The Tempest: A Tale of the New World
Christiano Marconi
S.S.J. Mucha
British Literature Honors
2/10/2016
The Tempest: A Tale of the New World
Thesis: William Shakespeare?s The Tempest symbolized exploration in The New World and its colonization by Europeans.
Similarities
References to the New World
Imagery in the text
Related encounters in the New World
Caliban
Correlation to natives
Native-colonizer relations
Views of civility
Notes
Works Cited
The Tempest: A Tale of the New World
William Shakespeare?s The Tempest symbolized exploration in the New World and its colonization by Europeans. Throughout the play there are several events which make clear connections to both European-native relations and encounters by explorers in the New World. When reading The Tempest with …show more content…
At that time these stories were popular due to their thrilling and adventurous qualities.[endnoteRef:1] Shakespeare would have had at the very least general knowledge of various explorations in the New World. When he wrote The Tempest, Shakespeare included subtle allusions to the New World that can easily be noticed when taking a more attentive look at the play. Prospero, in the beginning of the play, directly states that the island is located in the Mediterranean Sea which was most likely an attempt by Shakespeare to allow the audience to relate to the play.[endnoteRef:2] Preceding this revelation, however, Ariel, rather obviously, makes a connection to the New World. Ariel states, ?Thou [Prospero] call?dst me up at midnight to fetch dew/ From the still-vexed Bermoothes, . . .? (I, ii, 228-230) This is actually as a double entendre in meaning but it would have been much more apparent to the audience of London. The ?still-vexed Bermoothes? was a reference to the Bermuda which had numerous reports of castaways who were saved by the ?magically beneficent nature? of the
Christiano Marconi
S.S.J. Mucha
British Literature Honors
2/10/2016
The Tempest: A Tale of the New World
Thesis: William Shakespeare?s The Tempest symbolized exploration in The New World and its colonization by Europeans.
Similarities
References to the New World
Imagery in the text
Related encounters in the New World
Caliban
Correlation to natives
Native-colonizer relations
Views of civility
Notes
Works Cited
The Tempest: A Tale of the New World
William Shakespeare?s The Tempest symbolized exploration in the New World and its colonization by Europeans. Throughout the play there are several events which make clear connections to both European-native relations and encounters by explorers in the New World. When reading The Tempest with …show more content…
At that time these stories were popular due to their thrilling and adventurous qualities.[endnoteRef:1] Shakespeare would have had at the very least general knowledge of various explorations in the New World. When he wrote The Tempest, Shakespeare included subtle allusions to the New World that can easily be noticed when taking a more attentive look at the play. Prospero, in the beginning of the play, directly states that the island is located in the Mediterranean Sea which was most likely an attempt by Shakespeare to allow the audience to relate to the play.[endnoteRef:2] Preceding this revelation, however, Ariel, rather obviously, makes a connection to the New World. Ariel states, ?Thou [Prospero] call?dst me up at midnight to fetch dew/ From the still-vexed Bermoothes, . . .? (I, ii, 228-230) This is actually as a double entendre in meaning but it would have been much more apparent to the audience of London. The ?still-vexed Bermoothes? was a reference to the Bermuda which had numerous reports of castaways who were saved by the ?magically beneficent nature? of the