ever seem to be at a loss for words when describing his situation. Later in Act 1 Scene 2 Caliban describes how he once the island was his. Caliban acts like a tour guide for the reader describing the water, berries, toads, and beetles of the island. In this passage through language Caliban is able to once again recreate the past when he was not a slave. Caliban despite his position as a slave to Prospero in the physical world in the world of language, Caliban is Prospero's equal.