Similarities Between Principal Characters in Shakespeare's The Tempest

Similarities Between Principal Characters in Shakespeare's The Tempest In almost every respect, Gonzalo's ideas on how best to govern an island relate directly in some form to Prospero's existing reign. Gonzalo, an honest, sage, aging councilor first openly asserts his vision of a perfect society while meandering with his comrades on the sandy beach of some uninhabited, distant isle. Prospero's own notion on how a society should be set up and governed is evidenced most clearly through his current rule over the island he had long before washed ashore on. In William Shakespeare's The Tempest, Gonzalo's vision of ruling and maintaining a commonwealth mirrors that of the actual rule of Prospero. Gonzalo first states that, in contrast to ordinary custom, trade in his commonwealth would be completely abolished. He undoubtedly believes that the benefits of self-reliance far outweigh the gains made by engaging in trade with neighboring isles. Prospero oversees no traffic on his isle more out of necessity than by choice. Branded an outcast and banished to an uninhabited island after his exile from Naples, Prospero is left alone with only his infant daughter, Miranda, and precious few resources to survive on. He engages in no trade because he has not the means, the goods nor the desire. Prospero owns no seafaring vessel to carry him to neighboring shores. He has no workforce to

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Examine the ways in which Shakespeare and Morrison both use slavery as a means of voicing their perspectives on imperialism.

COLONIAL AND POSTCOLONIAL LITERATURE - ENGL 353. Examine the ways in which Shakespeare and Morrison both use slavery as a means of voicing their perspectives on imperialism. 'And neither world thought the other world's thought, save with a vague unrest.' - W. E. B. DuBois, "The Souls of Black Folk." In this essay, I hope to use the ideology of postcolonial criticism - focusing essentially upon the portrayal of the practice of slavery - in order to draw together two strikingly different texts. I have chosen to look at Toni Morrison's Beloved and Shakespeare's The Tempest. Despite being contemporaneous, in that they conform to Ashcroft et al's definition of a postcolonial text - 'all the culture affected by the imperial process from the moment of colonization to the present day'1, they are disparate in many senses. These divergences stem from the position of the respective writers in terms of their colonial experiences, to the date at which they were written and the very different contextual circumstances surrounding the two times. On the surface, both texts explore the theme of slavery and much attention is paid to the brutalities of the practice. In Beloved in particular there are evocative images of violence and cruelty that can only serve to disgust and outrage the reader. The disturbing representation of human suffering is a constant motif in Beloved and is

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The Self presentation skills of Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela.

Title: The Self presentation skills of Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela. My investigation is into the self-presentation skill of Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela. Communication studies: The essential introduction (2001) defines self -presentation as "Daily interactions with the world, which are conscious attempts to influence other people". Ervin Goffman offers the view that self - presentation is a extended form dramatic performance which we prepare for and at which we constantly work. He states: 'Life itself is a dramatically enacted thing'. For my investigation I conducted observational research on Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela. These are my findings: Malcolm X was sensitive in his use of language with strong sense of what appropriate for his audience, switching register to suit the situation. Frequently he expressed himself in a formal register to signify respect and seriousness, yet he was also able to interweave colloquial language to show a common cultural identity with his audience. But even in formal mode, his lexis is kept simple to avoid semantic and psychological barriers, as in the following quotation: "You can't separate peace from freedom because none can be at peace unless he has his freedom". Often, he uses repetitions to add emphasis and to create memorable phrases. These repetitions can involve skilfully paying with the meaning of words, as in "We didn't

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In what ways can "The Tempest" be read as colonial literature? Compare real history with Shakespeare's text.

