Savagery in The Tempest and The Life of Gustavus Vassa The representation of savagery in a novel or play directly mirrors how the author views the differences between “civilized” and “non-civilized” peoples. In The Tempest , Shakespeare presents the indigenous, “dark” character of the play in a negative light. In contrast, in The Life of Gustavus Vassa , Olaudah Equiana presents the African natives of the text as being more civilized than the Europeans who consider themselves most cultured and advanced. When one compares how savagery is depicted in both pieces, it can be concluded