Conquest of Land and Bodies A Postcolonial Ecocritical Study of William Shakespeare's The Tempest

Abstract

In this paper, I study William Shakespeare’s The Tempest (1611) from environmental and postcolonial perspectives. I will analyze Shakespeare’s play as a means to discuss such concepts as anthropocentrism, agency, ecophobia, speciesism, and ecological imperialism, which inherently culminate in postcolonial ecocriticism. I argue that The Tempest emphasizes the repercussions of colonial endeavors on humans, other beings and nature, by delineating the violent relationships that arise from conflicts, and the risks of controlling the environment. This paper also emphasizes that the play does not simply reflect colonial and environmental anxieties but actively critiques them. While many scholars have explored its engagement with anthropocentrism, speciesism, and ecological imperialism, this study builds on these foundations to emphasize two key aspects: first, the ambiguous identity of Caliban and the implications for both racism and speciesism, and second, the play’s nuanced portrayal of nature as not inherently dangerous but manipulated by human intervention for political gain. By foregrounding these aspects, The Tempest emerges not only as a commentary on colonial exploitation, but also as a prophetic warning about environmental destruction.