In what ways can "The Tempest" be read as colonial literature? Compare real history with Shakespeare's text The Tempest is Shakespeare's last play written before his retirement from play writing. The Tempest is considered to be a tragi-comedy play and it is the only play in which Shakespeare opens the story to the audiences own interpretations.1 The Tempest is the story about Prospero the Duke of Milan who, together with his daughter Miranda, were cast out of his kingdom by his own brother Antonia who wanted to take over his dukedom. Antonia, along with Alonso, King of Naples, wanted both Prospero and Miranda dead, but with the help of Prospero's councilor Gonzalo, they managed to land safely on an island in Bermuda. Prospero and Miranda lived on the island with a spirit helper called Ariel. On the island there also lived a savage native called Caliban who would later become Prospero's slave. Prospero wanted to take revenge on his brother Antonio and Alonso King of Naples, so he used his magic to create a storm to shipwreck them on the same island as Prospero. Historical inspirations for The Tempest can be rooted to a book written by William Strachey in 1610 called A True Reportory of the Wrack.2 In this book which was written many years before the play, was a story about a fleet of ships that were separated during a storm; the ships were sent by the Virginia Company

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How does The Tempest reflect the consequences for various characters of the isolation of the individual from society?

The Tempest by William Shakespeare Done by Daniel Stroud Question: How does The Tempest reflect the consequences for various characters of the isolation of the individual from society? How do the characters change and adapt to there new surroundings throughout the play? This is the question that will be answered in depth, in this essay. It will explore each individual character and try to explain just how that character is transformed from being in civilisation too being trapped on an isolated island. It will try to explain why they change and whether the change is necessary and good and whether it helps to shape the specific character into a better person. But for one to start looking at the specific characters one must first understand how they came to be on the island. They came to be because of a powerful wizard by the name of Prospero, who made the tempest, which drove their ship onto the island Shakespeare's enchanted island in The Tempest is a restorative pastoral setting, a place where "no man was his own", and a place that offers endless possibilities to the people that arrive on its shores. It represents "the bounds of things, the remotest shores of the world". On the boundary of reality, the island partakes of the natural and supernatural, both the imaginative and the real. It allows the exploration of both man's potential and his limitations, his capacity for

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An account of the concept of 'History' and its engagement in the novel, "The English Patient".

English 278 Tutor: Elke Rosochacki Elective Seminar - Michael Ondaatje's "The English Patient" An account of the concept of 'History' and its engagement in the novel, "The English Patient". Patrick Leslie BA (PPE) Simonsberg Introduction: Ondaatje' s "The English Patient" is written in a post-colonial manner. This type of discourse pays special attention to historiography. The aim of this essay is to display the engagement of history within the post-colonial discourse of Ondaatje in the novel "The English Patient". The definition of 'History' is: the continuum of events occurring in succession leading from the past to the present and even into the future; the discipline that records and interprets past events involving human beings; all that is remembered of the past that is preserved in writing or a body of knowledge. (Oxford, 1993) The novel uses history as an instrument to represent relations and perspectives of the characters. By accounting for the way in which History engages in the novel, the intentions of Ondaatje should be understood. History as tool of post-colonial discourse Through historiography, a colonial representation of reality, colonialism found its expression as well as its justification. (Renger, 2000: 113) Ondaatje uses historiography to shatter the old view of a uniform European construct which contained certain perspectives allowing the

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One of the issues dealt within William Shakespeares play, The Tempest, is exactly the issue of the desire for control, power imbalance and challenging authority, the natural order. Through the construction of the characters in the play, Shakespeare por

Power can be described as the fundamental motivation for humans. The issues caused by the desire for power are dealt with even in the earliest forms of literature. The Bible portrays the story about Lucifer who in his attempt to become God, the ultimate power grab, fell from Heaven. The fallen angel Lucifer, as Satan, acting through the serpent, suggested to Adam and Eve, the first humans, that they could become God themselves, luring them into rebellion. Following this pattern set by their original parents, all humans are driven by a desire to be God, ultimately have the greatest power and control over everything in their surroundings. Humans, now believed to be in a fallen condition as Adam and Eve have never redeemed themselves, are continually trying to gain power. Even members of one's own family or friends attempt to gain control over each other. One of the issues dealt within William Shakespeare's play, The Tempest, is exactly the issue of the desire for control, power imbalance and challenging authority, the natural order. Through the construction of the characters in the play, Shakespeare portrays different levels of power and the imbalance of self-given authority within a microcosm of a society. Many fine scholars have analysed this play in depth, but Gerald Hammond, in his study of seventeenth-century English poetry and poems, Fleeting Things (1900), makes a fine

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Discuss the discourse of colonialism in The Tempest.

