The Tempest by Shakespeare

DAY-4

So, at the Fourth day of our continuous discussion on various aspects in post-colonial literature,  today we gone thought with Shakespearean play The Tempest simultaneously studying and applying the post-colonial theories on it.  

 The Tempest by Shakespeare  can defined as a postcolonial play because,

"The colonized is represented in regarding cultural hybridity in which the Self and the Other enlace the colonial experience" 

As being  primarily a post-colonial play because it often possess the issues which had been raised with its contemporary times, such as the issues of portraying the darkness which also connects with the idea or a issue of polish exile experiences of being colonialized  for example, Joseph Conard, and he wrote on his experience of being colonized : Heart of darkness. He said black identity is were largely a part of white who controlled the colonized people. Robinson Crouse by Daniel Defoe is one more example of it that he god  Black man( slave) named FRIDAY.  

So, I hope the concept of Post-colonialism is clear by this relevant examples . 

The twentieth century brought about a new form of understanding, producing and living art that has become a mean to react against the oppression that different groups suffered for centuries. Post-colonial criticism is an approach of analysis that questions racial identity and gender equity.

The Tempest : As Shakespearean play 

Shakespeare's plays are more classified in history. so while displaying the classified properties of Shakespearean works riches to the final place of the time where betray, murder, love, sex were the unique characteristics of his plays. In a manner of concern Shakespeare displayed a kind of Devastation, kind of Angst in his  tragedies .

Here, you get the movie adaption of the play the tempest, this will give you a clear idea to understand the concept. 

Shakespeare has a tremendous commands on creative writing , amazingly about the Ghosts, but we find the Insecurity of writing and Political Unrest becomes the reason of his projection of  negative emotions of society. the same way The Tempest can be seen as traditionally. Where the end of the play as we know that PROSPERO WILL BREAK HIS ALL STAFF. it seems as the last seen before Shakespeare bows out the English theaters.  

Traditional way of reading plays

Shakespeare's plays and works are often read as an examples of high humanitarian morals, a crucial  presentations of ethics of divineness. such as METAPHORS OF FORGIVENESS, TREDITIONS OF BROTHERHOOD etc. but on the other way counter part of it is that works can seen very nicely at all. which Shakespeare doesn't have. his plays are highly problematic, confusing and anti-traditional as well.

The Tempest has been read as a play of RECONCILIATION. that's the very traditional way of reading the tempest.

So, question should rise that, Does forgiveness mean reconciliation?

People often confuse forgiveness with reconciliation, as if they were the same thing. They aren't. Reconciliation is the final step in the forgiveness process, but it is the “cherry on top”—an extra bonus when and if it occurs. ... It takes two people to reconcile, but only one to forgive.

Post-Colonial Reading of the Play 

After the Post-Structuralism came the readings of any particular works becomes more commentarial concerns, Shakespeare was a creator of a huge intensity in emotions and high profile tensions between not only the characters but also with readers and views as well. The way Shakespeare had portray might not be as important today. it's more to do with the commercial workplace or a kind of global capital in a way killing the nature of human relationship.

Post-colonialism has very important mode on methodology of how and in which ways you can criticize authoritarian structures and foundations of any particular work of art, 

So, in this way Shakespearean works are very disturbing at that time with the contemporary readings , Here we find few ideas the nature of Resistance and  the nature how leadership operates, post-colonial reading put a question that  " YOU CAN ONLY ACHIEVE GREATNESS THROUGH DEATH?"

Only if you die, you're gonna great?  you are die for your cause . so as we know by reading of tempest by Shakespeare , we get feeling that surely Shakespeare somewhere working within his imagination, for the post-colonial pursuit we need to find is CREATIVITY, which we need to be informed because at the end of the every work or a art there must be a material production. Every work of art has it own larger historical source , when we inquire in that source we realize that he's looking at Chronicles. may be Shakespeare was thought what can be better end for any happy work it must be the death one? 

