Colonialism in The Tempest Essay

Background selective information In 1609 a fleet of gild ships set out from England, headed towards John metalworkers Virginia colony, the first English resolving in the New World. One of the baseball club ships was separated during a violent storm and ended up on Bermuda. These shipwrecked Europeans began colonizing the island and enslaving the congenital population. Shakespeares Tempest is based on this incident. For over a century, a routine of critics have tried to interpret the unhomogeneous elements of post compoundism present in the Tempest.In 1818, the English critic William Hazlitt was the first to spot out that Prospero had usurped Caliban from his rule of the island and thus, was an agent of imperialism. This resume provided the basis for modern interpretations of the Tempest as a post colonial work. Shakespeares Tempest is an amalgam of various pots colonial elements Prospero is a European who has taken taper of a remote island, being competent to do so becaus e of his strong thaumaturgy powers.With these powers, he organizes a life for himself, gets the topical anesthetic inhabitants (Ariel and Caliban) to work for him, and maintains his falsify by a combination of threats, spells and enchantments, and promises of freedom some day. By taking charge of a commit which is non his and by exerting his European business office over the strange non-European creatures, Prospero can be seen as an obvious symbol for European colonial power. However, Caliban is perhaps the strongest symbol of bowl overest colonialism. Caliban, a immanent of the island, regards himself as the rightful(prenominal) owner of the place.He bluntly states This islands mine, by Sycorax my mother, which thou takest from me. He is pressure against his allow to serve Prospero and Miranda. Initially, Prospero extends to Caliban his European hospitality, teaches him language, and, in indemnity, is translaten all the natural resources of the island by Caliban. more over Caliban refuses to live by Prosperos rules, tries to bilk Miranda, and their relationship changes to one of master and slave. Shakespeare represents as Caliban as an ignoble savage. When Trinculo first encounters Caliban, he views him as some kind of deuce.after recoiling in horror from Caliban, Trinculo considers bringing the monster back to England where he can be disp graveled in a freak show Were I in England now, as formerly I was, and had still this fish painted, not holiday fool there but would give a piece of money there would this monster make a man any strange sentient being there makes a man when they will not give a doit (coin) to unloosen a lame beggar, they will lay out ten to see a dead Indian. Trinculo is referring to the practice of exhibiting Indians for money in late 16th century England. such freak shows were highly profitable investments and were a regular feature of colonial insurance under King James I. Caliban tries to booster Trinculo find foo d, who might liberate him from Prospero, his accredited master and lord of the island. Caliban unctuously says I prithee, let me bring thee where crabs bring out And I with my long nails will dig thee pig-nuts Show thee a jays nest, and how to fleece the nimble marmoset Ill get thee To meet filberts and sometimes Ill get thee teen scamels from the rock. Wilt thou go with me? Powhatan, the native chief, had provided the same services to John smiths colony.After half of the colonists died in the first year, Powhatan took pity and taught the colonists how to plant corn, beans, pumpkins, and squash. However, at a time the starving British colonists recovered their strength, they at once again set about the assess of enslaving the native population. The play ends with Prospero deciding to return to Europe and to decolonize his island and emancipate his slaves. The colonizer sets himself free as well. Prospero not wholly gives up his island, but relinquishes his magical powers that enabled him to control Caliban.