The Utopian Solution in The Tempest Essay -- Tempest essays

The entrance of The tempest into theatres between 1610 and 1611, signifies a possible correlation between Shakespeares play and the colonization of the ideal New World. Before analyzing the courtly order and utopian question in The Tempest, it is important to understand the politics and acculturation of the court in the early 17th century. The society that Shakespeare emerges from plays an important role in the themes depicted in The Tempest, because it leads to the utopian solution to the political and class conflict. The definitions of politics and culture have changed drastically since the 17th century in Great Britain. The freedom of Americans to play an active role in politics and political relation greatly contrasts the role of the English during the time of The Tempest. Shakespeare lived in a time of government sovereignty, where the role of the people in politics was dependent upon their neighborly (class) status. In Political Culture, David Harris Sacks asserts th at, the sovereignty of state, consisting solely in governmental powers, is understood to be a feature of a commonwealth, not the commonwealth as a altogether (Sacks 118-19). The lack of involvement of the majority of the commonwealth supports a problematic sales outlet that the role of the people in government was dependent upon their social class, which presented an unequivocal inequality amongst the political system. The problems facing the commonwealth and the government lead to compliance and complacency amongst the people, but Shakespeare had writing to overcome the ceiling on social class. Shakespeares plays, specifically The Tempest, test the boundaries of politics and class order and tend to exhibit Shakespeare crossing from a conformist to a humanist. Shakespeare us... ... David Scott Kastan. mamma Blackwell Publishers Ltd., 1999. 100-116. Gervinus, G.G. A retread of The Tempest. Shakespeare Commentaries. (1877)787-800. Rpt. Scott. 304-307. More, Sir Thomas. U topia. The Longman Anthology of British Literature. Vol 1. Ed. David Damrosch. New York Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers Inc., 1999. 637-706. Platt, Peter. Shakespeare and Rhetorical Culture. A Companion to Shakespeare. Ed. David Scott Kastan. Massachusetts Blackwell Publishers Ltd., 1999. 277-296. Sacks, David Harris. Political Culture. A Companion to Shakespeare. Ed. David Scott Kastan. Massachusetts Blackwell Publishers Ltd., 1999. 100-116. Snider, Denton J. A review of The Tempest. The Shakespearean Drama a Commentary The Comedies. (1890). Rpt. Scott. 320-324.