The ‘Other’ in Shakespeare and Today
The ‘Other’ in Shakespeare and Today

Summary/Abstract: The starting point of this paper is the Lacanian distinction between the ‘other’ and the ‘Other’, applied to the analysis of William Shakespeare’s play The Tempest. The author identifies examples of ‘othering’ (Spivak’s term) in the text, which help consolidate Prospero’s position of the master (the colonial counterpart of the psychoanalytic ‘Other’) and Caliban’s position of the slave (the colonial counterpart of the psychoanalytic ‘other’). The second section of the paper focuses on James Cameron’s film Avatar, read as an allegory of an imperialist project. Parallels are drawn between the two works, especially concerning the psychological processes in the construction of otherness. The aim of the paper is to ascertain whether ‘othering’ is a timeless tendency in human behavior and whether it can be overcome.

• Details
• Contents