The Tempest: A Contextual Anaylsis

This webquest is designed for a high school English class, utilizing a popular Shakespearan play. The grade level of the activity can be modified by using different articles and discussion questions of varying difficulties. 

The Tempest by Wiliam Shakespeare was written in approximately 1610-1611 during a period of imperialistic endeavors by the British Empire. The characters, Caliban and Ariel, are natives to the island that Prosepero and his daughter, Miranda, arrive on. Caliban and Ariel are very different characters, but both serve Prosepero as servants. How does the characteriszation of these two inform us on a discussion of colonialism? Do the other characters, such as Gonzalo, contribute to this discussion as well?

Students will research the historical context in which Shakespeare wrote The Tempest, looking for connections between history and the text. They will then use what they've learned to analyze The Tempest and its relation to colonialism. Does Shakespeare appear to take a stance on the British Empire's exploits? Or is he merely presenting multiple persepctives without endorsing one?

A modification depending on time: The teacher will provide the students with documents providing them with the historical information. This, and their own research, could prompt a discussion on credible sources and why we trust them. Ie.) Do we inately trust that the documents are accurate because they were provided by the teacher? When doing our own research, how do we know which articles are relaible?

-Students will begin by brainstorming as a class what they know about the time period, 1610-1611.

     -Students should bring in what they've learned in their history classes, what do they know about the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras, what was happening with British colonialism. Theater in the 1600s was the same as any other pop culture medium that we have today, it was a reflection of the times and cultural attitudes. 

-Students will receive articles regarding British colonialism during the writing of The Tempest and read them silently on their own.

     -Students will either annotate their articles independently, in small groups, or as a class, depending on grade level. This exercise can be used to teach students about annotating and critically reading academic articles. 

-Students will discuss what they read in the articles and the notes that they took in small groups. 

    -Students should be making connections between the points made in the article with the text. If specific pieces of evidence are mentioned in the text, students should locate it in their copies of the text and discuss what the excerpt illustrates about Elizabethan society. What were the cultural attitudes that people held in regards to the indigenous peoples of colonized lands, how was colonization justified? How do you know, what examples from the text demonstrate this? 

     -Students should be taking notes on the group discussion and be prepared to share with the class. Discussion and notes should cover not only the content of the articles, but also the students thoughts and feelings regarding the content. Was the argument convincing? Does it change their view of the original text? What do they think Shakespeare's intentions and opinions were based off of the article, in addition to their own reading of the play?

-Students will come together as a class and share the main points that arose in their group discussions. The discussion will progress from focusing on the play and article to shift towards more modern implications. 

     -What were the common themes among discussions? Were there disagreements amongst the groups? Discussion should then be led to current real world implications. How does our media and pop culture today reflect our cultural attitudes? Do we see arguments in favor of or against certain social issues being made in the media today? Do these forms of media reinforce certain ideas, are they biased, do they convince us to think a certain way or justify questionable events? 

     -A modern example may be cop shows, such as Blue Bloods, persuade the audience to feel more favorably about police officers? Does the media have an obligation to portray certain groups of people or certain ideas positively? Is it dangerous for pop culture media to portray minority groups poorly or not at all, does this affect the way we think about these people?

-Students will then complete a quick write before leaving, either addressing a new idea they might not have considered before this exercise or briefly describing how their understanding of the play (or the role of popular culture) has changed throughout this exercise.  

An example of an article to use with a class of seniors, to be read independently either as homework or over the course of a class period depending on time:

Skura, Meredith Anne. "Discourse and the Individual: The Case of Colonialism in" The Tempest"." Shakespeare Quarterly 40.1 (1989): 42-69.

http://ieas.unideb.hu/admin/file_6914.pdf

An example of an article to use with a class of sophomores, to be read in class as a class or in small groups:

http://www.bachelorandmaster.com/globaldrama/the-tempest-as-a-play-abou…

Students will be evaluated based off of their participation in the group and class discussions, as well as their quick writes at the end of class. 

Were they making thoughtful contributions to the discussions? Did they provide examples from the texts to support their claims? Were they thinking critically and attempt to make connections between the historical context and the text? Did they address at least one discussion question while participating and did they address the prompt directly in the quick write?

Students should have made connections between how British colonialsim affected the writing of The Tempest and how our cultural climate and attitudes affects the creation of media, and in turn how media influences how we think and feel about certain issues. When we look at texts that are popular in academic settings, such as the work of Shakespeare, it is important to understand that we are consuming the ideas that were popular in the 1600s. It would stand to reason that in a time when Great Britain would have wanted to justify colonization, that a play would reflect that. 

A potential homework assignment following this could entail having students imagine what they would think of this play as a person in Great Britain if they were reading or seeing it in 1611, and how it would make them feel about their country's colonialist actions in other parts of the world and create a journal entry detailing their thoughts. 

Created by Alexa Rodriguez for Culture and Inclusion course.