Discuss the discourse of colonialism in The Tempest The Tempest is a play of such ambiguity that it becomes difficult to discuss the subject of a colonialist discourse in isolation. It becomes inextricably linked with not only power and authority, but also with illusion and reality, with redemption and regeneration. It is through the use of language, relationships and events that the discourse unfolds, and the purpose of this essay is to set out and discuss those aspects of the play that contribute to the making of this discourse. A colonialist discourse will of necessity involve an awareness of power and authority versus slavery and subjugation, of conquest and domination over a deliberately constructed inferior 'other'1. It is this inferior other that is an essential part of the colonialist discourse, that component that exists in the relationship between colonizer and colonized, that ensures the superiority of the invading force. This superiority can only be achieved and maintained if the discourse 'voices a demand both for order and disorder, producing a disruptive other'2. So the other has to be seen as both inferior and disruptive, characteristics that are only too apparent in the play in the shape of Caliban. Indeed it is the relationship between Prospero and Caliban that lies at the centre of the colonialist discourse, for while Prospero demands obedience from

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"Based on the evidence in the text, do you think that Conrad intended Heart of Darkness to be read as an anti -colonialist literature? Or is the colonial setting just a backdrop for an adventure story?"

"Based on the evidence in the text, do you think that Conrad intended Heart of Darkness to be read as an anti -colonialist literature? Or is the colonial setting just a backdrop for an adventure story?" The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is considered by many to an important piece of colonial literature in Britain, and also the first modern psychological novel of its time. The novel describes the journey of Marlow and his encounters with the natives and Dutch colonists while traveling in the Congo; the Heart of Darkness was based on Conrad's own experiences while traveling in the African Congo. Some readers have differing opinions on the interpretation of Heart of Darkness; the varying interpretations are that it can be read as a psychological, racist, or anti-colonialist story. As for my own interpretation of Heart of Darkness, I believe that this novel is an attack on colonialism; many of Conrad's own anti-colonial sentiments can be seen throughout the novel. Joseph Conrad's first hand experiences with colonialism were one of the main reasons he detested colonialism so much. Conrad was born to Polish parents and was educated at a young age. He and his family lived happily until Russia invaded Poland. During the Russian occupation, Conrad along with his mother and father were sent to prison. His mother died in prison while later when Conrad and his father was

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Hegemony is everything - The Tempest.

Jermaine Johnson English 155c Due: September 25, 2003 Hegemony is everything In the Tempest Shakespeare gives the reader his typical romance. As in any good romance you have heroes and villains, and with Shakespeare characters can reveal both roles. In the case of Gonzalo, the councilor to the king (Ferdinand), the reader is introduced to one of the few well-tempered, good-hearted characters in the story. He's loyal, optimistic and has no apparent dark side in him. His good nature is made most apparent in his description of an ideal commonwealth. As in most commonwealths, it had its apparent advantages, but most would argue that the disadvantages supersede the positives. This paper will suggest that regardless of the advantages or disadvantages of Gonzalo's commonwealth, its purpose was to show what the island could have been possible without the struggle for hegemony, and more importantly how that struggle for hegemony parallel's Shakespeare's society, and society today. The advantages of Gonzalo's commonwealth are multiple in my eyes. The island as the reader knows it is filled with people who do not want to be there. Gonzalo, in his optimistic nature, describes a way to make a commonwealth that would accentuate the positives of the situation. In his commonwealth, society would be completely opposite to the way they knew it, and quite frankly the way society

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