European Colonialism and Imperialism in Shakespeares The...

European Colonialism and Imperialism in Shakespeares The Tempest William Shakespeare’s play The Tempest reveals how ideologies of racial ‘otherness’ served to legitimize European patriarchal hegemony in Elizabethan England. In the Elizabethan/ Jacobean times of England there were many relevant ideologies relevant to this play. In examining the values and ideologies this text endorses and challenges, the society of the time (Elizabethan England), and a knowledge of how it operated serves a great purpose in analyzing these relationships. As in many texts of this time, Shakespeare is endorsing many ideologies of his time, and, although many have labelled him ahead of his time in many respects in his writing, he is, essentially writing†¦show more content†¦Sycorax and Miranda may appear odd choices, given that Sycorax is not physically present in the play, while Miranda’s role is quite minor. This is precisely why they have been chosen for discussion of racial representations in the text. For these two characters, t hrough their absence and silence reveal the text endorses the white imperial rule. Despite her physical absence from the play, Sycorax is a very real presence in a theoretical sense. She performs a vital ideological function in the play. She is the wicked ‘other’ through which Prospero’s dominance on the island is legitimized. Sycorax functions as Prospero’s evil, female non-European other. Shakespeare draws a number of parallels between the two characters, which ultimately privileges the role of Prospero, through the evilness of Sycorax. Prospero invokes her when the island’s aboriginal population goad him for their freedom. Prospero’s response to Ariel’s request for freedom is to systematically list all of Sycorax’s evil qualities. â€Å"She’s from Agier† where she was expelled from for â€Å"sorceries terrible†. She would have been executed, except for the pregnancy, and instead was sent to an island where she â€Å"littered† her son Caliban. Sycorax imprisoned the spirit Ariel when she would not meet her â€Å"earthly and abhorred demands†. The construction of Sycorax as an evil witch is therefore used to give Prospero’s annexation of the island moral authority. He reminds Ariel â€Å"once in aShow MoreRelated European Colonization in Shakespeares The Tempest Essay1279 Words   |  6 PagesNo Critique of European Colonization in The Tempest      Since the 1960s, several critics have found a critique of colonialism in their respective readings of Shakespeares The Tempest. The most radical of these analyses takes Prospero to be a European invader of the magical but primitive land that he comes to rule, using his superior knowledge to enslave its original inhabitants, most notably Caliban, and forcing them to do his bidding. While the textual clues concerning the geographic locationRead MoreEssay on An Analysis of Shakespeares The Tempest3488 Words   |  14 PagesAn Analysis of Shakespeares The Tempest There are many ways of interpreting Shakespeares The Tempest. A Post-Colonialist critic, such as Stephen Greenblatt, will look at the influence of historical and political implications of colonialism on the text. Along these lines, a Reader Response critic, such as Paul Yachnin, will look specifically at Shakespeares audience and their concerns at the time in which the play was written. Very different from these approaches, a Psychological criticRead MoreThe Origins Of The Negritude Movement Essay1949 Words   |  8 Pageshis literary works. His 1969 play, A Tempest explores postcolonial identity as it relates to the black self. The portrayal of colonizer and colonized characters highlight differing attitudes towards imperialism. 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Whether it be of physical significance, as Walter Cohen suggests in his essay Shakespeare and Calderon in an Age of Transition, or of literary significance, as Judith Boss suggests in her essay The Golden Age, Cockaigne, and Utopia in the The Faerie Queene and The Tempest, it is an important piece of literature in contribution to Utopianism. Judith Boss does an excellent job in breaking down UtopianismRead MoreSuccesses and Failures of Patriarchy in Colonialism2853 Words   |  12 PagesIn â€Å"The Tempest†, â€Å"Translations† and â€Å"Things Fall Apart†, the theme of patriarchy is explored in different settings; the colonisation of the Irish in â€Å"Translations†, an unnamed island in â€Å"The Tempest† and the Igbo tribe in â€Å"Things Fall Apart†. Prospero is a familial patriarch, shown through his dominant control of Miranda, such as ‘the very minute bids thee ope thine ear. Obey and be attentive’ . Hugh’s control of Manus is familial, as is Okonkwo’s control of his wives and children. Prospero’s control