At the time when Shakespeare was writing The Tempest, the world around him was becoming larger and evolving. As a result of European’s exploration and exploitation, many personal viewpoints were produced due to their interaction with cultures outside of Europe. Nevertheless, it would be ludicrous to say that the effects of “global colonization” which Shakespeare was writing at the time did not have an effect of his writings in The Tempest. In particular, Montaigne in one of his essays explains that Europeans were painted to be the discoverers of native cultures when colonialism was just another form of nationalism. As a result, the European philosophy has been greatly influenced in 1492 by the values of people from Asia, Africa, America and Europe. During the Age of Discovery, Europe was not just exploring the African, Chinese, Eastern Indians and Persian concepts, but they were developing new perspectives of thinking, in addition to helping themselves to material riches. However, the two chief nations that were involved in the doctrine of colonization were the America, England and France. The reawakening of the idea of the modern democratic ideals and freedom originated in Native American wigwams since it was here that Europeans from 1500 to 1776 regarded the societies to be “truly free”. During this time, the fundamental ideology of colonialism was based on the cardinal act of faith in European superiority. However, at the end of the seventeenth century, Travel narratives from America travelled to Europe, drive by the mixture of facts, speculation, concerning the new continent that the Europeans were coming to see for the first time. In this new environment, the colonists were influenced by the Native American concepts of democracy and confederation. These ideas also had an effect on economic, political and cultural aspects. For instance, this form of colonialism was a transition from the “old world” to what European translated into a culture of Nobel Savage; clothed in the imagery of ‘returning to the lands of its birth”. Noble Savage may have been seen as a creature of imagination, which influenced American and French revolutions to form autonomous economic and democratic structure, as the most true and profitable virtues of ensuring diplomacy during the Age of Discovery (Shohat and Stam 82-85).

Montaigne and Shakespeare Construction of Essay

In the construction of the “Essay”, there remains, however, one essayist who stood above others in virtuosity- Michel de Montaigne. Montaigne used “Essay” as a means of self discovery. His Essais, which were published in their final form in 1588, were regarded to the finest form of their kind. Montaigne regarded his work as a book with a wild and eccentric plan. His work was based on writing from life and experience from a personal view, whereby he expressed his mind and humanity. Another quality that made Montaigne essay outstanding was the use of skepticism, which he used as a reflection of his second virtue; self awareness. Influenced by stoic tradition of thought, Montaigne form of essays was that of suspending judgment while at the same time, accepting human imperfections. Montaigne construction of essay was also based on moderation; as a result, his view of living well was based on living in temperate happiness. In his essay, “Of cannibals”, Montaigne disputed Europeans assumptions on colonialism by juxtaposing the terminology of barbarism which was usually used by French to describe their appreciation for the stoicism and strength that he believed the native wild colonialist promoted. On the other hand, Montaigne used his essays to attack European assessment of their culture using sardonic comparisons which the Europeans considered to be humane practices against their uncivilized counterparts. In 1599, something also happened to Shakespeare’s soliloquies; in Hamlet, for example, he started chewing of the issue of new literary form (essay) by considering two opposing sides of the argument. As a result, the classic hallmarks of Shakespeare’s essays were based on his internalized wrestling, contradiction, and contradictions such as “should I die, or carry on”. Shakespeare used this essay form to attack cultural relativism from the perspective of relative universality of human rights. He criticized the cultural relativism that was present during French Revolution was a tool of colonial conquest and as a way of promoting racial superiority. Shakespeare used “theatre” to attack British Imperialism in his essays by presenting them as protagonists who assumed dominion over other people in the form of masters-slave aspect (Cox and Gray 22-30).

Montaigne on the essay, “Of cannibal”

Montaigne in his essay “Of cannibal”, he portrays tribal Indians of Brazil as not being primitive barbarians by asserting that their actions were synonymous to relationship between nature and human action. He asserted that nature was synonymous to what was good and so was in the light of which the human actions were guided. In references to that, he idealized that the characterization of Indians of Brazil as barbarians was wrong by arguing that they were men who lived in the way that was intended by nature; unfettered and unadorned by the modern civilization. However, he asserted that the French civilization culture was hypocritical and immoral by asserting that the characters of these people were not true and useful, and their properties and natural virtues were not alive and vigorous (Losse 65).

Black Moore and Italian Venetian Worlds in the Play Othello

In the play, “Othello” by Shakespeare, shows that the Black Moore world was superior to Italian Venetians by showing how Moore people respected and followed their cultural values such as marital trust. Despite Othello was a competent soldier in Venetian society, he had Moorish background. He could not betray his marriage out of moral corruption and that is why he killed himself after he found out that he had been deceived into believing that his wife, Desdemona, was adulterous. However, Shakespeare shows Venetians world was hypocritical since they used deceitful tactics, such as the lie officer lago made to Othello that his wife was having an affair with Lieutenant, Michael Cassio. Shakespeare also showed that the Black man was better that the Italian villain lago. Shakespeare show that despite Othello was also a black man, he was loyal to Venetians and served them with utmost respect; however, officer lago had racial stereotypes against Othello and that is why he conspired to have Desdemona killed (Shakespeare 215-227).

Works Cited

Cox, John D., and Patrick Gray. Shakespeare and Renaissance Ethics. Cambridge: Cambridge

University Press, 2014. Print.

Losse, Deborah N. Montaigne and Brief Narrative Form: Shaping the Essay. New York, NY:

Palgrave Macmillan, 2013. Print.

Shakespeare, William. Four Great Tragedies: Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, and Romeo and Juliet.

New York, NY: Courier Corporation, 2012. Print.

Shohat, Ella and Robert Stam. Unthinking Eurocentrism: Multiculturalism and the Media.

Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2014. Print.