tempcolon Essay on European Colonization in The Tempest

The Theme of European Colonization in The Tempest The Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries were distinguished times, in which new thoughts and great legends were being born and Europe was changing. People were seeing their world in a new, dazzling light. Humanitys greatest writers, scientists, and composers were beginning to share their gifts. However, underneath these artistic overtones were the political changes, too. There was a New World out there, and its potential was undefined and many countries overlooked its capabilities. England, on the other hand, had placed its foot firmly into the foundation of the New World, and the footprint left behind influenced both the countries possibilities, and the artists works.†¦show more content†¦(Durband, 152) In a quick look into this quotation, it mentions great buildings, possibly inspired by the new theatres and other creations that awed the English citizen, and it also mentions them vanishing. However, Shakespeare may have been concerned not just for England, but also for its previous citizens: the Separatists. During Shakespeares time, King Henry VIII had taken over the English church, changing it from the Roman Catholic Church to the Anglican Church. Many British citizens objected to this change. Hence, they formed a rebellious alliance, and the Separatists came into being. The Separatists preferred the Roman Catholic Church over the Anglican, and so continued to worship as Catholics. After being ridiculed and mistreated, they had been so alienated by the religious persecutions they suffered in England, that they simply separated from the Anglican Church and moved on to other, more tolerant countries like the Netherlands, (Ritchie, 128). Shakespeare most likely implied that the Separatists, who had been given the riches of England, had left their mother country. In further perspective, this quotation also reveals Shakespeares patriotism for his mother country and his mixed feelings for