The Tempest, In Defense of the Indians, and Montaigne's essays each illustrate what happens when two very different worlds collide. As Europe begins to saturate New World soil, the three authors offer their accounts of the dynamic between the European invader and native other. Though each work is unique in its details, they all share a common bond: Shakespeare, de Las Casas, and Montaigne show the reader how European colonialists use differences in appearance and language to justify theft and slavery.

The Tempest's Caliban serves as an instrument to highlight the colonialist notion of the other. Caliban is the original inhabitant of the island; it is his native land. But Caliban is ugly. Prospero claims that he is "not honored with human shape" (p. 17), and so the new European inhabitants never think of him as a potential equal- they see him as their inferior. This initial incongruity between characters supports further dehumanization of the native for the remainder of the play.

Caliban's appearance does not only contribute to the Europeans' poor estimation o

Prospero agrees with this notion. He believes that Caliban's deformity and inability to communicate with foreigners make the native his subordinate. Caliban is only "...a lying slave, whom stripes may move, not kindness" (p. 54). Prospero refuses to hear Caliban's exclamation that he was "first...mine own king" (p. 54). Once Caliban controlled his own life. With the arrival of Prospero, who sees no redeeming qualities but brute strength in Caliban, the native becomes a slave. Prospero believes that Caliban is not human and sees no reason to treat him as one.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Montaigne and de Las Casas also explore the humanity of natives. Though their portrayals of the Indians are very different, their aim is the same: to promote the humane treatment of the Indians. Both works oppose the colonialist mentality that appears in The Tempest. Montaigne and de Las Casas argue that differences in culture are not tantamount to inferiority.

"He who had awarded their country to him must be a man fond of dissention, to go and give another person something that was not his and thus set him at strife with its ancient possessors." (Of Coaches, p.67)

Like the colonialists of de Las Casas and Montaigne's essays, Shakespeare's Europeans overlook Indian humanity when they seize the native land. Though Caliban defends his rights when he says, "this island's mine by Sycorax my mother which thou tak'st from me" (p. 19) all Prospero hears are the words of an ugly, ignorant savage. Prospero pays no more heed to Caliban's complaint than he would the lowing of a cow. To Prospero, both are animals meant for service.

Shakespeare, Montaigne, and de Las Casas all describe the usurpation of land from the Indians. De Las Casas discourages taking land with force, claiming that it is wrong to wage "war against men

Some common words found in the essay are:
Las Casas, Trinculo Wilt, Sycorax Miranda, Europeans Montaigne, Shakespeare's Europeans, Tempest's Caliban, Miranda Prospero, Casas Montaigne, Indians Montaigne's, Defense Indians, de las, las casas, de las casas, montaigne de, montaigne de las, montaigne's essays, las casas montaigne, casas montaigne, las casas', de las casas', defense indians, shakespeare de, own language, shakespeare de las, culture montaigne,
Approximate Word count = 1265
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)