The Tempest Research Paper

In “The Tempest”, Prospero is the one controlling everyone and everything for his own personal reason. He controlled the tempest (1.2-195), the spirit Ariel (1.2-246-249), the monster Caliban (1.2-310-313) and the men of the ship; Alonso, Sebastian, Antonio, Gonzalo, Adrian and Francisco (3.3.82-90). Prospero’s control is at it’s highest when it comes to Ariel. In this passage, Ariel responds to Prospero after refusing his liberation “I prithee, Remember I have done thee worthy service, Told Thee no lies, made no mistaking,

But why would Ariel serve Prospero? It turns out that Prospero had rescued Ariel from imprisonment in a tree by a witch, who used to be the ruler of the island. When Ariel asks for his freedom, in this scene, Prospero gets furious and uses similes, metaphors and detailed descriptions to emphasize the horror of Ariels situation before he came to the island. “What torment I did find thee in. Thy groans of ever angry bears. It was a torment. Did make wolves howl and penetrate the breasts”. This reminds Ariel that he is in thrall to Prospero who keeps the spirit doing his bidding by threatening to return him to the suffering from which he came. “If thou more murmur’st, I will rend an oak and peg thee in his knotty entrails till thou hast howled away twelve winters.” This also highlights his own power as he sets Ariel free and threatens to put

Although the audience know by know that Caliban tried to rape Miranda, Prospero treats him very harshly which reflects the poor treatment of servants in Prospero’s time. For example, when Prospero tells Caliban to come and chop wood, he replies, ‘There’s wood enough within.’ This shows a sense of bitterness on Caliban’s part, showing that he resents being Prospero’s servant, when he was once master of his own island. In this scene

Prospero operated in the three facets of power relation, as did Columbus. He attacked the social, psychological and cultural facets of the natives as was able to thwart them to his good pleasure. In attacking the social facet, Prospero threatened the class system that was already in effect on the island. After fleeing from Italy, he no longer belonged to a specific class and sought to regain a regal position by taking control of those he encountered on the island. In attacking the psychological facet, Prospero used his power of influence to persuade others to change the way they think or redirect their morality. This influence on morality can be seen when Ariel returns from performing a task for

On one level, it seems that Caliban is an evil character but on another level, Shakespeare tries to depict Caliban as a part of Prospero's character. This is shown when Prospero accepts responsibility for Caliban. Prospero understands that Caliban is the baser side of himself, even the baser side of humanity's baser instincts. Caliban shows many

            Caliban turns hate and dislike into murderous and devious plans.  Caliban had a plan to plot out Prospero's death.  He informs the others that Prospero takes a nap, and that it would be best to kill him in his sleep.  We also learn here that he is similar to Miranda.  Miranda has never seen another man except her father, and Caliban has never seen another woman except his mother.  In some ways this is ironic. (Act 3, scene 2 line 75-89)

Caliban’s character in A Tempest is more outspoken and vocal about Prospero’s maltreatment of him. In Act I, Caliban’s entrance into the play is depicted very differently between The Tempest and A Tempest. In The Tempest Caliban succumbs to Prospero’s wishes much more willingly than in A Tempest. In The Tempest, Caliban’s first lines are answering to Prospero: “There’s wood enough within” (1.2.315). He follows Prospero’s orders willingly and does as he is told. In the context of the civil rights movement, this can be interpreted as he accepts the social injustice without much defiance, because it is the social norm. However, in A Tempest, his first line in the play is “Uhuru!” (pg 11). Caliban directly disobeys Prospero here, as “Uhuru” means “freedom” in his native language (Swahili). This change is very significant, especially in the time of the civil rights movement. I think that Cesaire makes this change as a statement for the need for self-advocacy and defiance of discrimination and segregation in the 1960s. It encourages minorities to accept Caliban’s role in the real world take a stand against the social injustices that plagued the

Explain how Ariel and Caliban serve as character foils for each other. Be sure to consider their physical appearance and their roles as servants to Prospero.

Last but not least, Caliban had an unstable relationship with Prospero. Miranda wasn’t the only one that treated Caliban as a slave, Prospero did as well. “..What,ho! Slave! Caliban!”(1.2.375). Caliban would be called names, and numerous times he is treated as a slave, but Prospero felt no guilt to how he treats him. As mentioned before, Caliban is a villain as well, which means he is also evil to Prospero. “All the infections that the sun sucks up/ From bogs, fens, flats, on Prosper fall and make him/By inchmeal a disease!”(2.2.5). Caliban hoped that all the diseases that are in swamps and marches infect Prospero, in every inch of his body so he could become a walking disease. Not only did he wish for him to be infected, but he also wanted to severely hurt him. “I’ll yield him thee asleep, where thou mayst knock a nail into his head”(2.3.67-8) He tells Stephano that he will take him to where Prospero sleeps, so he could pound a nail into his head. After they were to put a nail into his head, he wanted to continue to do evil things to him. “Beat him enough. After a little time, I’ll beat him too”(3.2.92-3) As it shows in this quotation, Caliban wanted to beat Prospero.

