Corresponding Author's : Ningombam Sanjay Singh

Abstract :

The Tempest is considered to be a pastoral romance with the themes of legitimacy and confiscations. This play depicts several forms of confiscations and revolts: Antonio against his brother, Prospero, Antonio and Sebastian against Alonso, and Caliban against Prospero’s control over the island. To liberal humanism, Prospero becomes an epitome of timeless human values, forgiveness and benevolence. Unlike this approach, new historicism and cultural materialism read a literary text in the frame of the non-literary text and contexts in which the literary text is written, thereby contesting the timelessness and universality of a literary text. Based on these theoretical assumptions, rather than reading Prospero as the epitome of human values, this paper aims to read how the play supports and reinforces the European empire's identity and naturalizes their roles towards non-Europeans, the natives. This paper is divided into three sections: the first section informs the theoretical framework and the thesis statement of the paper, the second section engages with the text, The Tempest, and the third section deals with the observation and conclusion of the paper.

Keywords :

Liberal Humanism, New Historicism, Cultural Materialism, European Empire, Native, Human Values

Article Details

Unique Paper ID: 85

Publication Volume & Issue: VOLUME 3 , ISSUE 3

Page(s): 11-15

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