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The Relationship Of Slavery In Robinson Crusoe And The Tempest

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Slavery plays an important part in the history of mankind. It is one of the darker pages in this history but also one of the most interesting. It is nearly impossible to think about having your own slave in this society which will force you to go back in time when slavery was normal. Due to history classes and the movie 12 Years A Slave I became interested in the topic slavery and after some research this resulted in the novels Robinson Crusoe and The Tempest. My parents have Robinson Crusoe at home and in third grade I played a role in The Tempest so the choice was easy. Given the fact that everyone’s character differs, the time that these novels are written (1719 and 1611), will result in differences in these two relationships between slave and master. But how do the relationships differ in these novels?

Firstly, these relationships differ in their friendliness and respect. Where the relationship between Crusoe and his slave is built on respect and trust is the relationship between Prospero and his slave built on force, violence and power. This all began with their first encounter. When Crusoe colonized an island, he meets a man who becomes his servant named Friday. During their first encounter, Crusoe saves Friday from being eaten by other cannibals: “and he came nearer and nearer, kneeling down every Ten or Twelve steps in token of acknowledgement for my saving his Life.” (223) Although they have a master-servant relationship, their bond is unique. Friday seems to be

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