The Europeans’ conquest is one illustration of how people’s desire for power and ownership can subject others to suffering. The results of such actions are oppression and loss of identity since the conquered often have to obey the policies and rules that the conquerors impose on them. These perspectives help understand some of the literary stories because they allow discussing the character’s behavior from an unconventional perspective. In this paper, the author will apply postcolonial theories to evaluate Caliban from “The Tempest” and Enkidu from the “Epic of Gilgamesh.”
Postcolonial theories applied to the analysis of literary texts help broaden one’s perspective. Postcolonial theories refer to the impact of the European colonies on developing the world in the political, social, economic, and other areas (Elam, 2019). The themes of identity and oppression, in particular, are a part of this approach, and they imply that colonial rule results in oppression, or the use of power to restrict freedoms and exercise authority through the use of power. Moreover, this leads to one losing their identity, for example, native inhabitants not recognizing themselves as the owners of their lands.
The lens of identity and oppression fits into the postcolonial theory because the colonial rule was rooted in the use of force and authority against the colonized. This is a promising choice for literature since one can witness a prolonged history of oppressing African-Americans or women in their rights. Hence this theory helps see how authors explain this type of behavior and its effects on others. The literary examples, such as “The Tempest” and “The Epics of Gigamesh,” show that this behavior has been used by people for many centuries, and seeing these adversities allows making conclusions not only about these texts but also about society.
“The Tempest” explains the specifics of the European expansion into the New World. Shakespeare wrote this play to reflect on the colonial rule of the Europeans. The theme of identity loss and oppression functions through the example of Caliban. In this story, Caliban is the son of the deceased Sycorax and Prospero’s servant. He is often referred to as a “monster” by others, which prompts an insight regarding his identity loss. The others do not view him as a human being, as an individual and instead, judge him because of his looks or because he is different.
Notably, in this play, Caliban is the only native inhabitant of the island, unlike Prospero and his daughter, who arrived there by accident after managing to save themselves from being abandoned in the sea. Hence, all characters apart from Caliban are visitors to this island, they are guests, but they treat the native inhabitant as a servant and disrespect him, which creates tension between the characters and prompts one to think about how Prospero and others treat the indigenous person.
In his first speech, Caliban attempts to explain they he and Prospero are alike since the latter lost his dukeship because of his brother. Caliban, on the other hand, lost his island, his native land, when Prospero and Miranda arrived there. Prospero and Miranda fail to recognize Caliban’s identity over the course of Acts 1 and 2, they treat him as someone lesser.
The use of postcolonial theory helps understand this story better since, without the application of the oppression lens, it is difficult to understand the difficulties faced by Caliban. Without this lens, one may perceive him as a character that got unlucky because someone came to his island and conquered it. Or alternatively, one may think that Caliban chose to be Prospero’s servant in the given circumstances. This viewpoint undermines the complexity of Caliban’s character and the suffering he experiences throughout this story. Although Caliban himself aligns his story with that of Prospero’s – they both lost their land and social status – Prospero fails to recognize these similarities, denying Caliban’s identity.
The similarities between Caliban and Enkidu from “The Epics of Gigamesh” are in the fact that both did not choose their kings, nor did they agree with the decisions those made. However, the difference is in the development of these characters because Caliban’s identity transformed from being a king of his own land to becoming a servant.
Caliban’s transformation is supported by others, since in subsequent conversations with Miranda, she tries to justify his servant status, for example, by noting that she educated him and taught him their language. Caliban, however, never asked to be educated, and the price he paid for these lessons was a loss of his power over his land. Here, Shakespeare illustrates the colonial approach to conquest — not asking the native people what their wishes and vision for their land are, merely imprisoning and turning people into servants in their own land.
The “Epics of Gilgamesh” also have a character that is an example of how oppression impacts one’s identity. Enkidu is created by the gods as a way of opposing Gingamesh’s cruel rule. Enkidu is a “wild man,” which can be interpreted as him being a native or an indigenous person to the lands where Gilgamesh was the king. Hence, similarly to Caliban, Enkidu is an example of a person that has not been civilized but encountered the representatives of the modern civilization destitute their own wishes. At the beginning of this story, Enkidu lives with the animals in the wild nature. Until he is discovered by a hunter, he appears to live a life he enjoys despite it not fitting into the standards of a modern human.
Enkidu is tempted by a harlot, and she teaches him the things he needs to know to become a human, similarly to Miranda teaching Caliban her language. Notably, in this part of the story, Enkidu losses a crucial part of his identity since he is no longer a wild man. While most would interpret this as a good thing since he no longer has to live in the wilderness with the animals and can join other people when using the oppression perspective, one can understand other implications. For instance, one can argue that he dies because he cannot fully accept his new role as a civilized human. Enkidu, despite his past, managed to fit into the civilized world, although he preserved some of his old habits. Perhaps, the fact that he was created by gods from clay to be an opponent for Gigamesh allowed him to withstand the oppression of civilization and maintain his identity.
Overall, the use of postcolonial theory helps one gain a better comprehension of the stories depicted in “The Tempest” and the “Epics of Gilgamesh.” Both Caliban and Enkidu have to change their lifestyles unwillingly. The example of Caliban is a vivid illustration of oppression brought about by colonization since, after the arrival of Prospero on Caliban’s island, the land no longer belonged to the latter. Enkidu was tempted by a harlot, but he was able to fit into the civilized world.
References
Elan, D. (2019). Postcolonial theory. Web.
Sandars, N. K. (Ed.). (1972). The epic of Gilgamesh. Harmondsworth.
Shakespeare, W. (1958). The tempest. Harvard University Press.