The Tempest Group

Question:

sonda
sonda
Student
High School - 12th Grade

In "The Tempest", who is savage, and who is civilized? And how do you determine this?

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Posted by sonda on Sunday November 2, 2008 at 5:38 PM and tagged with ariel, caliban, characters, civilized, savage, tempest, the tempest.

Answers:

  1. morrol
    morrol Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    Savage and civilized are words that are often used when discussing what began as Hegel's self/other concept. He posed the idea that we separate ourselves into two groups, the Self, the known, the civilized, and the Other, the unknown, the savage. This idea is typically used when discussing colonialism, and is thus appropriate when discussing the Tempest, by William Shakespeare. The island in this play turns civilized people savage and visa versa. It is important to determine what characters start off as civilized or savage, and how they change.

    As far as Ariel and Caliban are concerned, one way of determining who is civilized, is by who is 'loftier'. "Ariel" means "of the air" and thus has an elevated (civilized) status. Caliban sleeps on the ground (savage).

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/tempest
    http://www.enotes.com/tempest-salem/tempest
    http://www.enotes.com/tempest/criticism

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    Posted by morrol on Monday November 3, 2008 at 9:40 AM