Utopia and Dystopia in "The Tempest"

Professor Little brought the concept of "Utopia" up during this past week's "The Tempest" lecture.

** The English word "Utopia" comes from the Greek word "Ut Topia", literally meaning "no place".

** The term was officially coined in 1511 by Thomas Moore in his work "Utopia"; originally written in Latin and then translated into English.

** We use the word to mean a 'perfect' or 'ideal' place

** The opposite of "utopia" is "dystopia" - an example of which is Huxley's "Brave New World"

** Dystopia defines a negative or nightmarish place standing in direct opposition to utopia.

** In the context of "The Tempest", it is unclear whether we are speaking of utopia or dystopia as one man's utopia is another man's nightmare. For example, Prospero creates his perfect utopian world when he comes to the island; for Caliban, however, this same space is represented as dystopia. This, then, brings up the question "Whose play is this?" Does it belong to Prospero or to Caliban - or either?

** In a larger context, "The Tempest" might be Shakespeare's most political play; especially in its examination of the establishment of both utopias and dystopias.

** In brief, the play also explores the following: In order for any of us to have a utopia, someone must be in charge of the utopian vision; it also explores how heavily policed the idea of a "utopia" is.

** Finally, there is a very fine line between a utopian culture and an oppressive culture.

--Kate McAvoy
Section IE, Ian Hoch