over it. The audience’s perspective has to be that of
The Tempest Shakespeare. Miranda and Proserpo, andnotCaliban’santicgleethat,
hadhenotbeenprevented,hewould’vepopulatedallthe
islewithCalibans.Hehaslegitimatepathos,butcannotbe
Features ofThe Tempest interpreted as somehow admirable.
ThereisanellipticalqualitytoTheTempest,thatsuggests
Describedasa‘fundamentallyplotlessplay’,TheTempest
amoresymbolicdramathanwhatShakespeareoriginally
has one outer event, being the magically inducedstorm
intended to write. Prospero,unlikeHamlet,doesnotend
from the first scene (which also oddly gives the playits
by sayingthathehassomethingmoretotellus,butthat
title), and also bears a masquelike style due to being
hemust“letitbe.”UnlikeHamlet,Prosperoseemsavery
presentedattheCourtofJamesI.‘TheTempest’isdriven
different story of the self; Hamlet dies inthetruth,while
byideology,andisneitheradiscourseoncolonialismnor
Prospero lives on in what may be bewilderment or
a mythical testament; it is rather a wildly experimental
puzzlement.
stage comedy.
Prospero’sstoryisnottragicbutmoresocomedic,andin
The play and its characters have been interpreted
theoldsenseofendinghappily(oratleastsuccessfully),
differently across the centuries, especially Caliban’s
he appears to losespiritualauthorityevenasheregains
character,whoundergoesmultipleformsincludingbutnot
politicalpower.Theauthorityofacounter-faustwhocould
limitedto:theoriginalhalf-amphibian,snailonallfours,a
purchase knowledge at no spiritual cost abandons
gorilla, and a Neanderthal. Peter Brook’s version in the
Prospero.Leavingtheenchantedisleisnotinitselfaloss
1960’s depicts Caliban as a Javaman, a ferocious
forProspero,butbreakinghisstaff,buryinghiswand,and
primitivewhorapesMirandabeforetakingovertheisland
drowning his books certainly constitute diminishmentsto
in celebration. Another form of interpreting TheTempest
the self. Emblems of purified magic are also marks of
took life through casting Black actors in the role of
exile;goinghometoruleMilanpurchasesrestorationsata
Caliban.Thiswasanespeciallypopularmoveintheearly
highprice,Prosperobiddingfarewelltohisarttellsusthat
20th century, when actos such as Canada Lee, Earle
he even raised the dead, a role that Christiniaity (a
Hyman, andJamesEarlJonestookthepart.Considered
widespreadreligionespeciallyduringShakespeare’stime)
to be an ‘infuriating success’, George C Wolfe’s version
reservedforGodandJesus.TobetheDukeofMilanisto
depicts Caliban andArielbothasBlackslaves,viedwith
be another potentate, that the abandoned art was so
one another in hating Prospero (Miranda’s father).
potent that politics is absurd in contrast.
Theplay,althoughreceivedcriticism,wasalsocreditedfor
itsperceptionregardingtheroleofCaliban.Shakespeare InTheTempest,Shakespeareischallengingthepointless
wasacknowledgedneutrallyforhiscreationofacharacter transitions of power in courtly life, trading one ruler for
which “was not in nature”, despite the likeness that his another with little change or benefit. Shakespeare also
background does involve humans (considering that his highlights that violence and exploitation exists at every
[Caliban] mother was an Algerian witch, Sycorax).The level of society.
poet Auden blamedProsperoforcorruptingCaliban,and
offers his insight and judgement in his prose address Character Analysis inThe Tempest
“Calibantotheaudience”from“TheSeaandTheMirror''.
Caliban’s dilemma, “the love nothing, the fear all”, is Common themes presented through characters and
captured in an extract by Auden, revealing the psychic plot:
suffering brought upon Propsero, and isgrantedinfuller - Loss, restoration
expression than what Shakespeare allowed. - - Magic and illusion
- Power and control
Cast out by Prospero, Caliban bides histimebutwillbe
- Post-colonialism
toofearfulandinepttobite.Calibanpresentsanessential
- (Illusion of) Justice
childishness; a weekandplangentthatsensibilitycannot
- Desire
surmountitsfallfromtheparadisaladoptionbyPropsero.
- Women’s rights
His [Caliban] attempted rape of Miranda is readily
- Differentiating Monster and Man
explained, although there is an understandable division
