Essay on The Misunderstood Message of Aime Cesaires A...

The Misunderstood Message of Aime Cesaires A Tempest A Tempest, by Aime Cesaire, has been the center of controversy for over twenty years now. The argument is not concerning whether the play has substance, or whether its themes are too racy; the criticism is about its parallel to another work. The work in question is that of The Tempest by William Shakespeare. Cesaire has been bluntly accused of mirroring, misrepresenting, and misinterpreting Shakespeares last play. I challenge these critics to research Cesaire and his works, rather than pick apart this most insightful play. It is pertinent to understand a few key ideas when examining A Tempest because Cesaire was not attempting to mirror Shakespeare; he was merely†¦show more content†¦It is not only noteworthy to understand Cesaires background it is important to be familiar with his relationship to other black writers from places of colonial dominance. Understanding his association and philosophical connection to other black intellectuals of the time is imperative in analyzing Cesaire and his work. He was one the founders of a movement known as Negritude. Negritude, originally a literary and ideological movement of French-speaking black intellectuals, rejected the political, social, and moral domination of the West. The focus of Negritude is further narrowed when defining it in terms of literature. Black authors affirm black personality and retell the collective experience of black peoples. Negritude attempts to rehabilitate blacks from the Western ideology that holds blacks inferior to whites. Cesaire was not attempting to present a work to exceed that of Shakespeare. The dialogue of A Tempest is presented to offer a voice to the oppressed, and is not a clarification or imitation of Shakespeares The Tempest (Allison 1). In following the basic principles of the Negritude movement, Cesaire believed that it was his duty, like other black artists, to be true to the black experience by portraying it through his works. Cesaire has taken on