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The Tempest 2010 – A Feminist Allegory?
Much can be said in favor of the 2010 production of Shakespeare’s Tempest. After having survived Jarmusch’s appalling travesty of The Tempest, Julie Taymor’s Tempest is a breath of fresh air. This is a superb production to say the least. I believe this is the first production of Shakespeare to employ computer graphics, in the manner of the recent Avatar and Alice in Wonderland productions, but thankfully, unlike these forerunners, The Tempest uses digital effects, sparingly and to good effect, chiefly to enhance the impact of Prospera’s and Ariel’s spells and enchantments. Care is taken, that the special effects do not distract, greatly from the spoken text, though not all together with success. The land and seascapes are magnificent, as is the soundtrack by Elliot Goldenthal, with electronic flourishes, reminiscent of Phillip Glass. The costumes are period, but with a clever touch, the ornaments consist of modern zippers! In spite of these fine and innovative production values, the 2010 Tempest, like all revisionist productions of Shakespeare, takes certain liberties that are both troublesome and thought provoking, especially in the sphere of casting. It is the significance of these revisions as metaphors, that I wish to discuss, with the hope of inviting commentary.
The two most radical departures in traditional casting of The Tempest are the characters Prospera and Caliban. Caliban is acted by a black actor and that alone, as a metaphor, suggests a multitude of inferences as to the role of the negro in cultural history, which is not all together, flattering. I find this to be a striking role reversal, as people of African decent have risen to roles of prominence throughout society and have been portrayed in the media in recent years, in roles of prestige and authority. Yet once again, in Tempest 2010, the African is depicted as base and brutish slave. Having noted this “politically incorrect” choice in casting, I will put this issue aside, in order to discuss the Prospero/Prospera gender revision and one may dispose of the Caliban/Negro metaphor, as one sees fit.
One is so taken with the magical beauty of this film, that one can easily tolerate the annoyance of minor script changes, required to accommodate the transformation of Prospero the mage, to Prospera the sorceress. Yet, one is puzzled by the necessity of such a transformation, which aside from novelty value, adds nothing to the merit of Shakespeare’s play and one can ascribe it as a sign of the times. This is an 180 degree reversal of the Elizabethan stage, where it was considered immodest for women to appear and men played women’s roles. Granted, the role of Prospera is played superbly and the directer is a women who wants try a woman in the lead male role, but in the context of mythic meta-history, I would venture to say that this is but another example of hierarchical dissolution, brought about by the social upheavals of the 1960s, resulting in the rapid femminzation of society, that some would attribute to “social progress.” The much heralded collapse of patriarchy is attended with paradoxical consequences, which are far from liberating. Witness the “Bureaucratic Nanny State,” with an ever growing range of restrictions on personal liberties, such as smoking, speed limits and helmet laws, all designed to protect ourselves, from ourselves. With women rising to positions of power, we can expect much more of the same. It is no longer “politically correct” to be a manly man, or a feminine woman. Western Civilization has long ago, embarked on the metaphoric journey of Virgina Wolfe’s Orlando.It is the age of the phallic woman. How many movie posters and book covers have we seen of women wielding guns, often with high heels grinding into the backs of recumbent, prostrate and defeated males? I the Tempest 2010, we are confronted with a powerful phallic woman, who has usurped the wizard’s staff and uses it to restore herself to the “Golden Age” of paleolithic Matriarchy. What does this restoration auger for the future? Just some food for thought.