The Hidden Meaning of Colonization within The Tempest



Throughout The Tempest, Shakespeare hinted towards the colonization of the New World.  The island that housed Prospero and Miranda is representative to the unexplored and foreign lands of the New World.  When Prospero first landed on the island and befriended Sycorax and Caliban, he used them to gain knowledge of the island before imprisoning them.  This is similar to how explorers befriended and enslaved natives of the New World.  Caliban is bitter and reluctant to following Prospero's orders as his slave, which is parallel to how slaves felt the same under colonial control and submitted to the fear of the colonists' ability and power. Characters such as Antonio, Alonso, Gonzalo, and Sebastian are examples of wealthy monarchs and high status patrons in Europe who funded many exploration trips in regards to increase their status and wealth.  The way they approach the island were similar to how colonists presented themselves. Overall, there are many similarities between The Tempest and early European colonization.

Comments

  1. Camille WhiteNovember 2, 2017 at 10:31 AM

    Caroline, I agree with you that The Tempest did have an underlying theme of colonization, but I think it definitely goes past the New World. I agree with you on your point about Caliban and Ariel, as Prospero held the most power predominately because he is a white, wealthy man. I think that Miranda can also be compared to a native, as she has never seen another human being with the exception of Prospero, her father. When she sees Ferdinand, she is completely infatuated and falls hopelessly in love with him. If Ferdinand was a malicious human being, he could have hurt her severely because of how naive she was. Christopher Columbus mistreated the native by using their nativity to his own advantage. Overall, I think that colonization is a major motif and can be see in each of the characters

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