Propriety Across the Ocean: A Comparative Thematic Analysis of Shakespeare and Kipling Hayley Jasinski College

“It is not easy to escape mentally from a concrete situation, to refuse its ideology while continuing to live with its actual relationships,” said Albert Memmi in his influential book entitled The Colonizer and the Colonized. This statement expresses how the enslaved dissociate from their surroundings to survive while simultaneously being bombarded their realities. When wedged between a rich fantasy life and a disappointing actual life, many would choose to spend more time in their heads than facing the present. Shakespeare fleshes out this idea in The Tempest through the utilization of two of his non-European characters. Additionally, Ruyard Kipling weaves the tale of a forbidden affair in the short story “Beyond the Pale” to explore the power dynamics of an unlikely couple. These two stories describe how enslavement always has irreversible consequences for both the master and the servant.

Ariel has a certain willingness to serve their master and follow through on his commands; this rapt obedience displays how they either don’t have morals or choose not to stand up for them. Despite their immense power, Ariel still remains in shackles to a human with no supernatural powers. Prospero appears to be a pleasant and kind master...