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To what extent does ‘The Tempest’ support the 17th century belief that civilised man is superior to natural man?
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To what extent does 'The Tempest' support the 17th century belief that civilised man is superior to natural man? Generally acknowledged as one of Shakespeare's final plays, 'The Tempest' may be described as a romantic tragi-comedy - where love and contentment prosper despite the threatening presence of evil forces. However, beyond the almost 'fairy-tale' like exterior lies a seemingly direct approach to a greatly topical debate at the time. This was the supposed contrast between civilised and uncivilised persons, brought to the fore as a result of recent expeditions overseas. Although pioneering voyages of discovery were not a recent commodity since the travels of Christopher Columbus, almost a century earlier, it wasn't until the early sixteen hundreds that such voyages became more common and with an intent not just to discover new land, but to claim it for the traveller's own country. For example, just four years before the opening performance...
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