The misunderstood message of A Tempest by Aime Cesaire A Tempest, by Aime Cesaire, has been at the center of controversy for over twenty years now. The discussion isn't about whether the work has substance or whether its themes are too bold; the criticism concerns its parallel with another work. The work in question is that of The Tempest by William Shakespeare. Cesaire has been accused in no uncertain terms of mirroring, misrepresenting and misinterpreting Shakespeare's final work. I challenge these critics to research Cesaire and his works, rather than separate this insightful work. It is worth understanding some key ideas when examining A Tempest because Cesaire was not attempting to mirror Shakespeare; he was simply using it as a reference. Cesaire, who understood that Shakespeare is an icon of the Western world, is himself an iconoclast. He knew that by adapting The Tempest to his voice he would attract the attention of the West and raise awareness among his intended audience, the oppressed blacks of the world. But to enhance this idea it is necessary for the reader to be aware of who Aime Cesaire is, what ideas she embraces and the message she wishes to convey to her readers. Aime Cesaire was born in Martinique, at the time an island under French rule. He was heavily involved in the politics of his colony, being mayor of Fort-de-France, a member of the French Communist Party, and later the founder of his own party, the Parti Progressiste Martiniquais (Davis). Cesaire grew up in the 1960s, a time when his country was fighting for independence, many African nations were doing the same, and blacks in America were pushing for racial equality. He was a strong supporter of independence and understood its effect… middle of paper… he should have taken another look before dismissing one of the most profound works of Caribbean literature. Works Cited: Achebe, Chinua. "The Novelist as Teacher." Commonwealth Literature: Unity and Diversity in a Common Culture. Ed. Giovanni Pressa. London: Heinemann, 1965. 201-05.Allison, William "A Legacy of Greed, Slavery, and Racism" Available at http://www.cas.ilstu.edu/English/Strickland/215/f96/allison.htmCesaire, Aime. A storm. Trans. Richard Miller. New York: UBU, 1992Davis, Gregson. Alas Cesare. UK: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1997.Hirsch, E.D. “Objective Interpretation.” PMLA 75 (1960): 463, 470-79. Rpt. in Contexts of criticism. Ed. Donald Keesey. 3rd ed. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield, 1998. Sarnecki, Judith Holland, “Mastering the Master: Aimé Césaire's Creolization of Shakespeare's The Tempest” in The French Review