Historical Analysis of The Tempest and Othello - Essay Example

? A Historical Analysis of The Tempest and Othello. Number Number Teacher’s Due A Historical Analysis of The Tempest and Othello. A historical analysis of the works of arguably the greatest playwright in history would reveal many interesting aspects of his drama. William Shakespeare wrote at a point of time when colonialism was at an early stage in the world. The European powers of Spain, Portugal and England were fighting to establish their supremacy over different parts of the world. The improved navies of these countries attempted to navigate around the world and discover new areas which could be exploited for the benefit of the homeland of the navigators. A competition for colonies had begun among these countries. However, there was also an increasing knowledge regarding the customs and cultures of different parts of the world as a result of such explorations. Apart from the knowledge that had been gained from the crusades, this knowledge enabled the Europeans to gain a better understanding of the ways of other cultures and thus broaden their horizons geographically as well as culturally. The importance of these geographic explorations in the way in which the world and English society were understood by Shakespeare is talked about by Robert Mayhew in his essay, “Was William Shakespeare an eighteenth century geographer? Constructing histories of geographical knowledge” talks of the importance of understanding Shakespeare’s plays as documents of an understanding of geography as it existed in his time. This, he places in opposition to understandings that were based on improvements in geography in later eras (Mayhew). The understanding of geography that we see in a play like The Tempest is not very refined if one looks at it from a modern point of view. The Tempest talks of an island that is far away from Italy, where the main characters of the play hail from. The exotic island is enchanted and is full of spirits. The only residents of the island, Sycorax and her son Caliban, are looked upon as sub-human. In these portrayals of the exotic other, the forms of colonialism that were practised during the Elizabethan period are very evident. The exoticization of the other is visible in the attribution of the presence of spirits to the island. This island is thus, not the abode of humans like Europe is and is thus, unnatural. Western descriptions of eastern lands often and till recently, followed such trends of portrayal. The European man is however, the one who comes and dominates the proceedings in such an island. The importance of Prospero’s domination lies in his representing the European man who was thought to be the pinnacle of civilization by people of European races. The person who was a part of the island, Caliban, is subjugated in a manner that is reminiscent of the way in which people of other lands were suppressed by the English during their voyages abroad. Shakespeare however, also manages to improve the situation in a certain way, in a remarkable manner, he anticipates how the natives learning the language of the coloniser would lead to their emancipation in a certain sense. This can be seen to be evident in this speech that is given by Caliban during the course of the play. 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! (I.ii.366–368) Shakespeare anticipates how the historical movement of colonialism would culminate as early as the Elizabethan period. The prejudices and the false information that had given rise to many of the racial conflicts of this age are thus treated with great sensitivity and critical understanding by the playwright. Another play in which this is visible is Othello. This talks of the story of a man who is unable to believe in the fact that a white woman could fall in love with a man of a darker skin color. The story ends in the death of both the main characters and this is largely due to the effects of the prejudices of the mainstream community that acts upon the mind of the marginalized as well. The play shows how such prejudices had resulted in the self-image of Othello being shaped according to them. The fact that Othello, a general of great reputation, has to base his self-worth on his skin color, proves how racism was a problem that started very early in history. We see this in his speech in the third act- Haply for I am black, And have not those soft parts of conversation That chamberers have; or for I am declined Into the vale of years—yet that’s not much—  She’s gone. As in the earlier instance, Shakespeare does not condone this racism. Michael Neill talks of this while saying that the absence of a funeral in order to restore normalcy proves that the author does not support the racial prejudices of the time (Neill, 307). The character of Iago, the villain, is thus, not created to be an endearing character. Othello also shows how the women of this time were treated by the society. Despite having a woman for a monarch, the condition of women was not very equal to that of men and this is seen in the character of Desdemona. The woman in this place, according to Patricia Parker, occupies a “secret place” which is discovered by the men in the play. In this case, she talks of Iago as the informer of Othello (Parker, 330). Shakespeare thus, according to critics like Michael D. Bristol, talk of how the entire play can be seen as an example of a documentation of the practice of the carnivalesque as it took place in many parts of Europe. The practise of charivari or unmarrying, according to Bristol, is what the play depicts through the protests over the marriage of Desdemona and Othello (Bristol, 349). The importance of the scene of murders at the end of the play cannot be underestimated. This may point to the repressive nature of the Elizabethan age that had given rise to the narratives of tragedy the like of which were seen in the Elizabethan age. The fact that Shakespearean tragedies had the kind of appeal that they had points to this. Edward Pechter points to the immense amount of violence in the final scene of the play and attempts to decipher the reasons behind this in his essay, “‘Too Much Violence’: Murdering Wives in Othello”. (Pechter, 366). The importance of this violence lies in the fact that it can be seen as an evidence of the racial tensions that existed during this age when people were discriminated upon the basis of the color of their skin. The negative ideas that people had regarding people of different races during the crusades had increased during the period when colonialism as a phenomenon had begun to take shape. The economic needs of England as a nation made it easy for people to develop prejudices against people of other races. In a progressive move, Shakespeare’s sympathies lie with the marginalized communities that are depicted in his plays. These sympathies constitute much of the important aspects of the works of Shakespeare. In other plays too, his sympathy for people of marginalized racial communities shines through. He is also sympathetic to the concerns of women in many of his plays. This is against the trend of many of the pays that were written during this period and can be cited as one of the reasons as to why he is considered to be one of the greatest playwrights in history and arguably the greatest literary genius of all time. Works Cited Bristol, Michael D. “Charivari and the Comedy of Abjection in Othello”. Othello: A Norton Critical Edition. Ed. Pechter, Edward. New York: Norton, 2004. Pp 349. Mayhew, Robert. “Was William Shakespeare an eighteenth century geographer? Constructing histories of geographical knowledge”. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers 23 (1), 1998. http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/623155?searchUrl=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dshakespeare%26acc%3Don%26wc%3Don&Search=yes&uid=3738256&uid=2&uid=4&sid=47698825088037 Accessed on 29th March, 2012. Neill, Michael. “Unproper Beds: Race, Adultery and the Hideous in Othello”. Othello: A Norton Critical Edition. Ed. Pechter, Edward. New York: Norton, 2004. Pp 307. Parker, Patricia. “Othello and Hamlet: Dilation, Spying and the ‘Secret Place’ of Woman”. Othello: A Norton Critical Edition. Ed. Pechter, Edward. New York: Norton, 2004. Pp 330. Pechter, Edward. “‘Too Much Violence’: Murdering Wives in Othello”. Othello: A Norton Critical Edition. Ed. Pechter, Edward. New York: Norton, 2004. Pp 366. Shakespeare, William. Othello: A Norton Critical Edition. Ed. Pechter, Edward. New York: Norton, 2004. Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. New York: Arden, 2007. Read More