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The Worlds of the Renaissance Projects, 2000

Language and the Other in William Shakespeare's The Tempest:
New Life for the New Historicist Position

Essay Questions

  1. Is there a golden or brazen world in this play? Include in your answer what the island represents. http://www.jetlink.net/~massij/wssq/tempest.html
  2. Caliban is an effective speaker in a world where language implies nobility of soul. Analyze why Shakespeare showcases Caliban's eloquence. http://www.jetlink.net/~massij/wssq/tempest.html
  3. Discuss The Tempest in light of Peter L. Wilson's thesis in "Caliban's Masque." What interpretation of the play do Wilson's ideas support?
  4. What observations does The Tempest make about freedom and servitude?
  5. What is the function of Caliban in The Tempest?
  6. According to H. C. Goddard, Shakespeare prized liberty, love, and wonder. Prove this observation, using The Tempest as your chief source.
  7. In Renaissance literature gardens and forests are analogues of exile from Paradise. Discuss in light of The Tempest.
  8. The Tempest presents Shakespeare's vision of a future, ideal society. Discuss that vision and how the play portrays it.
  9. Some interpreters of The Tempest claim that a central theme is the clash between European power and New World aboriginal society. Which parts of the play emphasize this thesis? Which parts do not fit this interpretation? http://www.mala.bc.ca/~black/lbsthome/tempess.htm
  10. Does The Tempest critique or enact colonialist values? http://www.mala.bc.ca/~black/lbsthome/tempess.htm
  11. Take a stand with regard to Ben Ross Schneider's observation that The Tempest is less about colonial power and more about Shakespeare/Prospero's redemption.
    http://www.orathost.cfa.ilstu.edu/shakespeare/research/lSFtempest.html
  12. Can The Tempest be used as support for Northrop Frye's central ideas regarding art and reality? Consider especially structure and theme.
  13. Does Shakespeare support Montaigne's or Montesquieu's thesis regarding conquered peoples? Use The Tempest as support for your discussion.
  14. How does The Tempest reflect themes and occurrences commonplace to the Western travel narrative? Use specific narratives in your discussion.
  15. Specifically how does The Tempest embody the difficulties inherent in knowing and writing about the other? Use Todorov as a foundation for your observations.
  16. Shakespeare, like Stephen Greenblatt, presents some central observations about language in The Tempest. Do the two agree about its functions and implications?
  17. How has Shakespeare used the "discourse of the marvelous," according to Stephen Greenblatt's definition of the term, to underscore theme in The Tempest?
  18. Analyze Shakespeare as a writer. What is he doing to the New World and the native or other in The Tempest?
  19. Shakespeare's The Tempest, which teaches universal themes of redemption, forgiveness, and harmony, is a play for all times.
  20. Shakespeare's The Tempest reflects, consciously or unconsciously, racist and colonialist themes which overshadow other messages.