The Tempest by William Shakespeare is a magnificent work of literature that explores various aspects of nature and man, illusion versus reality, and deception. The Tempest was written between 1610 and 1611. Many believe that Shakespeare based the majority of this play on the colonization that was taking place in the Americas at that time and on Montaigne's essay The Cannibals. Shakespeare was able to incorporate and write a poetic and magical play showing what was happening at that time and how human existence was changing due to the new discoveries of other humans. Shakespeare created a utopian society in his play The Tempest. Utopian societies are supposed to offer an alternative way of living through social, political and cultural methods. The word utopia was first coined by Thomas More in his publication Utopia. More's publication was a product of his imagination, but Shakespeare saw what was happening around him in the world in which he lived. The Tempest takes place in a time where individuals face uncontrollable situations such as banishment, slavery, and a weather storm. The setting of many of the great plays written by William Shakespeare is key to the development of the actions that occur. The setting defines the social environment in which we judge the morals, behaviors and actions of the characters. By using a utopian setting in The Tempest, Shakespeare was able to write a play that created a message regarding the colonization of others by comparing the two slave characters of Ariel and Caliban. The Tempest features two characters, Ariel and Caliban, who serve as slaves on the island, but it can also be argued that Miranda is enslaved on the island. Prospero was Duke of M...... middle of paper ...... kill Prospero. Caliban's act of revenge backfires as his own ultimately humiliates Stephano and Trinculo by being banished and preparing Prospero's cell for dinner that night. William Shakespeare created a utopian setting filled with magic to show an underlying theme of colonization in The Tempest. . The Tempest explored many themes, but the theme of colonization represented through Ariel and Caliban has been called astonishing. They both represented different aspects of oppression. Ariel was the colonized subject who did whatever the master wanted and never objected to a suggested act. Whereas Caliban was the colonized who found himself trapped in a mindset of oppression due to his own lack of respect for himself. Works CitedShakespeare, William, Burton Raffel and Harold Bloom. The Tempest. New Haven: Yale UP, 2006. Print.