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 nightspot and utopian theme in The Tempest, it is important to understand the politics and culture of the court in the early 17th century. The society that Shakespeare emerges from plays an important design in the themes portrayed 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 immunity of Americans to play an active role in politics and government 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 social (class) status. In Political Culture, David Harris Sacks asserts that, the sovereign ty of state, consisting solely in governmental powers, is understood to be a feature of a commonwealth, not the commonwealth as a whole (Sacks 118-19). The lack of involvement of the majority of the commonwealth supports a problematic issue that the role of the people in government was dependent upon their social class, which presented an obvious inequality amongst the political system. The problems facing the commonwealth and the government lead to conformity and complacency amongst the people, but Shakespeare had writing to overtake the ceiling on social class. Shakespeares plays, specifically The Tempest, test the boundaries of politics and class order and tend to portray Shakespeare crossing from a conformist to a humanist. Shakespeare us... ... David Scott Kastan. momma Blackwell Publishers Ltd., 1999. 100-116. Gervinus, G.G. A examine of The Tempest. Shakespeare Commentaries. (1877)787-800. Rpt. Scott. 304-307. More, Sir Thomas. Utopia. The Longman Anthology of Briti sh 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 Shakespearian Drama a Commentary The Comedies. (1890). Rpt. Scott. 320-324.