The Tempest (William Shakespeare) - Assignment Example

The Tempest The Tempest, one of the most important plays written by William Shakespeare, deals with the themes of forgiveness and reconciliation. A comedy as far as its genre is concerned, it was written towards the end of Shakespeare’s career as a playwright. It narrates the story of Prospero and his brother Antonio. Antonio had cheated Prospero out of his position as the Duke of Naples following which Prospero had to flee along with his daughter Miranda and his books of magic. His magic enabled him to survive on an island. The spirits of the island were made servants through his magic and he imprisoned the native of the island Caliban. He later causes Antonio and his train to be shipwrecked. Antonio’s son Ferdinand falls in love with Miranda and the resolution of the play happens through the marriage between Ferdinand and Miranda. The play at this point of time has been taken up by postcolonial theorists and Caliban’s position as a subjugated native is the subject of much research. A comedy, the play talks of the resolution of a family feud and the trials that Prospero had to face before the resolution takes place. Much of the play is the resolution of the feud and the trials that Prospero had to face are narrated through a flashback. His faithful servant Ariel, a spirit of the island, helps him arrange the resolution. There are many stylistic devices that are employed, music being one of the most important. The character of Caliban too is another technique that subverts the noble and benevolent guise that Prospero takes on in the narrative. The central concept of the production that I have conceived of is one that seeks to tear off tis guise of benevolence from Prospero. This follows postcolonial theories that seek to make the subjugation of the colonized clear to people. The aspect of language being an important instrument of protest shall be a significant aspect of my production of The Tempest. The production shall thus be set in Shakespeare’s time but the costumes and the other theatrical elements shall be unconventional so as to bring out the ideas behind this production. The sets in this production shall not seek to create a magical effect that takes one away from the reality of the situation. Sets that emphasize the gruesome nature of the work that Caliban and Ariel have to undergo shall be emphasized. This can then include sets that allude to the revolutions of the working class. One can imagine how the lines- You taught me language, and my profit on’t Is I know how to curse (I: ii: 364-365; 176), can be changed into the words of a leader of an uprising through the way in which it is said and the sets in the midst of which it is uttered. This points to the ways in which language when uttered in different contexts can be taken to mean different things. As Bill Ashcroft puts it, “…while many would hold that colonial language has no other function than oppression, good for nothing but cursing, writers throughout the colonized world have continued to transform it, and turn it into a vehicle that works for them (Ashcroft 17).” The sets of the play would include and emphasize those elements that point to labor than to the effects of magic. This would lead to a good understanding of the effects of colonialism and the drain of wealth that it creates. Costumes are another aspect that leads to an understanding of the colonial oppression that is present in the silences of the play. For instance, making Caliban and Ariel wear costumes that are native to a country that was once a colony of Britain would enable a look at the postcolonial readings that have led to a revival of interest in the play. The costumes that Prospero and the courtiers wear to can be those that were worn by people who were involved in colonizing ventures. This would result in allusions to violence rather than the comic resolution. Having such costumes would result in more questions remaining unanswered rather than answered through the resolution of the play. One of the effects that shall be discussed through the performance is that of the culture of the indigenous inhabitants of the island. The music that is a part of the play can be set to the tune of folk music of a colonized nation and this can then be a part of the protest against a tendency to follow the mainstream. Setting some of the musical passages that Ariel speaks to the tune of Caribbean folk music may enable one to understand the in-between position of Ariel who is both the exploited and the exploiter. This would enable one to understand the position that the educated classes felt when they were a part of the colonial administrations that exploited the poor people of colonized nations. They were a part of the colonized but they were also as much a part of the colonizers. The choreography, like the music, can also adhere to those elements that are a part of the folk culture from where music is taken. The fusion of these elements would draw attention away from the Eurocentric nature of the resolution that is achieved at the end through the marital union of Miranda and Ferdinand. The possibility of changing the way the text of The Tempest has been interpreted owes a lot to the hidden subversive intent of the original. The production that I have envisaged taps into that reservoir of subversive intent and would incorporate elements from folk music and dance of the erstwhile colonies. Apart from giving the play contemporary relevance, the production would also seek to tap into the revivals of interest in the play that have happened as a result of postcolonial interpretations of it. The theories of the colonial drain of wealth shall also be a part of this production. The plight of the millions of marginalized people who were colonized can then be attempted to be captured in this. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. Eds. Virginia Mason Vaughan and Alden T. Vaughan. London: Arden, 1999. Print. Ashcroft, Bill. Caliban's Voice: The Transformation of English in Post-Colonial Literatures. New York: Routledge, 2009. Print. Read More