On the other hand, the only reason that Ariel is portrayed as a good character is the fact that he obeys Prospero, regardless of what Prospero requests. He is not an independent creature in and of himself and although he begs for his freedom, overall his obedience to Prospero is what distinguishes him from Caliban. He also never challenges Prospero's domination of the island.
Overall, The Tempest is a play that validates colonialism in the persona of Caliban. Even though it allows the audience to feel some sympathy towards Caliban, by making Caliban such a terrible figure, including his attempts to rape Miranda, it is difficult for the audience to accept him completely. By making Prospero sympathetic, despite Prospero's actions towards Ariel and the fact he imprisons Caliban, the audience is inclined to accept Prospero's conquest of the island.
Tempest Shakespeare's the Tempest and Chamoiseau's Solibo Magnificent Slavery Slavery is one of the central themes in The Tempest. However, there are many different levels of slavery included other than the typical master and servant relationship that is based on ownership. There are also instances of mental kind of slavery that it carried out by Prospero who can control the minds of others. The two forms of slavery are closely intertwined in a
This is a point that many critics miss. One cannot decide if Prospero is a protagonist or antagonistic based on his actions. Neither can we determine whether Caliban is a victim or a foe. Shakespeare raises a very important social question for people of the Renaissance, one that is still valid today, "Should we forgive the actions of those less fortunate than ourselves, simply due to their handicap?" As
Miranda even says, "My father's of a better nature, sir,/Than he appears by speech" (I.ii.500-501). Shakespeare may have been writing Prospero like this only to juxtapose his warm nature at the end of the play, which gives the play a "and they lived happily ever after" feel. Prospero uses his magic to control the spirit Ariel, which gives him a lot of power. Prospero knows of Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculos'
Tempest In the epilogue of A Midsummer's Night Dream, Puck speaks to the audience directly not as an actor or a character in a play, while in The Tempest, Prospero is still in character but begs the audience to set him free so he can return to Naples. For Puck, King Oberon and all the other actors are mere shadows, exactly as Theseus described the actors in the play-within-a-play, and his
This is, in fact, the basis of colonization as the natives are subdued and forced to abandon their language and traditions in favor of the colonizers'. Critics who supported the thesis of "The Tempest" being a description of the Spaniards' experience in the Americas considered Caliban to be a Native American despite the multitude of details that differentiate him from the Indians as they were described in the travelers' reports
The similar treatment of these very different minor characters highlight's Prospero's obsession with control, as well as his own return to the human world. Consider that although Prospero mourns his exile, he even uses captivity as an enticement for Miranda and Ferdinand's courtship, forcing the young man to carry wood like he does Caliban. The young man responds cheerfully, "There be some sports are painful, and their labor/Delight in