This paper examines how Shakespeare and Montaigne constructed contrasting images of non-Western peoples through their respective characters Caliban and the cannibal. Drawing on Bartra's analysis of European otherness and O'Toole's reading of The Tempest, the paper argues that while Montaigne idealized the "noble savage" as an uncorrupted natural being representing a golden age, Shakespeare rejected this romanticized view. Instead, Shakespeare used Caliban to expose both the complexity and the inner potential for savagery in any human being, regardless of social circumstance. The comparison reveals that European representations of non-Western societies were fundamentally projections of European anxieties and ideals rather than accurate portrayals.
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The idea that Europeans brought enlightenment to savage colonies has long fascinated writers, many of whom employed their imagination to construct pictures of "barbaric" individuals who inhabited these distant lands. Shakespeare and Montaigne, in their attempts to recreate those savage communities, gave us the powerful characters of Caliban and the cannibal. Focusing on this obsession with the image of a savage non-Western man, Bartra (1994) writes: "The identity of the 'civilized' has always been flanked by the image of the Other, yet the common image of the Other as a wild and barbaric figure, as opposed to Western man, has been considered a reflection — albeit distorted — of non-Western peoples, a Eurocentric expression of colonial expansion from which evolved an exotic and racist version of those whom the conquistadors and colonizers had discovered and subdued." (p. 3)
While Shakespeare borrowed heavily from Montaigne's essay "Of Cannibals" as far as the core concept was concerned, his reason for creating a non-Western character was entirely different from Montaigne's. Montaigne was more interested in exploring the untainted, pure, and almost heavenly side of the inhabitant of an unadulterated society. Shakespeare, on the other hand, believed that savagery is not connected with enlightenment or the lack of it — it is essentially an inner trait that anyone can possess regardless of social circumstance. This essential difference in belief is evident from the characters that the two writers created.
Montaigne's sole reason for writing "Of Cannibals" was to highlight and accentuate the importance of the wild non-Western man. He believed that someone who had not been exposed to the realities of the modern world was essentially an uncontaminated soul representing the heavenly ideals of purity. Discussing the nature of Montaigne's fascination with non-Western societies, O'Toole writes: "[Montaigne] presents a highly idealized characterization of the natives of the New World. He perceives these 'cannibals,' as he calls them, to be men who live in the way Nature intends them to live, unadorned and unfettered by modern civilization. Montaigne goes so far as to claim to have found in these cannibals the 'golden age,' spoken of so often by philosophers and poets as merely an unattainable dream. He boldly asserts that in the character of these people, all of 'the true, most useful, and natural virtues and properties are alive and vigorous.'" (O'Toole 2)
Shakespeare, however, held no such idealized views of savage natives. Unlike Montaigne, Shakespeare was more fascinated with the psychological impact of European influence on the savage man. He firmly maintained that there was no such thing as a noble savage, and through his character Caliban he successfully unearthed the negative side of a so-called pure soul. The non-Western man of Shakespeare is no saint, but neither is he simply a beast. Shakespeare maintains a completely objective stance on the subject of savagery and therefore presents both sides of non-Western society through characters like Caliban and Ariel.
The main point was to challenge Montaigne's romantic view of the savage, and this tension results in the creation of Caliban. As Bartra (1994) writes: "Caliban represents a wildness that threatens Christian civilization from the inside, and, unlike Montaigne's cannibal, Caliban is a dangerous and menacing figure from whom one must be protected, on the one hand, and who must be redeemed, on the other." (p. 176)
While Montaigne's view of the non-Western man may not appear biased, it is perhaps a little too idealized to be taken seriously. On the other hand, though Shakespeare's image of the wild man may appear to be grounded in racial bigotry, it is ultimately more powerful, precisely because it lacks the apparent shallowness of Montaigne's cannibals. In short, the views of the two writers present contrasting images of the wild man, and their positions on the subject of non-Western civilization are anything but similar — a contrast that has led some critics to conclude that "wild men" were nothing but "a European invention." (Bartra 3)
Bartra, Roger. Wild Men in the Looking Glass: The Mythic Origins of European Otherness. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1994.
"Two writers offer opposing, culturally revealing portrayals"
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