′On the island which Shakespeare scholars took to be Arcadia,
the history of the world has once more been performed and repeated.′ Jan Kott
Discuss this view of THE TEMPEST

by

Thorsten Witting

The part of the history of the world that is repeated is the colonisation of the ′New World′. It is performed in the sense that almost every event happening on the island is either artificially created or artificially controlled by its ruler Prospero. It is, however, not appropriate to speak of the history of the world, but it gives an insight into the mechanisms of colonial rule, The Tempest represents aspects of colonial power and subjugation, being the epitome of an era. It is noteworthy that this play was perceived as light entertainment in earlier times; in the new light of colonial discourse it is perceived as a play about colonialism, subjugation and tyranny as well. It is especially interesting to note that Shakespeare apparently had a lot of insight into colonial matters, Brown speaks of ′Shakespeare′s patronal relations with members of the Virginian Company′ (48); maybe Shakespeare tried to use The Tempest as criticism of colonial rule.

On the one hand, Prospero is the benevolent ruler who seeks to punish those who overthrew him as Duke of Milan, especially his brother Antonio and Alonso, the King of Naples, without ever letting anything really harm them. On the other hand, every action of his can be viewed as an exertion of tyrannical rule and subjugation. Although his actions are justified by their benevolent purposes, they are nevertheless tyrannical in nature. Kott identifies ′two acts of feudal history′ (247): the subjugation of the original inhabitants of the island, which took place when Prospero seized power on the island, approximately twelve years before the actual narration.

Prospero′s seizing of power on the island follows the typical pattern of the European colonists. The new arrivals are received in a very friendly and helpful way, like the Spanish ′Conquistadores′ who were welcomed as gods. Of course, Prospero is not welcomed as a god, but Caliban shows him the typical friendliness and how to survive: ′And showed thee all the qualities o′th′isle, / The fresh springs, brine-pits, barren place and fertile′ (I.ii.339f), in other words he shows him the things needed to survive. Obviously, Caliban tried to rape Miranda (′... till thou didst seek to violate / the honour of my child.′ I.ii.349) without denying the charge (′O ho, O ho! would′t had been done! / Thou didst prevent me; I had peopled else / This isle with Calibans.′ 351-5). Caliban suddenly turns into the prototypical ′salvage′, a creature somewhere between man and beast. He represents dangerous sexual drives and presents a common threat to civilisation. Prospero reacts in a typical colonialist′s way, he subjugates Caliban by force, using his magic: ′What I command, I′ll wreck thee with old cramps, / Fill all thy bones with aches, make thee roar, / That beasts shall tremble at thy din′ (371-3). The threat Caliban poses is suppressed by sheer force, Prospero acts like a colonial tyrant. Another aspect of the savage part of Caliban is the fact that he was taught Prospero′s language; the colonising force tries to teach their language to the subjugated indigenous inhabitants rather than learning theirs. In Caliban′s case it must be noted that he did not speak before being taught by Prospero and Miranda: ′...when thou didst not, savage, / Know thine own meaning, but wouldst gobble like / a thing most brutish...′(357-9). Non the less, having linguistic power helps to subjugate the native population, because native speakers master their own language much better and because it is a symbol of power. The language obviously reminds Caliban of his status as a slave, because they ′...taught me language; and my profit on′t / Is, I know how to curse. The red plague rid you / For learning me your language!′ (365-7)

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