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The tempest colonialism shakespeare's intention
The tempest colonialism shakespeare's intention
Shakespeare the tempest themes of colonialism
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Shakespeare’s The Tempest shows many similarities to colonialism and imperialism. I believe Shakespeare’s purpose of The Tempest was to show how colonialism and imperialism can negatively affect a place it has taken over. While both productions show this well the Utah Valley University production shows this better. The costumes and characters are more real in this version and that adds to how these themes are portrayed. In the play Miranda does not want to look at Caliban and is afraid of him because he looks different. When Prospero came to the island he taught Caliban about his language and culture and now treats him as a slave. Now Caliban does all the manual labor. Prospero has also imprisoned Ariel into his service and promises Ariel freedom once but goes back on his word and says he will free Ariel later. Ariel has become Prospero’s servant and like everyone else, Prospero manipulate Ariel to get what he wants. Throughout the play Prospero’s way of manipulation and ruling over the island and its inhabitants show similarities to colonialism and imperialism. …show more content…
Ariel was portrayed like a magical monkey with human qualities. Her entrance to the scene showed how mystical she is. When she questioned Prospero and he yelled at her, Ariel shrunk down and it showed how dominant Prospero is. Caliban is shown to look very monstrous in this version but seems more misunderstood. You feel more pity for him than anything else. The Prospero in this version did not seem as outwardly threatening. He was good at manipulating the people around him but he never showed a display of power over his servants besides reminding them what they owed to
The appropriation of culture: Throughout the play many times Caliban and Ariel have their culture stepped on. Instead of accepting their way of life and integrating it with his own Prospero not only shames them for their culture but forces his own on them. He makes them feel as if they are outsiders on what appears to be their former home now overrun by Prospero. We see this first appear when Prospero yells at Caliban for speaking in his native tongue . Caliban greets him by saying “Uhuru” (Cesaire 11). Prospero responds “Yet another return to your savage tongue. I've already told you, I don't like it. You could be polite, at least: hello wouldn't kill you.” (Cesaire 11). He is forcing Caliban to speak in a language unfamiliar to him without even considering how Caliban might feel uncomfortable in doing so. Another example is when Trinculo and Stephano refer to Caliban as a “Nindian” because of the color of his skin. Stephan exclaims “Think about it -- a Nindian like that -- that's filthy lucre in abundance. Exhibited in a fair, between the bearded
Prospero took over the island and in that process made Caliban his slave. There is the constant dilemma Shakespeare keeps bringing up about ownership. Caliban declares that the land is his so when he is fighting for his freedom he is also demanding his property back. Prospero believes he has the rights to the island being his because he was sent their years ago. He used to rule and is used to having higher power. In many ways Caliban does fight for what he really wants. He has the emotions of a person and faces the pain and anger everyday. Caliban is a constant reminder of evil and
Ariel is consciously aware of his position as a servant and understands that if he does well, he may be set free. In order to speed up this process, he consciously tries to impress him to speed up that process. This is in contrast to Caliban, who doesn’t consider following Prospero’s orders and instead acts up out of spite and hatred. Although Prospero is conscious of Ariel as his most powerful spirit and a part of himself, he is too reliant on him and his magic, which prevents him from accepting himself without otherworldly interference or ability. By setting Ariel free, Prospero is able to achieve this is able to find the balance between all parts of
Prospero, when we first meet him, emerges as a very controlling and dominant figure on the island, mainly because he refers to the character Caliban as his “slave”. This shows us that Prospero must be a powerful man and that he has authority over the island and its people. Prospero uses his power to abuse Caliban, and he threatens him with phrases such as “thou shalt have cramps, side-stitches...” if he does not comply with his orders. But when Caliban refuses to obey him, Prospero resorts to insults in order to control him because he tells Miranda, his daughter, “But, as ‘tis/We cannot miss him” meaning that they cannot survive on the island themselves. Through the language used, we quickly learn how Prospero believe that he is “above” Caliban, because he calls him names like “savage”, “hag-seed” and “poisonous”.
Ariel meekly accepts his slavery and performs his duties for Prospero with little complaint. Prospero stifles even his small complaints by threatening to return him to his prior imprisonment. On the other hand, Caliban curses and fights against Prospero's control. However, both are slaves to Prospero's will. Prospero hints that he whips Caliban, sends his magic to give him cramps, and pinches him for voicing his dissatisfaction.
Issues of control become a central part of The Tempest. One way in which this is highlighted is through the relationship between Prospero and Caliban, his bestial servant. Their relationship does not utilize the conventional imagery of those who hold power versus those who do not. Rather, Caliban comes to symbolize a physical manifestation of a darker part of Prospero's personality. Early in the play, Caliban is described as a beast-like figure who lived on the island before any foreign intrusion.
