Caliban and Colonialism

As the article on postcolonialism states, " [Postcolonial] thinkers insist on questioning what part not only the text but also the reader and the author play in the interpretive process". Therefore the critic should base his or her opinion on not only what the physical text states, but also the culture of that time period, the intended reader, the author, as well as other main events that could impact the view of new events. A postmodernist critic looks for all sides of the story to form opinions about characters. In The Tempest Act two and three I saw a very negative view of Caliban as the men continuously called him a monster and made fun of him. In his ignorance Caliban stated, "These are beautiful creatures, if they’re not spirits. He’s a good god, who brings liquor from the heavens. I will worship him". According to Shakespeare's writing I very much believe that Caliban is a representation of native peoples. He paints Caliban as an easily manipulated individual who would take up servitude simply for a drink of liquor. He places Caliban on the island first, gives him primitive language, and then sets him as a slave for the white man. According to this I definitely believe that Shakespeare was portraying Caliban's character as an individual who was unable to be civilized and lower class compared to the white men. This was embracing the act of taking over lands where the culture wasn't as "advanced" as their own.  Shakespeare was a modernist writer and therefore wrote for the more "elite" individuals. These are also the individuals who believed that colonialism is alright according to the belief that natives were not even human and therefore could be treated as slaves. I believe that Shakespeare was supporting colonization in The Tempest, which caused many others to embrace the idea that it is alright to believe that you are superior to others.