The differnces between shakespeare's The Tempest and Aime Cesaire's A Tempest paper no 11

the differences between Shakespeare's the tempest and aime cesaire's a tempest

Name : Gohil Hetalba

Std    : m.a. – II   sem -  III

Sub   :  paper no :  11 ( post – colonial Literature )

Topic :  the differences between the Shakespeare’s “the                          tempest” and amie cesaire’s ‘’ a tempest”

Roll no : 08

Submitted to : smt. S.b. gardi

                                Dept. of English

                                 m.k. Bhavnagar university

year : 2013 – 2014

 Amie Cesaire was born on June 26, 1913 and died in 2008. He dealt with literature and politics. His way from a small Caribbean island to the global stage was traced in a variety of genres poems, plays, essays, prefaces, speeches interviews declaration manifestos letters , telegrams , translations, a film review and a historical study. The liberation of people from all forms of exploration was his main theme of writing.

               His contribution to world literature take many forms. His works have been translated into many languages, a number of which appear in the voluminous anthology prepared student in university courses .  He introduced to the language of liberation the word “negritude”, which conveys the awareness of one’s own roots in Africa and of the need to spread this awareness to other peoples in the African Diaspora. Negritude severed as a banner for those African and Caribbean writers in the 1930s who rejected French cultural assimilation and who wanted to focus instead on their own heritage. The term entered French dictionaries in 1948 after the publication of “ Anthologies de la malagache de language francaise.”

    UNESCO declared 2013 a year for honoring Rabindranath Tagore, Pablo Neruda and Aime cesaire as exemplars of a “reconciled universal.

 Known in the world of letters as the progenitor of Negritude,  a major voice of surrealism and one of the great French poet, Cesaire is equally revered for his role in modern anti-colonial and Pan – African movements.

  He believed that the assimilation of the old colonies into the republic would guarantee equal rights but this turned out not to be the case.

Cesaire believed that colonialism and racism were the fundamental problems that the world faced. He defined “Universal” in a different way  _

“ I have a different idea of a universal’’,

Cesaire explained to his former communist comrades _

“ It is of a universal rich with all that is particular there are the deepening of each particular, coexistence of them all.”

 In his final exploration of colonialism Cesaire retread from modern history and turned to Shakespeare as his vehide. His 1969 adaptation of “ The Tempest ” explored the relationship between Prospero who is the colonizer and his colonial subjects, who are Caliban and Ariel. Caliban rebels outright whereas Ariel attempts to appeal to Prospero’s moral conscience. Caliban is crushed when he attempts to become his own master, but before figuring out that Prospero’s domination and claims to superiority are based on lies. Caliban’s mouth. The mouths of the radical black intelligentsia produced by colonial education. _

       “ Prospero, you are the master of illusion,

         Lying is your trademark.

          And you have lied so much to me

         ( lied about the world, lied about me )

         That you have ended by imposing on me an image of my self.

          Underdeveloped, you brand me, inferior, that’s way you have forced me to see my self.

          I detest that image ! what’s more, its a lie !

          But now I know you, you old cancer, and I know myself as well.”

 He wrote : “ poetic knowledge is born in the great silence of scientific knowledge.” 

          Cesaire has denied trying any linguistic echo of Shakespeare, but the translation of his play into English shows some echoes. An English of American spectator cannot help but “hear ” behind the language of the play, the original text resounding  in all its well known beauty, its familiarity. The modern play has many echos of the former play ‘The Tempest.’

 ‘A Tempest’  is a 1969 play. It is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ from a post colonial perspective. The play was first performed at the Festival d’ Hammamet in Tunisia under the direction of Jean Marie surreal. Cesaire uses all of the characters from Shakespeare’s version, but he specifies that Prospero is a white master, while Ariel is a mulatto and Caliban is a black slave. These characters are the focus of the play as Cesaire foregrounds issues of race, power and decolonization.

             Synopsis of ‘The Tempest’

Alonso ( Naples’ king ), his brother Sebastian, his son Ferdinand, Alonso’s counselor Gonzalo and Antonio are on a ship with crew caught in storm. When the storm subsides, the exiled Duke Prospero, his daughter Miranda lived on the island for 12 years. Miranda talked about seeing a ship to her father but explained that it was his  magic. He tells her that once he was Duke of Milan, but his brother Antonio took studying literature. They survived as Gonzalo had given Prospero money, clothes and his sorcerer books in the boat. When he saw his enemies nearby he caused storm. His spirit Ariel helped him. Alonso is thought to be dead. Prospero rescued Ariel from the ‘foul witch’ Sycorax and will free Ariel him self when his plans for the nobles are complete. Ariel was imprisoned in a tree. Sycorax also had a deformed son – Caliban. Prospero makes him his slave.

