The Character Of Caliban - 1100 Words

William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, was first performed in London, in 1611. The time it was performed in is important, because it was in the same period as the English colonization of the America’s. The Tempest presents a complex metaphor that reflects actual events in the New World during Shakespeare’s era, as portrayed in Prospero’s actions, as well as the European attitude of the New World natives, conveyed in the character of Caliban. Shakespeare provides the play with a clever clue that leads one to believe the story is indeed about America: Caliban one of the principle characters, reflects the New World inhabitant through the European perspective. â€Å"Carib,† the name of an Indian tribe, came to mean a savage of America, and from it,†¦show more content†¦Shakespeare then goes on to reinforce the idea of Caliban’s dark nature in Caliban’s response to Prospero: O ho, O ho! Would t had been done! Thou didst prevent me; I had peopled else this isle with Calibans (1.2.349-51). Caliban’s lack of penitence and shame emphasize his incivility and savagery. To the New World explorers and colonists, the natives appeared like Caliban, in that they failed to control their appetites, to create boundaries separating mind from body. In a sense, Caliban represents man on a lower scale of development. According to Gines Sepulveda, â€Å"the natural law [is] to obey those who are outstanding in virtue and character, in the same way that matter yields to form, body to soul, sense to reason,...the worse to the better,... to the advantage of both† (In Defense Of The Indians, pg. 12). Sepulveda here seems to imply that to be civilized requires denial of wholeness- the repression of the instinctual forces of human nature. The body must yield to the soul, and one’s physical desires to one’s reason. This lack of denial of physical lust evident in Caliban’s attempt at raping Miranda, reinforces his savage nature. Sepulveda would probably agree it is to â€Å"the advantage of both† that Caliban is Prospero’s servant. The contrast in Prospero and Caliban s characters is also emphasized in the locations of their residences on the island. Caliban protests to Prospero: Here you sty me inShow MoreRelated The Character of Caliban in The Tempest Essay1541 Words   |  7 PagesThe Character of   Caliban in The Tempest      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Caliban is the only authentic native of what is often called Prosperos Island. However, he is not an indigenous islander, his mother Sycorax was from Argier, and his father Setebos seems to have been a Patagonian deity. Sycorax was exiled from Argier for witch-craft, much like Prospero himself, and Caliban was born on the island. Calibans own understanding of his position is made eloquently plain when we first meet him:    I must eatRead More The Character of Caliban in Shakespeares The Tempest Essay1786 Words   |  8 PagesThe Character of Caliban in The Tempest       This thing of darkness, I must acknowledge mine It is impossible to understand The Tempest without first understanding the character of Caliban. Despite numerous novels and poems praising the virtuous, the pure and the good, everyone has within them a darker side of depravity and evil thoughts. This makes us human. What distinguishes between good and bad people, though, is the way in which this alter ego manifests itself to both the rest of mankindRead MoreEssay on The Character of Caliban in Shakespeares Tempest1831 Words   |  8 Pages Caliban is one of the primary antagonists in William Shakespeares play The Tempest. It is impossible to understand the Tempest without first understanding the character of Caliban. 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In Shakespeare’s The Tempest, the idea applies to Caliban, who serves as a monstrous slave to the magician Prospero. The story follows in part Caliban’s journey towards independence, as he struggles for acceptance from the other characters. Shakespeare’s work blurs the line between monster and man, with a cast of characters seeking power and vengeance against others. Despite being a fellow tamed inhabitant of the island, Caliban never receives fair treatment from his owners. Instead, theRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s The Tempest Essay1019 Words   |  5 PagesSeveral fictional characters throughout literature are characterized as an â€Å"evil† individual. Whether that be because they have done the protagonist wrong or simply just do not comprehend the ways of a normal human, they are automatically viewed by the audience as the universal evil. One critic in particular, Stephen Greenblatt, believes that antagonists such as Caliban from The Tempest represent more than a source of evil. Some theorists argue that Caliban should been seen as a â€Å"colonial other.†Read MoreWilliam Shakespeare s The Tempest947 Words   |  4 PagesIn Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Caliban is the primitive monster who belongs to the bottom of the power hierarchy on the island claimed by Prospero. Caliban, the original inhabitant of the island, unwillingly becomes Prospero’s slave as he uses magic to take control of the island. Prospero sees Caliban as the savage and monster who does not acknowledge the order of civilization despite his efforts to educate him. Caliban appears as an inferior and beast-like figure from nature in the eyes of the civilizedRead MoreRacism In Othello And The Tempest By William Shakespeare1145 Words   |  5 Pagesdoes not openly speak of racism in his plays, but S hakespeare does write with the idea of racism in mind, because his characters do make comments that can be considered racist. In Shakespeare’s plays Othello and The Tempest, the underlying idea of racism is present in these works, and his audiences can come to this conclusion, because of the way the characters, Othello and Caliban, are unjustly treated due to their appearances. In the play Othello, the idea of racism is first revealed in Act OneRead MoreThe Tempest Essay960 Words   |  4 Pagesand 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 and Prospero and what it represents