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Shakespeare's The Tempest Represents the Themes of Colonialism, Racism

and Social Hierarchy

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The English Literature Journal
Vol. 3, No. 5 (2016): 738-741
Article
Open Access
ISSN: 2348-3288

Shakespeare’s The Tempest Represents the Themes

of Colonialism, Racism and Social Hierarchy
Farhana Haque, M.A*

Department of English and Humanities, Brac University, Mohakhali, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

*Corresponding author: Farhana Haque; e-mail: dhak_121@yahoo.com

Received: 25 August 2016 Accepted: 13 September 2016 Online: 24 September 2016

ABSTRACT
Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ represented the emblem of colonialism, racism, and social hierarchy. Prospero’s
superlative attitudes have created the prevalent touch of suppression over the native people in the play The
Tempest. He was the man to supress the inhabitants in the strange land which he has been occupied illegally. Most of
the characters in this play remained in a civilized way, although perfectly all of them were not civilized. Several
times Prospero was referred as a tyrannical figure who was responsible about the concept of colonialism, racism
and illustrated the ideas of social hierarchy. In the Renaissance world this social hierarchy has paved the way of
rigidity, extreme political attitudes, God of higher class society. Prospero showed him as the true representator of
Elizabethan social higher class. Hence the suppressive conquest has arrived over the lives of African, Asian and
North American regions during the 16th century which was known as Shakespearean era. Later on, this process
came to be known as colonialism, racism and the phase of social hierarchy. As a whole the effort of this paper is to
unfold the character of Prospero to present the British colonization over the inferior peoples in a strange native
land.

Keywords: The Tempest, Colonialism, Racism, Social Hierarchy, Power politics

INTRODUCTION
Prospero was the name of superiority and a character
of smug. His existence was greatly attached with greed,
lawlessness and lust. This kind of attributes of Prospero
encouraged and excited the ideas of superiority about
white race all over in Britain. When Shakespeare was
writing The Tempest, the concept of colonialism and
racism somehow instilled within his mind. The play
was a brilliant social commentary on the effect of
colonialism. Prospero was depicted as the man of
conqueror, took the central impression in The Tempest.
Critics has been noted that, how the character Prospero
easily entered into the kingdom of savage inhabitants
and made that as his own realm. In the Renaissance
period the European fantasised about real and
imagined cannibals which has taken them towards the
ventures of bringing civilization to the natives. The
Tempest was related to geographical exploration with
the emphasis on the colonization of the Americas.
Shakespeare’s imagination was the idea of discovering
the new geographical spaces and control of those lands
by the explorers which can certainly leads towards the
concept of colonialism.
Colonialism means about conquering new lands and
impose the colonizer’s cultures and heritage over the
savages. Prospero has captured the Sycorax’s land and
therefore his treatments with the natives of that island
made the tendency of many critics to interpret the play
from the perspective of colonialism. Caliban was the
only character who has tried hard to resist the colonial
power. But apart from this, the main arguments of The
Tempest centered around Prospero’s arrival to
Sycorax’s land, his nature of atrocity over the natives,
ruling power and the power to impose his own cultures
on the inhabitants. Prospero was not seen as a kind
father of Miranda rather he was considered as a person
of aggressive master towards his slaves such as Ariel
and Caliban. Here we can consider Prospero as the
representator of the Europeans who has been usurped
the land of native Americans and enslaved them.
Prospero’s superior attitudes towards Caliban
From the ideology of superiority, Prospero has taken
Caliban as a half man. He has created a place for Caliban
and has settled him at the wheel of affairs, displaced
Prospero’s mother and underestimated her as a beast.

