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Essay On Colonialism In The Tempest

1043 Words5 Pages

Good Ol’ Colonialism Rape, murder, and disease; this is how we see the early colonial conquest by England. In the time that The Tempest was written the view on colonialism was quite different. Shakespeare, being very influential on the general population, could have easily made his opinions know and raise positive feelings,in his plays, about controversial actions being made by his beloved Queen and country. Shakespeare shows, in “The Tempest”, that colonialism is not the vile act that destroys native peoples through enslavement, power hungriness, and murder; but rather a necessary step in helping a native peoples who are left behind from society. In the late fifteenth century a young man left his home and family to join a troupe of actors, …show more content…

Kings and Queens were justified, according to Ol’ Mr.Speare, in their attempts to subjugate . Most monarchs were power hungry monarch ready to overthrow the next guy, ”You (Sebastian) did supplant your brother Prospero.”(II.i.265) Many Europeans did not actually help the inhabitants, and just wanted to entertain themselves, “When they would not give a doit to relieve a lame beggar, the should lay out ten to see a dead Indian.”(II.ii.31-33). As said in this quote from the tempest that we see that the Europeans didn’t have completely pure reasons for colonialism. “The Tempest”, displays colonialism not as a completely horrid act that destroys native people.“The Tempest” shows coloinialism rather as a necessary step in helping a native peoples who are left behind from society. Shakespeare was serving Queen and country by embedding pro-colonialistic ideas in his play. He raised awareness and support for a imperialistic idea that shaped the world as we know it. Shakespeare did a well enough job at the time, even though we now view colonialism as the true and terrible act that it is-Disease, Murder, and

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