Prospero and Caliban are alternately and perhaps occasionally all at once: master and servant, tutor and pupil, master and slave, and father and adopted son. Prospero terrorizes and belittles Caliban. Calibans short, snappy replies and his odious tone, reveal the bitterness he feels from leading a servile life, his rudeness makes him seem like an unworthy and despicable slave. Caliban is frustrated from the very beginning with the oppressive attitude of his dictator master Prospero. The hostility between Caliban and Prospero results in the breakdown of their initial loving father-son relationship. Prospero may have failed in nurturing Caliban because the nurture he offered him was intended to control him, not educate or liberate him. Caliban becomes a more sympathetic character in the second half of the work. His weakness is made more evident, and the ease by which he is controlled shows him to be a victim of his circumstances, possessing a nature weakened by subjugation and
The ostracism and exploitation of Caliban because he is perceived as a brutish animal compared to "civilized" folks is in keeping with the theme and intent of the play-to show that reality is more a manifestation of mentality and conscious perception than concrete black and white, definable phenomena. As one scholar of Elizabethan imagery suggests, "The poet who imitates not the visible world but the intelligible as manifested in the visible will not consider that the use of artifice to emphasize form makes imagery less 'true to nature'" (Scanlan 1). In The Tempest we see a great deal of artifice to understand what is manifested in the visible, however, with Caliban we see that all the artifice in the world does not help him be accepted by those who inhabit the island once his own. Prospero has enslaved the son that Sycorax "did litter" on the island, and his lovely daughter Miranda says of his slave, "'Tis a villain, sir,/I do not love to look on" (Shakespeare 5).
When first inhabiting the island, Prospero enslaves Caliban and Ariel and forces them to serve him for a significant time period. Despite some arguing Prospero acts honorably since he kept his promise to release them and treated them well, simply compelling them to serve as his slaves displays Prospero lack of good character and manhood. In Act 1, Ariel describes the length of effort he will go to in order to serve Prospero, “I come / to answer thy best pleasure. Be’t to fly, / to swim, to dive into the fire, to ride / on the curled Clouds; to thy strong bidding, task / Ariel and all his qualities” (Act 1, Scene 2, 224-228). Any man forcing anyone else to serve them with this dedication clearly views themselves as superior to others and does not respect others enough. Through his lack of humility and actions towards those Prospero believed inferior to him, Prospero leads audiences to believe he lacks the qualities of a good
After Caliban attempted to rape Miranda, Caliban’s and Prospero’s relationship changed drastically. Prospero became extremely hostile to Caliban, and insulted Caliban in their first conversation in the book in Act 1, Scene 2, “Thou poisonous slave, got by the devil himself. Upon thy wicked dam, come forth!” It is easily seen how their relationship has changed severely since then. Caliban, too, hurled curses at Prospero:
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...
Although Prospero can be characterized as evil, this cannot be his only classification. Prospero often shows a dual nature where he has good intentions but a bad outcome comes out of it. One might say that Prospero never intended to usurp the island from Caliban, but was forced to in order to teach him a lesson. Also, however ambiguous the ending is, Prospero might have had the intention to release Ariel from his duties. This interpretation of Prospero’s character changes the way the reader reads the play because it shows Prospero in a more authoritative way, forcing the reader to think about the implications of all of his actions. Every good action that Prospero does has negative reactions that make Prospero seem manipulative and devious.
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 ...
Shakespeare’s play, The Tempest is set on a mysterious island surrounded by the ocean. Here the magician Prospero is ruler of the isle with his two servants Caliban and Ariel. Caliban is the abrasive, foul-mouthed son of the evil witch Sycorax. When Prospero was shipwrecked on the island Prospero treated him kindly but their relationship changed when Caliban tried to rape Prospero's daughter, Miranda. Caliban then became Prospero's unwilling servant. Caliban serves his master out of fear Prospero's wrath. Prospero's other servant Ariel is a graceful spirit who has courtesy and charm. Ariel has put her services at Prospero's disposal out of gratitude for his kind actions towards her. Prospero saved Ariel from the confinement of Sycorax who held her prisoner.
Caliban whom we are told is “not honour’d with a human shape,” (1.2.419) is the son of Sycorax who inhabited the island Prospero was banished to. After the death of his mother, Sycorax, Caliban falls under the rule of Prospero and becomes one his servants. Caliban is very different from Ariel in the fact that while Ariel is pleased to serve under Prospero’s rule, Caliban is not. In fact, we find out that Caliban is far from happy to be Prospero’s servant and even plots with two other men to end Prospero’s life. As we discussed in class Caliban is also more of an angry individual than what Ariel seems to be and this comes from the fact that Caliban believes he is the rightful king of the island and that Prospero had robbed him of what was his, which we find out when he says that he is “subject to a tyrant, a sorcerer, that by his cunning hath cheated me of the island” (3.2.40-41). Ariel, who we are told in act one, scene two was the old servant of Caliban’s mother Syco...