Already in 1611 William Shakespeare argued in his romance “The Tempest” with the conquest of the New World. A wide space in this play is fulfilled by the analysis of the relationship between the European imperialist and the submissive native, shown by the example of Prospero, the rightful duke of Milan, and the creature Caliban, the “savage and deformed slave”.
Nearly 400 years later, in 1982, the South African author Nadine Gordimer deals with the situation of the abused slave in her novel “July’s People” again. She creates a fictional situation where the former white-coloured masters have lost their power after a successful revolution of the suppressed black majority. The white middle-class-family the Smales become themselves slaves as they are from now on dependent from their servant July, who offers them a refuge in his homeland.
In the upcoming analysis I want to show that Nadine Gordimer created a situation which can be seen as “If Caliban’s wish came true...”, as she continues the attempt of the slave to recover his liberty.
I want to compare both novels in order to prove that Gordimer orientated herself very much on Shakespeare’s play and makes use of typical characteristics of the master and the slave we find in “there. Her work should be regarded on the one hand as continuation and on the other hand as a lean on “The Tempest”.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
1.1 The object of analysis
1.2 The way of analysis
2. If Calliban´s wish came true –
The master-servant relationship of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” in Nadine Gordimer’s “July´s People”
2.1 The stranger in both works
2.1.1 The wild man Caliban
2.1.2 The wild man July
2.2 The imperialist in both works
2.2.1 How the masters are presented
2.2.2 Why do the masters want to control ?
2.2.3 Why were the masters accepted at the beginning and are later fought on ?
2.2.4 The master as educator
2.3 Two attempts to become free
2.4 If a dream comes true...
2.4.1 How the slave deals with new power
2.4.2 Prospero’s nightmare: the arrogance of the white man
3. Conclusion
4. Bibliography
Objectives and Thematic Focus
The academic paper aims to conduct a comparative analysis of the master-servant relationship in William Shakespeare's "The Tempest" and Nadine Gordimer's "July's People," exploring the persistence of colonial power dynamics. The primary research question investigates how Gordimer adopts and transforms Shakespearean archetypes and metaphors to depict the reversal of authority and the degradation inherent in slavery within a contemporary South African context.
- Comparative analysis of master and servant characterization.
- Examination of colonial structures and the psychology of power.
- Role of language and education as tools of oppression and resistance.
- The impact of sudden shifts in socio-political power on identity.
- Continuity of colonial narratives from "The Tempest" to modern literature.
Excerpt from the Book
2.1.1 The wild man Caliban in “The Tempest”
“The Tempest” was written in a time when the imagination of the stranger overseas was very negative: Due to their opinion to be the world’s superior culture, the Europeans regarded the new explored cultures as being of minor worth. It was commonly said that the stranger in Africa or America was not able to write or to calculate or even to live after moral principles. Most people were not able to get in contact with the stranger abroad and their picture was determined by distance, scepticism and rejection. Shakespeare shows the strangeness of the native Caliban especially in his external creation: the stranger on the island seems to be a creature between fish and human, who is such a cruel creature that the Europeans are disgusted by his presence2. As a spawn of the Algerian witch Sycorax and a devil, Caliban gets a demon-like aura3, his name “Caliban” is an allusion of cannibalism . Even the colour of his skin can be seen as mark of his less-human status – therefore Prospero describes him as “this thing of darkness”4.
Superficially Caliban is a mirror-picture of the society’s imagination of strangers, even a kind of a caricature as the native is not even human. But in his inner life Caliban seems to be more honourable and more intelligent: he sees the injustice in the conquest of his island by Prospero, and is forced to escape out of his captivity. He feels when he is abused ( he resists against Stephano and Trinculo ) and shows gratefulness at the end of the play. Shakespeare gives him human features and shows him beastly, “noble but vanquished”5: he thinks, complains, grieves. His deepest wish is symbolised in his dream to substitute the master for master for an island “without slaves and clowns”6.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter defines the object and methodology of the analysis, setting the stage for comparing Shakespeare’s "The Tempest" with Gordimer’s "July's People" as a colonial and post-colonial study.
2. If Calliban´s wish came true –: This section serves as the core comparative study, exploring how both authors present the "stranger," the dynamics of imperial control, and the inevitable failure of educational indoctrination.
3. Conclusion: The summary reflects on how Gordimer uses Shakespearean themes to portray the degradation of slavery, concluding that while power dynamics remain timeless, the slaves in Gordimer’s work achieve a degree of agency that differs from Shakespeare’s original narrative.
4. Bibliography: A comprehensive list of primary and secondary sources used for the analysis, including literary criticism and historical context regarding colonialism.
Keywords
Shakespeare, The Tempest, Nadine Gordimer, July's People, Colonialism, Master-Servant Relationship, Caliban, Apartheid, Literature Analysis, Power Dynamics, Slavery, Post-colonialism, Identity, Rebellion, Empire.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this paper?
The paper performs a literary comparison between William Shakespeare’s "The Tempest" and Nadine Gordimer’s "July's People," focusing on how they depict the master-servant relationship and colonial dynamics.
What are the primary thematic fields covered?
The analysis explores themes of colonialism, the perception of the "other," the psychological effects of slavery, the failure of colonial education, and the shifting power balances within a revolution.
What is the research goal of this work?
The primary goal is to demonstrate that Nadine Gordimer uses "The Tempest" as a foundational reference to create a contemporary scenario in "July's People" where the slave attempts to regain liberty and the master loses authority.
Which scientific method is applied here?
The author uses a comparative literary analysis, concentrating on key characters like Prospero and Caliban, and their modern equivalents, to identify similarities and differences in how they deal with colonization and social order.
What topics are addressed in the main body?
The main body examines character representations, the justifications for control, the use of language as a tool of dominance versus resistance, and the specific ways in which the servants attempt to achieve freedom in both works.
Which keywords characterize this work?
Key terms include Colonialism, Master-Servant Relationship, Shakespeare, Gordimer, Caliban, Power Dynamics, and Identity.
How does the author interpret the role of "education" in these novels?
The author argues that in both novels, enforced education is a tool for the imperialist to impose foreign values, which ultimately fails as the native characters reject these forced cultural frameworks.
Why is the "wilderness" of the Smales family in Gordimer’s novel significant?
The author interprets this "wilderness" as a loss of identity and status, symbolizing the collapse of the Apartheid system's values when the former masters are stripped of their material attributes and control.
- Quote paper
- Bernd Evers (Author), 2000, The master-servant relationship of Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' in Nadine Gordimer's 'July's People', Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/54903
