Short essay

Answer one of the following questions:

1. At times, scholars have interpreted Utopia as a dystopia (the opposite of a perfect society; a nightmarish depiction of a community, culture, or world). At other times, they have considered it a utopian work, as the title suggests. Which do you think it is? Or is it something in between—a combination of both?

1. At the time Shakespeare wrote The Tempest, whites throughout Western Europe and its colonies profited enormously from the slave trade and slave labor. Examine the relationships among Ariel, Caliban, and Prospero. How does The Tempest comment on the institution of slavery? A key passage to consider is when Caliban seeks a new master in the character of Stephano.