Prospero’s reason for his ill treatment of Caliban is that he allegedly attempted to rape Miranda. Prospero states, “I have used thee/Filth as thou art, with human care, and lodged thee/In mine own cell, till thou didst seek to violate/The honour of my child.”, and Caliban replies, “O ho, O ho! would't had been done!/Thou didst prevent me.”. This interaction does not prove the alleged attempted rape, but rather shows how Caliban reacts angrily to Prospero’s provocation. In the play, Caliban reacts as the monster that Prospero and Miranda make of him, but in Namjoshi’s reimagination, we are provided with Caliban’s initial perception of the alleged attempted

The Tempest is a play that has a theme of nature and civilization. It has a strong theme that deals with issues of colonizer and the colonized. While to many people this play may simply be just a play, it really has a story of what happens when nature and civilization collide. The character Caliban represents a being of pure nature. The character Prospero is civilization. These characters can also be seen as the colonized and the colonizer. The relationship they have is very complex and is a constant struggle, much like any relationship between a colonizer and colonized. It questions what is pure nature? Is it savage and monster like, as Caliban is? In this paper I will examine the relationship between Caliban

Prospero holds authority over several characters in the play in order to control them to satisfy his evil plans. Prospero has power over Ariel, who is a spirit that he enslaves after saving him from the witch of the island. He uses this debt to control Ariel to do his bidding. He also uses force by threatening Ariel with his knowledge of magic to remind him how powerful he is. Prospero has authority over Caliban by claiming that he gave Caliban the ability to speak and the gift of knowledge. Lastly, Prospero has authority over Ferdinand by using magical powers to make his daughter Miranda fall in love with him. He accuses Ferdinand of being a spy which in turn causes Miranda to protect Ferdinand. Ferdinand is willingly to become Prospero's slave for Miranda's sake. Prospero manipulates their relationship and this time his control over other characters is justified by his love as a father. He wants to test their love and make them covet it very much so that when they are allowed to be together they will appreciate it more.

Prospero enslaves Caliban and Ariel, seizing the island for him and Miranda, just like Alonso and Antonio had done to him. The rightful ruler of the island is Caliban, and although Caliban at one time tried to rape Miranda, Prospero repeatedly punishes him for this one event that occurred much before this play takes place. Prospero initially “helps” Caliban by educating him and in exchange, Caliban taught Prospero and Miranda how to survive on the island. Prospero uses the act of attempted-rape to justify his seizure of the island. This take-over should have been enough punishment but Prospero enslaves Caliban, threatening to hurt him if he does not do his bidding. By endlessly punishing Caliban, Prospero inadvertently shows his malicious side. Although Prospero freed Ariel from the tree he was bound inside, Prospero blackmails Ariel and essentially enslaves him too. Prospero repeatedly tells Ariel that he will set him free but, it seems as if that is an empty

Prospero runs everything that happens so he can be considered the 'king ' of the island. He is in complete control of what occurs on the island because of his supernatural powers. He has the "airy spirit" of Ariel to work for him and carry out his orders, who shows no animosity towards Prospero 's ruling. However, Ariel’s obedience doesn’t come without a price. Despite the strict social hierarchy, the nobles who dislike the king can still rebel with the lower class and topple the king. The reason for Ariel’s unwavering loyalty is that Prospero has control over him both physically and mentally. Ariel once askes Prospero to set him free: “I prithee, Remember I have done thee worthy service, Told thee no lies, made no mistakings, served Without or grudge or grumbling. Thou did promise To bate me a full year (Act 1 Sc. 2, 294-298).” Prospero responds harshly: “Dost thou forge From what torment I did free thee?,” reminding Ariel who was extricated from the witch Sycorax to be grateful. He further pressures Ariel with a series of questionings, shaming Ariel’s the lack of gratitude and threatening to tie him back to the tree (Act 1 Sc.2, 315-320). Horrified by the thought of experiencing the same torture, Ariel feels obliged to pay back Prospero’s graciousness, forgetting the fact that he has already served faithfully for one year and now

His mother, Sycorax, was banished there by sailors for no known reason; “This blue-eyed hag was hither brought with child / And here was left by th’ sailors” (I.II.322-323). Sycorax is an African with blue eyes which is unusual and so people thought she was magic because of it, hence the name she was referred to in the quote, ‘blue-eyed hag’. Trapping Ariel in the oak tree also emphasized the magic people thought she had. They assumed she used magic to do it; “By help of her more potent ministers / And in her most unmitigable rage, / Into a cloven pine, within which rift / Imprisoned thou didst painfully remain”(I.II.328-331). I chose this quote because it expressed how she trapped Ariel. Sycorax died soon after and her son was left alone on the island until Prospero found him. Since sycorax might have had power, then theoretically Caliban was also suspected to possess the same power. This could have threatened Prospero, so he belittled Caliban and turned him into a slave. Prospero would tell Ariel stories of how Caliban was not human, but a monster; “Then was this island / (Save for the son that she did litter here, / A freckled whelp, hag-born) not honored with / A human shape” (I.II.334-337). In this quote, Prospero is belittling Caliban in order to gain more control over him and Ariel. Caliban is mentally weak so he succumbs to Prospero, but he is physically strong and still poses a