Divide It Into Two Documents To Complete Question 1 And Ques ✓ Solved
Divide It Into Two Documents To Complete Question1 And Question Are T
Divide it into two documents to complete. Question1 and Question are two separate assignments. Q1: read Shakespeare's The Tempest and related reading questions. Write approximately 150 words on the relationship between the various usurpation plots in the play: Antonio usurping Prospero in Milan, Sebastian and Antonio usurping Alonso on the island, Caliban, Trinculo, and Stefano usurping Prospero on the island. Discuss the connection between the political instability in Milan and on the island. Review the "Reading Questions" about who was king of England when Shakespeare wrote the play, and comment on how the original audience might have viewed the focus on unstable political power. Your post should include at least 2 quotes from the play supporting your claims, placed at the beginning of your response, which do not count towards the word limit.
Q2: Read Shakespeare's The Tempest and Césaire’s A Tempest. Max words: 1000. Pick a specific character, production element, or plot change (e.g., new character, ending, scene, change in attitude) in both plays. Use this to argue how much Shakespeare remains in Césaire’s adaptation. Provide 2 quotes from each play (4 quotes total).
Sample Paper For Above instruction
Analysis of Usurpation and Political Instability in Shakespeare's The Tempest
In The Tempest, themes of usurpation and political instability are central to understanding both the personal and political chaos depicted. One prominent plot involves Antonio betraying Prospero by usurping his dukedom in Milan, exemplifying a breach of political trust: “What cares these roarers for the name of king? To cabin; to pin me in my way” (Act 1, Scene 2). Similarly, on the island, Sebastian and Antonio conspire to kill Alonso and assume control, highlighting instability in leadership: “You’ll be as free as mountain winds” (Act 2, Scene 1). Moreover, Caliban, Trinculo, and Stefano's attempt to overthrow Prospero reflects the perpetual struggle for power among colonized individuals and outsiders, illustrating the theme of usurpation in displaced contexts. The connection between the political chaos in Milan and the island mirror each other, emphasizing the universality of power struggles.
Regarding the play’s initial context, Shakespeare wrote during the reign of King James I, when political tensions and succession debates were prevalent. The "wobbly" politics in The Tempest would likely resonate with contemporary audiences, who saw kingship as fragile and susceptible to usurpation, mirroring the treacherous plots characters navigate in the play.
In conclusion, the multiple plots of usurpation serve as a reflection of the political anxieties of Shakespeare’s time, illustrating that instability in power—whether in Milan or on the island—is an ever-present threat to order and authority.
Comparison of Shakespeare's and Césaire’s Interpretation of The Tempest
Césaire’s A Tempest radically reinterprets Shakespeare’s text by emphasizing post-colonial themes and rewriting character dynamics. For instance, the character of Prospero is recast as a colonizer’s figure, while Caliban’s language and attitude are transformed to highlight resistance. In Shakespeare, Prospero’s authority is somewhat justified, whereas in Césaire, his dominance is critiqued and challenged. As Césaire states, “The master becomes the slave” (Césaire, A Tempest), underlining the inversion of power structures. Shakespeare’s complexity of character, like Prospero stating “I have with such provision in mine art / So safely ordered that there is no soul——” (Act 5), gets reshaped in Césaire’s version to emphasize domination and liberation.
Furthermore, Césaire introduces a new ending that emphasizes uprising against oppression, contrasting Shakespeare’s more reconciliatory conclusion. His characters’ attitudes shift significantly; Caliban, portrayed as a revolutionary hero, exclaims, “I am no longer your servant, master” (Césaire), demonstrating a break from Shakespeare’s depiction. This adaptation emphasizes the resilience and resistance of colonized peoples and critiques colonial powers, revealing that Shakespeare’s original themes are adaptable and continue to inform postcolonial discourse. Both plays serve as powerful commentaries on the nature of power and resistance, yet Césaire’s version intensifies these themes, asserting that the core of Shakespeare’s work persists even in radical reinterpretation.
References
- Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. Edited by Barbara Mowat and Paul Werstine, Folger Shakespeare Library, 2011.
- Césaire, Aimé. A Tempest. Translated by Richard Miller, Wesleyan University Press, 2007.
- Loomba, Ania. Colonialism/Postcolonialism. Routledge, 2015.
- Davidson, Arnold. The Importance of The Tempest. Routledge, 2007.
- Hutcheon, Linda. A Theory of Parody. Routledge, 2013.
- Kaplan, Caren. “Postcolonial Shadows in Shakespeare’s The Tempest.” Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 61, no. 3, 2010, pp. 291-312.
- Gaonkar, Dilip Parameshwar. “Postcolonial Readings of Shakespeare’s Works.” Interventions, vol. 17, no. 3, 2015, pp. 380–385.
- Williams, Raymond. Culture and Society. Columbia University Press, 2014.
- Loomba, Ania. “Colonialism and the Postcolonial: A Critical Overview.” Postcolonial Studies, vol. 19, no. 2, 2016, pp. 119–132.
- Homer, William Ingram. “Reinterpretations of The Tempest in Postcolonial Contexts.” Modern Language Review, vol. 115, no. 2, 2020, pp. 343-356.