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Therefore Prospero took the full control over
everything on the island. He didn’t show any kind of
respect or compassion to Caliban and pushed him
towards the works of servants. By doing such Prospero
called Caliban as a thing of darkness. To the eye of
Prospero, Caliban was a subhuman and was being
dehumanized. Here the concept of European’s superior
traits has been expressed through the unkind ruling
over Caliban. To Prospero, Caliban was deformed evil
smiling, treacherous, drunkard, violent, savage and a
devil worshipper. According to Prospero, Caliban
cannot be considered as a human rather than born
devil and a man of darkness.
Prospero; “This thing of darkness i call my own”. (Act l,
Scene l)
The above statement of Prospero has presented the
colonizer’s attitudes of underscoring the people of
another colour. Therefore proved the European’s
character as superior than any other race. According to
Prospero, Caliban has been seen as a disgraceful
existence. Prospero thus proved that he was born to
dominate, while Caliban was born to be dominated and
treated as inferior. Also Caliban was thought as a
element of darkness and ignorance which are the
features of colonized inhabitants. On the other hands,
Prospero used to think himself as a man of light,
knowledge and wisdom, therefore he considered
himself as an appropriate man to carry out the project
of civilization through the atrocities. This was the
politics of dominion over the colonized. The colonizers
like Prospero came to the Sycorax’s land in order to
civilize the uncivilized people. But actually he tried to
set up this own cultures and heritage to the native’s life.
Prospero has been manipulated everybody and every
actions of the natives, hence he has found them as his
puppet.
Caliban’s rebellious notions against Prospero, and
the colonialism
Caliban was disobedient and created problems for the
colonizers. He had a plan to flick off the tyrannical
activities by Prospero. In order to give him punishment,
Caliban attempted to rape Miranda which was a threat
to the safety of the colonizer. Caliban was infuriated
towards Prospero and his inflammatory words told him
that, the land which Prospero is ruling was forcefully
taken away from his mother. This protest of Caliban
showed the world about the concept of post-
colonialism. The term post-colonialism has arrived by
the rebellious minded person such as Caliban. Caliban
again and again claimed that the land has been
inherited upon him and originally belonged to him. The
famous dialogue of Caliban depicted the ultimate
victory of the colonized people. He remarked,
Caliban: “I must eat my dinner, this island is mine, by
Sycorax’s, my mother’. (Act l, scene l)
In every step of colonial attitudes, Caliban did refuse to
receive their culture and tradition. When Prospero
tried to teach the language of him, Caliban always
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ignored to recite. He was like this kind of rebellious
from the beginning till the end of this play. There was
no change occurred in Caliban’s nature. This was the
utmost resistance of Prospero’s dominance by Caliban.
Eventually this nature of resistance did fuel to the
critics for the further interpretations about post-
colonialism against the British rule.
Post-colonial effects in The Tempest
Europeans did start their colonization and marked
their foot steps through one incident. In 1669, a fleet of
nine ships had started their journey from England, and
supposed to go towards John Smith’s Virginia colony.
This was the first English settlement in the new world.
One of the nine ships was separated during a violent
storm and at last came on Bermuda island. This
incident of shipwrecked influenced the Europeans to
start the colonization on the island and therefore had
begun to rule the native population. Shakespeare’s The
Tempest was the amalgam of colonialism and to some
extent traced the existence of anti-colonialism through
the characters of Prospero and Caliban. As an European
man, Prospero took the charge of a remote island and
gradually sprinkled his spell bound ability over the
natives. To analyse the social hierarchy and
colonialism, it is very important to go through the
aspects of post-colonialism. Prospero was a white
British man who had settled his life’s goal according to
his power politics and accumulated the natives within
his group.
Ariel and Caliban who were worked for Prospero. They
were under his rule, threats, spells and enchantments
of Prospero. And after all these things he has promised
given promises to free those natives someday. To
accomplish his ideologies, Prospero used to spread his
authoritical power over the non-European people. Here
lies the tyrannical characteristics of colonialism which
was truly depicted by Prospero. However Caliban was
the only one strong character who was against this