Ariel scared Ferdinand as he wanders. He met Prospero and Miranda. Miranda and Ferdinand fall in love, Prospero pretends to be tough towards Ferdinand. Alonso and his crew are alive but feared death of Ferdinand. At Prospero’s cave, Miranda saw Ferdinand carrying logs for her father. They vow to marry.  Prospero, watching in secret approves. Caliban convinces Stephano to kill Prospero and seize Miranda. Ariel informs Prospero about this.

Prospero brings the nobles to his cell and reveals himself to them. He forgives Alonso, Antonio and Sebastian them tells them about Ferdinand and Miranda Alonso restores Prospero’s dukedom and Prospero promises to return all home safely to Italy. As for Caliban, he promises to mend his ways while Stephano and Trinculo repent for plotting to kill Prospero. Ariel is freed.

Aime cesaire’s ‘A Tempest’ is a politicized which is based on Shakespeare’s play. This play is created during the late 60s, a time of great social change. It is really a post – colonial response to ‘The Tempest’. It deals much more with the history from the point of view of Caliban and Ariel. In Aime Cesaire version Caliban is a Black slave and the spirit Ariel is represented as a mulatto slave.

 This version follows the same story however there are other differences from play which influenced it. The dialogue on Caliban’s part is ‘harsh’. He says _

I’ll impale you! And on a stake that you’ve sharpened yourself Caliban’s aggression and hate towards Prospero is found.

There are boundary lines drawn among the characters those based on race and even the formerly neutral Gonzalo is condescending towards what he views as a rebellious Caliban obviously in need of Christianity.

 Caliban’s race got a bit low treatment. Ariel was treated as mulatto Ariel’s role here is of a willing servant. He was treated in a better way but was a captive still.

   Caliban was actually a ruler of the island before Prospero’s arrival. Caliban and Ariel react differently to their situation. Caliban favors revolution over Ariel’s non – violence and rejects his name as the imposition of Prospero’s colonizing language. He complains stridently about his enslavement and regrets not being powerful enough to challenge the reign of Prospero to consider giving him independence. At the end of the play Prospero grants Ariel his freedom, but retains confront of that island and of Caliban. This is a notable departure from Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’. In his daughter and the men who were shipwrecked there at the beginning of the play.

 In ‘The Tempest’ there are quite a few characters that might be easily identifiable as villains but the main figure, Prospero seems to play, many routes, good as well as bad. All of the events in the play are more or less orchestrated by him in his attempt to get justice and return to Milan. It can be said that is at fault for his current situation because he neglected his duties as duke. He passed his own responsibilities to his brother . Whether Prospero is a villain or not in Cesaire’s work is not clearly shown. It’s not mentioned clearly that his purpose as colonialist was oppressive like Britisher.

Prospero is also a good example of the role power plays in the story. He was a magician in Shakespeare’s as well as Aime Cesaire’s play. He possessed great ability to do anything through the loyal spirits on his side. He uses his powerful spirits which he uses to take revenge and also control all the characters around him. Colonialist did this in Cesaire’s play. He controlled his daughter with magic. He used his daughter Miranda, as a tool of reconciliation with king Alonso by marrying her off to his son. Alonso’s party  is wandering the island Prospero conjures up a feast using his magic only to Snatch it away from them. In doing so he demonstrates his power over his enemies, whom he frightens and forced them to flee.

The character called Stephano who happens to meet Caliban as he is hidden gives us another example of powerful person in the play and more specifically how the characters bring their end. When Caliban swears his loyalty to him he readily agrees and takes advantages and declares himself king of the island. This way Caliban once again trusts outsider.

Miranda is the only one female character on the island. She is depicted as a helpless character. Caliban is the name that reminds us of the Canibals. Miranda is helpless whose care is to be taken as she has been the focus of Caliban. Caliban is treated in the text as a person who comes to represent ‘bestial desire’ and Miranda establish herself as an innocent in need of constant Protection.

The ends of the both plays are a bit different Caliban’s character and the way Prospero treats him is a nice representation of colonial attitudes towards indigenous people. “Well I hate you as well !

             For it is you who have made me doubt my self for the first time.” His rebuke of the idea that Prospero did him a favor by teaching him English synonyms with the view of many especially, the late sixties when Cesaire wrote his version.

Cesaire’s rich and insightful adaptation draws on contemporary Caribbean society, Africa – American experience and African mythology to raise question about Colonialism , racism and their effects. _

And now, Caliban it’s you and me !

What I have to tell you will be brief:

 ten times a hundred times, I’ve tried to save you above all from yourself.

But you have always answered me with wrath and venom

like the opossum that pulls itself up by its own tail ,

the better to bite the hand that tears it from the darkness.

Well, my boy, I shall set aside my indulgent nature

And henceforth I will answer your violence with Violence!