The same way The Tempests also has a historical Foundations since around the same period . There was ship , they reports of it to sank, and then the ship was called Burmukes. So shipwreck happened in west indies. Whole staff within the shipwreck. then people marooned on an island and the whole story begins. 

Points to ponder upon 

There are few points which we need to ponder upon for better understanding of the play such as,

• CONQUEST OF LAND
• ROLE OF LANGUAGE AND COLONIALISM
• NATURE OF IMPERIAL ATTITUDES
• IDEA OF LEADER SLASH REBEL

The close reading of colonialism and post-colonialism is based on the this main mentioned ideas, in detail  we can say that, the historical aspects of controlling the land , controlling the space, and colony, all is like forcible occupation of land, that how land can be take over for power ruling . all should be taken as a part of forcible occupations of colonialism.

   Nationalism in The Tempest

Tempest begins with the very uniform idea of Nationalism, 

It begins with the resistance and then resistance becomes the a meteorology and ideology  leads to a revolution. Here we find voicing of protest in resistance we can see at that time ,with instance though tempest , Shakespearean play's rise huge resistance. He tries to organize a rewards but he's not succeed, post-colonial aspects says 

"The huge failure of Shakespeare's resistance is responsible with in his own portrayal of white magic by the character of  Prospero in Tempest"

we can say colonial modernity and the colonial modes of controlling though  powerful  to colonized in a subject to democratic man Prospero is very democratic man he is not looking at opinions at the positions of people around there if you read Shakespeare's play you will find  he stands in a position of God , produced and controlling seasons in the play is able to create storms with this magic. the play shows the tremendous ability of Prospero to controlling all the modes of production in the play so in that sense Prospero is very autocratic man, there's not much space left for Caliban , he's in a way most rebellions character he has vision, he has voice to rebel, 

 So literally who is the master? 

At the  ending of the play we see Prospero is winning and  Ceres bringing about a revolution he is an articulated leader is bringing about a revolution he is not a passive subject of Shakespeare's play to be fair .  Shakespeare's characters are quite with wonderful voice. Caliban becomes an enable subject of being reality and then writer doesn't show  the victory of Caliban , on the other hand Caliban's characters possess  the whole ability of being superior, like Prospero, so one can easily get confused about the most capable master of the play.

The imperial period constantly battling the forces of darkness the forces of ignorance and superstitions it is constant battle for the idea of people not willing to accept the modernity that he wants to bring in so Caliban and language and his nature of language in the way how does one understand the language  how important the language is with him as being colonized, like how does language go on the create power structures.

Prosperity is the language to Caliban. The play brings out it very successfully that its  all about the organized ability of Caliban to resist colonialism in a big way and to resist colonial control or power.

Albert Camus is reference.

Albert Camus is reference. He contribute a number of noble  literature in various fields but one of his book called "The Rebel" where he is trying to understand ,

1. What construct the idea of rebel?
2.  What makes a rebel who is rebel? 

"According to him the rebellious is a person who has an idea and view and has a huge public support for it. The true rebellion is a person who is able to bring a connectivity within the idea of rebellion" 

Post-colonial perspective says that Caliban has voice of protest   he is critic of Prospero and his methods, but in the eyes of other he is not a popular leader , by Shakespeare he was caricatured in a very ugly way. as loser person who cannot think of his own for Shakespeare Caliban is not a rebellion character.  so he should do everything with an informed strategy to do rebel you need a strategy discourse,

As per the postcolonial perspective of character Caliban needs first strategy,   

• Know the  rebel  
• Discourse  
• Ability to die for a course

So at the end of my blog colonial modernity would like to prefer administrative order , but the  successful play is  showing the classic sign within the victory of true character.  Prospero's administration, Prospero's missionary has broke down. Shakespeare compliments everything is ordered, Prospero is able to controlled everything but at the end he is very tired and said, 

ok I am going see you....

 He was the colonizer , a Prospero has an agency to control everything,  the complete sign of ending the play is he gets tiered and left everything. Shakespeare won't show the victory of Caliban but with perspective of post-colonial studies we grab the winner in The Tempest. 

THANK YOU