The Collector

How does John Fowles use William Shakespeare’s The Tempest to define his protagonists? Explore the ways the novel uses allusions, quotations, and direct references to build parallels with Shakespeare’s play.

Some critics see Shakespeare’s The Tempest as an allegory of colonialism: In this reading, Caliban is the Indigenous inhabitant of the island Miranda and her father conquer and subjugate. How would this interpretation change how we see Fowles’s middle-class Miranda and low-class Frederick?

How does Frederick treat beauty? Why does Frederick catch butterflies? Does he want the same thing from Miranda? Why or why not?