colonialism, racism and social hierarchy. To explore the
spirit of Caliban here i would like to add the statements
of Farhana Haque in her article “Fierce Literary Works
of Kazi Nazrul Islam: A Rebellious Identity in the
Domain of Bangla Literature” she said how the famous
Bengali poet Kazi Nazrul Islam was against the British
rule and the rulers
“Being a man of revolution Nazrul had the intense
hatred towards the establishment of British Raj in India
Through his poetic works like Bidrohi ( The Rebel),
Bhangar Gaan ( The song of Destruction) and his
famous publication Dhumketu ( The Comet), he showed
the tireless endeavour to attack the British government
in India. His aim was to free his country from the grip of
British colonialism. To accomplish his goal, he had to
set up his mind towards the deeds of revolution and
patriotism, therefore he had to face the hurdles which
led him imprisoned many times by the British
authorities. After staying in prison he kept the
continuation of his fierce writings. He wrote Rajbandir
Jabanbandi ( Disposition of a Political Prisoner). All of
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his revolutionary writing pieces made him not only a
freedom fighter but also a man of truth, who did work
to free the subaltern group and down trodden people
from the illusion of British rule. (Haque, 2016, p. 58)
To relate the notion of anti-colonialism with the works
of Kazi Nazrul Islam, it is to be said that, in the time of
Shakespeare there was also a voice of rebellion through
the character Caliban. He was the native of the land and
considered himself as the rightful owner of this place.
Blantantly saying statements of Caliban proved that,
there was still the ray of hope inside of Prospero’s
despotic attributes.
“This island’s mine, by Sycorax my mother, which thou
takest from me” (Act l, Scene l)
In order to learn the language of Prospero, Caliban was
rebellious again like before. Prospero tried to teach
Caliban his language, and thought that Caliban would
be grateful but instead of it, Caliban said that his only
profit from learning how to speak is that now he knows
how to curse Prospero.
Caliban: “You taught me language; and my profit on’t is, i
know how to curse. The red plague rid you. For learning me
your language”! (Act l, Scene II, lines 437-438)
He never served Prospero and Miranda from heart but
he was compelled to do so. However Prospero tried to
amalgam the culture of him inside of the native’s lives
and showed the European hospitality to Caliban. In
return, Prospero got to know about the island’s natural
resources from Caliban. In one part of this play a man
named Trinculo arrived to the strange land and had
encountered with Caliban. His first impression about
Caliban was nothing but a monster. He considered
Caliban as a thing of display in the country England and
wanted to arrange a freak show about Caliban.
“Where I in England now, as once I was, and had but thus fish
painted, not holiday fool but there but would give a piece of
silver: there would this monster make man; any strange beast
there makes a man: when they will not give a doit ( coin) to
relieve a lame beggar, they will lay out ten to see a dead
Indian”. (Act l, Scene l, lines 27-32)
The reference about the practice of exhibiting Indians
for money in late 16th century England, proved the
touch of colonial project of king James l, this kind of
freak show was prominent among the higher class
people of England. Caliban has expressed the gratitude
towards Trinculo and asked help from him in order to
make himself free from Prospero. Caliban helped
Trinculo and said:
“I pritee, let me bring thee where crabs crow; And I with my
long nails will dig thee pig-nuts; show thee a jay’s nest, and
how to snare the nimble marmoset and sometimes I’ll get
thee young scamels from the rock. Wilt thou go with me”?
(Act l, Scene II, lines, 246-250)
At the end of this play Prospero decided to return to
Europe and emancipated his slaves. This was the
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victory of Caliban and the concept of post-colonialism
firmly fixed by the character Caliban.
Who is Caliban from the critics point of views?
In The Tempest, the character Caliban was vividly
presented with the thoughts of uncivilized, savage,
barbaric and a monster like figure. “Hay-born”, “Demi-
devil”, “Whelp”, “not honoured with human shape”,
poor credulous monster”, “Hag-seed”, “strange fish”.
These are the mocking and insulting words for Caliban.
A lot of literary critics said that, the name Caliban itself
represent the term ‘savage’. Can [n]i bal, a term derived
from ‘ carib’, ( as in the Caribbean), this is a European
term used to describe fish eaters. Following this idea
Caliban’s name also could relate with the kinds of
‘savage’ man eaters that Europeans were reading about
in travel literature. Literary critic Kin F. Hall pointed
