Vindicating Sycorax’s Anti-colonial Voice. An Overview of Some Postcolonial Re-Writings from The Tempest to Indigo

Abstract

The aim of this essay is to place the Shakespearean character Sycorax as a symbol of anticolonia and anti-patriarchal resistance. Throughout the analysis of this figure in The Tempest and its re-writings, I suggest a change from the theories that turned Caliban into an antiimperial symbol towards a consideration of Sycorax for this role. I analyse the possibilities that this character opens in terms of re-writing, as well as the relation of the figure of the witch with her community. I also compare the ideas that Caliban personifies (including sexual violence), with those represented by Sycorax (the struggle against imperial and patriarchal forces). I ultimately defend that Sycorax fits better the position as a resistance symbol, since the struggles against masculine dominance must be addressed at the same level as those against imperialist oppressions.

Keywords

• The Tempest
• Sycorax
• Indigo
• anti-colonialism
• anti-patriarchy