The Tempest’s Acts II and III possess quite a few parallels with both the text provided in class and the video with regards to the opinions of people about natives. Shakespeare’s portrayal of Caliban as a “savage” matches the typical portrayal of natives that is testified to in the video. Our society’s insistence that natives, such as Caliban, are barbaric and unworthy, prevents us from being able to see these people and give them credit for their actual value.
In the provided text, it is stated that the interpretations of novels are largely limited by post-colonialism. Post-colonialism affects literary interpretation because the studies rooted in it “are based in the ‘historical fact’ of European colonialism.” This means that the way that people are viewed by readers, such as how Caliban is by readers, is subject to the beliefs that gave rise to colonialism. Consider when Shakespeare wrote The Tempest, that is the 1600s. During this point in time, Europe making its way to the New World and encountering the Native Americans. Once there, the Europeans took advantage of the Native Americans by learning the secrets of the land, stealing it from them, and then quite often enslaved them. Likewise, Prospero has done the same to Caliban, which Caliban tells Stefano in Act III, Scene II. He tells Stefano that Prospero, “‘by sorcery he got this isle. From me he got it.’” What’s more the way in which Miranda and her father taught him their ways also reflects an issue addressed within the article. They, like the British, who thought they “were biologically superior to any other race”, wanted to force Caliban to “conform and be quiet” and “deny yourself” so that he would be “well”. Never is it even considered that Caliban may like himself and not want to know their ways as he proclaims.
This struggle for an identity because it has been robbed by those dominant (the white man) is also addressed in the video. The Native Americans talked about how they often had trouble distinguishing who they were when they were always in the shadow the inferior portrayals they saw of their culture. Likewise, we see that Caliban really struggles to maintain a sort of independent identity as he opts out of real freedom and merely changes “masters”. He degrades himself, telling Stefano, “ ‘I’ll kiss thy foot. I’ll swear myself thy subject.’” Because he himself has for so long been walked on and made a “subject” to a “master”, he appears to believe he actually requires one when in fact he could be on his own. This characterization of Caliban as an “other” by Shakespeare is quite unfair. It ties in with the concept of the White Man’s Burden that says that white people should help other races out by enslaving them.
Basically, The Tempest is largely racist and promotes suppression of un-white races with the treatment of Caliban. The text voices a suggestion for how to remedy this suppression of the voices that are not status quo such as Caliban’s and non-post-colonial literary interpretations and that is “refuse to conform to…hegemony.” No matter what. Just break free from the chains that enslave your thoughts. This will set free all things, most especially your thoughts and bring people to a new found sense of liberty.
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