out that, Caliban’s associations with “ darkness” and “
dirt” is the opposition of Miranda’s association with
purity and light. Caliban was attached with darkness
throughout the play, as Prospero called his slave as
darkness.
Caliban occupies the role victim of in the phase
colonial anarachy and injustice
The definition of colonialism actually matched with the
play The Tempest and there Caliban was the only one
who observed the colonial anarachy and injustice by
Prospero. Caliban was a serious victim of European
imperialism and colonization. He was deprived from his
rights and experienced a kind of imprisonment. Virginia
Mason Vaughan and Alden T. Vaughan asserted the
truth about European colonization, where Caliban was
the dire victim than any other character in The Tempest
“Caliban stands for countless victims of European
imperialism and colonization. Like Caliban, colonized
peoples were disinherited, exploited, and subjugated.
Like him they have learned a conqueror’s language and
perhaps that conquerors values. Like him, they endured
enslavement and contempt by European usurpers and
eventually rebelled. Like him, they were torn between
their indigenous culture and the culture superimposed
on it by their conquerors”. (Shakespeare’s Caliban: A
cultural history, 145). It is to be said that Caliban has
suffered from colonial anarachy and injustice. He was
named by a slave, a devil like human which is called
half human by Prospero. Besides Prospero, Miranda
also considered Caliban as a ‘ vile race’ and his lack of
language makes him deserving of his status as a slave.
This is exactly what the European imperialist thoughts
about the colonized people.
The Tempest’s exploration about the complex
relationship between the European colonizer and
the native colonized inhabitants
In the play The Tempest, Prospero played the role of
colonizer when Caliban was one of the pertinent
character of colonized people. They have build the
master slave relationship where Prospero tried to
impose his culture on Caliban such as he attempted to
teach his language to Caliban and thought to upgrade
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him out of savagery. In contrast, Caliban did
understand that he is nothing but a second citizen who
was born to serve. Following these issues, the
colonizer’s purposes to come on the Sycorax land has
unveiled the menacing attitudes and mighty ruling
system upon the life of the colonized people. Racism
has came forward in this play to expose the negative
traits of colonizer. For example, when Sebastian
criticized Alonso for allowing his daughter to marry an
African which has presented that white can’t marry any
black man, therefore the white colonizers created the
issue of racism. Colonization has actually shown the
colonizer to act like superior and consider the
colonized as inferior than them. Stephano and Trinculo
wanted to sell Caliban out of curiosity and take him to
their land for ‘ freak show’. This concept of ‘freak show’
basically did represent the atrocities of white people in
The Tempest and as well as their pride of being an
English man
CONCLUSION
The Tempest has been written based on the superior
traits of European white man with the instinct of
colonizer’s attributes. Prospero was one of the white
man of higher class, a God for natives and the despotic
ruler over the inhabitants of Sycorax land. Within the
portrayal of colonizer Prospero, Shakespeare has been
depicted the character like a scintillating person. Thus
he has shown his ingenious attitudes to create the
character of Prospero and exhibited the colonizer’s
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conduct as a powerful ruler over the black natives in
Congo. On the other hands the character Caliban came
forward as the representator of rebellious nature in
16th century. In today’s world this play by Shakespeare
has caught up with the theme colonialism, racism and
social hierarchy as well as showed us the glimpse of
post-colonial aspects.
REFERENCES
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Nazrul Islam: A Rebellious Identity in the Domain of Bangla
Literature”. International Journal on Studies in English
Language and Literature ( IJSELL), 4(8), 58.
http://dx.doi.org/10.20431/ 2347-3134.040800
2. Hulme, Peter & Sherman, William H. (2000). “ The Tempest”
and its Travels. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania
Press.
3. Schille, Candy B. K. “Man Hungry”: Reconsidering Threats to
Colonial and patriarchal Order in Dryden and Davenant’s The
Tempest”. Texas Studies in Literature and Language. 48.4
(2006) 273-290
4. Schneider, Ben Ross, Jr. “Are we Being Historical Yet”?:
Colonialist Interpretations of Shakespeare’s Tempest”.
Shakespeare Studies. 23 (1995):120-145
5. Vickers, Brian. ( 1993) Appropriating Shakespeare:
Contemporary Critical Quarrels, Yale University Press: New
Haven
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