34 pages • 1 hour read
A Tempest
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Essay Topics
The fourth wall of theater is a convention that assumes an invisible wall stands between the audience and the actors on the stage. Analyze one moment in the play when Césaire chooses to break the fourth wall of conventional theater.
In Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Ariel is a shape-changer without a clear gender. How is Césaire’s Ariel similar to the original Ariel, and how is he different?
Select one comedic moment in the play. Analyze the moment from the perspective of an audience member. Does the comedy enhance the anti-colonial message of the play or distract from it? Support your response with textual evidence.
In an interview with René Depestre, Césaire explained his interest in surrealism: “Surrealism interested me to the extent that it was a liberating factor” (Césaire, Aimé. Discourse on Colonialism. Translated by Joan Pinkham, Monthly Review Press, 2000). Discuss this quote in relation to the play.
Examine Miranda and Prospero’s relationship. Select two quotes that capture the spirit of their relationship, and explain your choices.
A Master of Ceremonies is a host of an event or a performance. Analyze the speech delivered by the Master of Ceremonies from the point of view of an actor participating in the play.
Identify the “obscene” elements of Eshu’s song in Act III, Scene 3. Why were the gods and goddesses offended by his singing?
Césaire’s A Tempest is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest. What echoes of Shakespeare can you identify in Césaire’s play?
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