Postcolonial-Reading-Aime-Cesaire-A-Tempest

       The Tempest Vs A Tempest

Introduction: Post-colonialism is generally defined as 'anything happened after colonialism movement' is called post-colonialism. But in literal sense it differs, post-colonial is something, that has started with the very advent of colonialism, because since then it started affecting people's senses, sensitized their minds though in proportionate manner but it affected people's psychology very badly. While colonized were thrushed in dilemma, whether to suppress themselves or to speak it up. And such kind of tendency of any era, gives way to generate an ample of narratives, one of which is 'A tempest' by Aime Cesaire that we're going to discuss here.

The Tempest-William Shakespeare

In aforementioned scrap of the entire book, we can clearly see how Prospero is making Caliban remember that though he is saying that he would have people in some other island. But It was Prospero, who pitied on him and gave her training how to speak, lodged him in his own cell, while it is alleged by Caliban that speaking was taught by Prospero to fulfil his won personal motives. 

But as constantly instigating in Caliban, Caliban later on realizes that yes Prospero is too powerful to be defeated, and he isn't enough capable of doing so.

This is how language of colonialism is used by Prospero for Caliban to make him colonized. If one is made remember the felicitations done by people for them, then they won't raise their voice but rather willingly surrender to the power. Likewise response is being given by Caliban in the Tempest.

[Not resisting but willingly subordinating]

Aime Cesaire's A Tempest 

On the contrary if we see here then Caliban is resisting, hasn't become subordinative as he has become in The Tempest. Thus in this aspect A tempest differs from The Tempest. A tempest by Aime Cesaire is portraying Prospero as usual as in The Tempest by Shakespeare as tyrant and despotic ruler, while Caliban as violent, brutish and cruel slave and Ariel a mullato(a honey like personality) who places faith in his master and ultimately the faith wins and it hasn't happened with Caliban.

Prospero seems as rigid, demanding and stubborn, always craving for people who can value him and place importance on him. While may be he himself isn't aware of what is actually the nature of importance, it can't be acquired, it is earned for which you need to look into yourself and improve accordingly.

Ariel by being faithful to his master, he knows very well his master and his ways of working but not saying anything as may be he knowing that there won't be any effect of saying as such. If said then he won't be able to realize or deny me the freedom, for which he had promised me. Therefore it is better to stay aloof and count what we are getting. Seems to be practical but somewhat selfish kind of approach. Anything matters here or in Caliban's case is the question of survival.

Caliban a brutish, black, compassionate and cruel is always crying in front of his master for freedom, but not given till last. May be in form of his resistance, he is providing oxygen to Prospero, so he doesn't want to free him from his own tyrannical clutches.

It seems that Prospero is bit possessive and doubt as per his nature as in the text he says to his daughter that 'she was given birth in Milan and years, he was here as a Duke and also allege later in the novel on 'Caliban' that "he had been out from your cave, because he had tried once to abuse his daughter". Otherwise he wouldn't have sent him into the ghetto, which Caliban claims as 'filthy' and Prospero suggests that If it is cleaned, it won't turn into 'ghetto'.

We see in this novel the resisting power of Caliban as he hurls blames on Prospero of being ingratitude and he had to bow down in front of him, though the land belongs to his mother 'Sycorax'(personified as Earth). How he himself snatched the entire land from him as other colonizers used to do, being an old cancer and old addicted of. While he himself was made to look down, by imposing on him the identities of being underdeveloped, incompetent, savage, brute. Which actually he wasn't. 

In twentieth century, with the advent of revolution against slavery, Aime Cesaire had tried to portray 'Aime Cesaire's Shakespeare'. Where he is shown as resisting against Prospero rather than succumbing to and eventually the end leads to a happy ending, where Prospero and Caliban would be equalized, considering the area of power or slavery or would be left mere as a humanbeings to discover their own journeys.

While in 'the Tempest of Shakespeare' Shakespeare has only highlighted the vices and virtues of Caliban as well as Prospero, haven't comment on colonialism as it was found that his most of the audience belongs to English people, so he himself was being considered as slave.

{Aime Cesaire's Shakespeare).

Conclusion

Hence it seems that narratives keep on changing from time to time and anything happened in particular era, can be seen through time and space only by situating it in particular design. At first it feels that we're not able to see anything as some aspects are emerging while some are still hidden, and needs proper edging to put in proper light.

Works Cited

Cesaire, Aime., "A Tempest/Une Tempete", 1969.

Shakespeare, William., "The Tempest", 1923.