Volume II Special Issue I January 2022

Name of Author : Mahmood Mawlood Khalaf Almashhadani

Title of the paper : Postcolonial Reading of Shakespeares and Marlowes Drama

Abstract: The most important feature of imperialism is that Colonizer define colonialism as the moral obligation to civilize the barbarous parts of the world. William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe are beyond doubt the greatest Elizabethan playwrights and of all time. they are both occupy a unique position in the history of literature and their drama earned them an international praise and the consenting as the best dramatists in the history of English Drama. Shakespeares play The Tempest and Marlowes Doctor Faustus have been interpreted differently by different schools of criticism. This paper attempts to question the traditional interpretations of these plays as a struggle or contest between good and evil. With the advent of postcolonial criticism, critics read the plays as allegory about artistic creation since The Tempest is Shakespeares final play and Doctor Faustus is Marlowes Masterpiece. The magical powers of the heroes ensure not only the enslavement but also demand the servitude of spirits to put the magical designs into action. Doctor Faustus integrates multiple degrees of domination connected closely to Colonialism as the text reveals the Imperialist and Colonialist tendencies in their beginnings, while the character of Caliban in The Tempest is the main focus of a postcolonial reading of the play. The play can readily be seen as the text which is accomplices with colonial power. Doctor Faustus, on the other hand, is a deconstructive representation of imperialism, his enterprise is transformed into a lawless practice against people who were not allowed to enjoy the same criteria of freedom and justice.

Keywords : Shakespeare, Marlowe, Postcolonial, Imperialism, Elizabethan

DOI :

Page Number : 35-37