Postcolonial Lens Essay

The purpose of this essay is to describe and apply the post-colonial theoretical lens of alterity to The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Tempest. The essay will describe the alterity lens, why it was selected and the ways in which the lens can be supported. The essay will also discuss the tensions that arise from applying the lens as well as a description of why this lens provides insight into the lasting popularity of The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Tempest well into the 21st century. In order to apply the post-colonial theoretical lens we must first understand what it means to interpret literature through the post-colonial theory lens of alterity as well as why it was selected for this essay.
“Postcolonial theory challenges us as readers to see the world differently, to look at history, literature, language, and culture in new ways.” (Baldwin & Quinn, 2007, p. 18) In other words, interpreting literature through a post-colonial theory lens is like using a magnified glass to look at the world, to see things more clearly and from different perspectives. Alterity as
By applying the alterity lens to The Epic of Gilgamesh we are able to understand how the other, Enkidu as well as Gilgamesh, were viewed from both the perspective of the colonized and the colonizer. After interpreting Shakespeare’s The Tempest through the postcolonial theory lens alterity, I can see how many are able to relate to Caliban as a character that is different therefore treated as less than human. As human beings, I believe we can all relate in some way or another to the feeling of being treated as an outcast due to a characteristic beyond our control. These two literary stories can be analyzed, broken down and interpreted in countless ways, keeping them appealing and fascinating for