The Tempest Research

About William ShakespeareAn English poet, play writer and actor by the name of William Shakespeare was known as the greater writer and dramatist of all time, creating successful works consisting of 38 plays, 154 sonnets and two long narrative poems. Born on the 26th of April in 1564, Shakespeare lived in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire where het met his wife Anne Hathaway at the age of 18, in which they eventually had three children: Susanna, Hamnet and Judith. During the Renaissance period, Shakespeare produced most of his famous work including his early historical and comical plays, and extending his genre through writing tragedy and romantic plays, considered as some of his finest. Some of his greatest plays include Macbeth, Hamlet, Rome and Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, The Tempest and Othello. His death on the 23rd of April 1616 resulted at the age of 52, dying of a fever whilst retiring in Stratford. To this day, his work has been translated into every other major language and is still performed more often that any other playwright.

The Tempest

William Shakespeare

Performed by thou Kingsmen

at thy Royal CourtHence the 1st

November

First Premiere Of The Tempest - Poster

First Premiere Of The Tempest - Poster

Shakespeare’s famous play, The Tempest, was widely thought to be inspired by a seventeenth century English sailing ship named the Sea Venture, which was wrecked in Bermuda during 1609. Owned by the Virginia Company, the vessel was launched in 1609 costing £1,500 and weighing 300 tonnes. The company was established to deliver supplies and additional settlers from Jamestown in Virginia to London in England, helping to grow the population. Composing of many vessels, the Sea Venture was the first properly designed emigrant ship to help carry out their operation. On the 2nd of June in 1609, the vessel was first launched as part of a seven ship fleet that set sail from Plymouth (Devon, England) back to Jamestown. The ship was carrying around 500 to 6000 people as part of the first successful wave of colonization, known as the Third Supply. The ships sailed into a large storm on the 24th of July, separating them, where the Sea Venture fought it for three days. Most of the ships survived however the new timber that was used in the construction of the Sea Venture had not set, leading to water leakage and slow sinking. The crew fought back but with exhaustion drove Captain Somers to

The Wreck Of The Sea Venturedeliberately drive the ship on to the reefs which was thought to be Bermuda. Only 150 people and a dog went safely ashore.

What Does The Wreck Of The Sea Venture Have To

Do With Anything?

For Search Thou Blog Post:https://

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/2015/08/07/william-shakespeare

-research-the-sea-ventures-influence/

What Is Slavery - Timeline

1619The first African slaves arrive in

Virginia.

1787Slavery is made illegal in the Northwest Territory.

The U.S Constitution states that Congress may not ban the slave trade until 1808

1793Eli Whitney's invention of

the cotton gin greatly increases the demand for

slave labour.

1808Congress bans the importation of slaves from

Africa. 1820The Missouri

Compromise bans slavery north of the

southern boundary of Missouri

1850The continuing debate whether territory

gained in the Mexican War should be open to slavery is decided in the Compromise of

1850: California is admitted as a free state, Utah and New Mexico territories are left to be decided by popular sovereignty, and the slave trade in Washington, DC is

prohibited. It also establishes a much stricter fugitive slave law than the original,

passed in 1793.

1831Nat Turner, an enslaved African

American preacher, leads the most significant slave uprising in American history. He and his band of followers launch a short, bloody, rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia. As a

consequence, Virginia institutes much stricter slave laws.

1849Harriet Tubman escapes

from slavery and becomes one of the most effective and celebrated leaders of the Underground Railroad.

1861The Confederacy is

founded when the deep South secedes, and the Civil War begins

1863President Lincoln issues

the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring "that all persons held

as slaves" within the Confederate state "are, and henceforward shall be free."

1865The Civil War ends along with Lincoln.  The Thirteenth Amendment abolishes slavery throughout the United States. On June 19

slavery in the United States effectively ended when 250,000 slaves in Texas finally received

the news that the Civil War had ended two months earlier.

During Shakespeare’s era of the 17th century, racism was largely accepted by the English and their superior attitudes towards race equality was selfish

as black people were seen as impure. Suspicion and weariness created assumptions among the British as their idealism of how their “evil”

appearance represented their inner value lead the African Americans into slavery. Shakespeare lived and worked around citizens who disliked the slaves for their colour, so it is hard to understand whether Shakespeare

liked or disliked them as well. Despite these strong opinions, slavery was seen to be an aspect in one of Shakespeare’s most famous playwrights,

The Tempest. This shows that Shakespeare’s initiative was to use ideas that portrayed a message, perhaps his attitude towards slavery, to make the audience understand more about how they feel. Furthermore, Ariel and

Caliban, the two “known” slaves in the story are arguably not the only ones who are under Prospero’s control, hence the royalty that landed ashore.

Shakespeare’s ideas of race equality could be seen through how everyone is controlled therefore they should be treated equally, as if God was telling us that we are all the same. Although we can say this, The Tempest does

also portray judgement we have upon people and that of all people. Even if they are not necessarily bad people, we tend to judge them on what they

look like or what they have done. Overall, we cannot agree whether Shakespeare is for or against slavery however it is arguable that depending on a person’s perspective, we may think differently on how we can identify an idea or link behind the plot. For sure, we can tell that Shakespeare used

slavery in a character such as Caliban to show their perspective in how they are treated.

Shakespeare’s Attitude Towards Slavery