Historical Critique : The Tempest
Time period has a definite link to ideas presented in novels. In The Tempest, characters were treated a certain way based on how people were treated in 1611 Europe, where Shakespeare wrote the play. The Tempest supports the claim that the culture of 1600s England influenced the play by presenting the sexist treatment of Miranda, the slavelike lifestyle Caliban was forced to live, and the ultra superior attitude of the nobles.
The treatment of Caliban was a sure giveaway that English culture influenced this play at the time it was written. Caliban was treated like a slave. Caliban’s mother, Sycorax, was the original owner of the island, Caliban states “This island 's mine, by Sycorax my mother, / Which thou …show more content…
Yet Prospero denies him his inheritance and takes the land into his control. This is very similar to what the English did to the Irish when they first colonized Ireland in 17th Century (Goddard). This is an example of slavelike treatment since Prospero feels like Caliban in beneath him in race and since he is taking control of everyone on the island, including Caliban. The “European land grab occurring across the ocean at the same time the play was written” (Evans). Prospero treats Caliban as if he is worthless. “Prospero refers to Caliban as "a Caliban" (1.2.481), and the emphasis on using the article a makes him not a person but an object, which further emphasizes the significance of his name” (Goddard). This is viewed as slavelike treatment because when Europeans owned slaves in the 1600s, they treated them as property rather than people, and that is apparent in this play (Goddard). Lastly, Prospero blatantly calls Caliban a slave. When Prospero calls Caliban out of the cage, he says “Thou poisonous slave, got by the devil himself/ Upon thy wicked dam, come forth!” (1.2.17-19). This is perceived as slavelike treatment because when …show more content…
This is evident when the boatswain wants to pull down the sail, but the nobles tell him not to and the boat sank. According to Angel, the nobles did not want the boatswain to take down the sail because they felt like he would be calling the shots. Back then, nobles wanted to be looked at as the highest power so people under them were not allowed to tell them what to do (Angel). The nobles constantly talk down on other people and walk around all high and mighty. This is distinguishable with what clothes they wear in comparison to everyone else. According to Angel, nobles were looked at as superior just by the way their carrieb themselves and treated other. They were often snobbish and wore better quality clothing than others did in the play and in real life. Lastly, nobles are looked at as superior by people under them by their thirst for power, back them people were hungry for power and would do almost anything for it. This is proven in The Tempest because the nobles actually plot to kill the king while he is sleeping so they can all gain more power. These all are examples of the ultra superior attitude of nobles back then because they were “power hungry, stuck up and just plain rude to people below them, just because they obtained a higher title” (Evans).
History has an influence on everything. The Tempest is a great example of this claim. It is extremely important for authors and critics to express their
Time period has a definite link to ideas presented in novels. In The Tempest, characters were treated a certain way based on how people were treated in 1611 Europe, where Shakespeare wrote the play. The Tempest supports the claim that the culture of 1600s England influenced the play by presenting the sexist treatment of Miranda, the slavelike lifestyle Caliban was forced to live, and the ultra superior attitude of the nobles.
The treatment of Caliban was a sure giveaway that English culture influenced this play at the time it was written. Caliban was treated like a slave. Caliban’s mother, Sycorax, was the original owner of the island, Caliban states “This island 's mine, by Sycorax my mother, / Which thou …show more content…
Yet Prospero denies him his inheritance and takes the land into his control. This is very similar to what the English did to the Irish when they first colonized Ireland in 17th Century (Goddard). This is an example of slavelike treatment since Prospero feels like Caliban in beneath him in race and since he is taking control of everyone on the island, including Caliban. The “European land grab occurring across the ocean at the same time the play was written” (Evans). Prospero treats Caliban as if he is worthless. “Prospero refers to Caliban as "a Caliban" (1.2.481), and the emphasis on using the article a makes him not a person but an object, which further emphasizes the significance of his name” (Goddard). This is viewed as slavelike treatment because when Europeans owned slaves in the 1600s, they treated them as property rather than people, and that is apparent in this play (Goddard). Lastly, Prospero blatantly calls Caliban a slave. When Prospero calls Caliban out of the cage, he says “Thou poisonous slave, got by the devil himself/ Upon thy wicked dam, come forth!” (1.2.17-19). This is perceived as slavelike treatment because when …show more content…
This is evident when the boatswain wants to pull down the sail, but the nobles tell him not to and the boat sank. According to Angel, the nobles did not want the boatswain to take down the sail because they felt like he would be calling the shots. Back then, nobles wanted to be looked at as the highest power so people under them were not allowed to tell them what to do (Angel). The nobles constantly talk down on other people and walk around all high and mighty. This is distinguishable with what clothes they wear in comparison to everyone else. According to Angel, nobles were looked at as superior just by the way their carrieb themselves and treated other. They were often snobbish and wore better quality clothing than others did in the play and in real life. Lastly, nobles are looked at as superior by people under them by their thirst for power, back them people were hungry for power and would do almost anything for it. This is proven in The Tempest because the nobles actually plot to kill the king while he is sleeping so they can all gain more power. These all are examples of the ultra superior attitude of nobles back then because they were “power hungry, stuck up and just plain rude to people below them, just because they obtained a higher title” (Evans).
History has an influence on everything. The Tempest is a great example of this claim. It is extremely important for authors and critics to express their