Caliban and Ariel -The Tempest

A detailed Summary of Caliban and Ariel -The Tempest

Shakespeare often used certain themes or characters throughout many of his plays. One such theme that is present in many of his plays in the idea of magic and the supernatural (although many of his tragedies have such elements, only two of his comedies have this trait). Those two comedies are "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "The Tempest".

Both plays have a magic element that is the driving force in the play and the reason why things work out (for the better). In "A Midsummer Night's Dream", the fairies (Puck and Oberon) play with the feelings and emotions of the characters. The characters than go through a time of chaos and disorientation while in the forest. Without this "divine intervention", the characters would not have fell in love and all would not have been happy in the end. Also, Nick Bottom would never have came to his astounding conclusion about human behavior ["Oh, what fools these mortals be" happens to be one of the most notable and widely cited quotes from the play]. In "The Tempest", Prospero uses his magic powers in order to make his thoughts a reality (just like Puck). Just like in "A Midsummer Night's Dream", the intervention of the powers cause events to happen that would not have otherwise occurre

d. Without Prospero's "interference", the ship would not have been destroyed and none of the characters would have come to the island and none of them would have had the revelations that they did.

In the world of The Tempest , Ariel, the ethereal spirit, and Caliban, the earthy monster, can be described as character foils. While Caliban is an "uncivilized and melancholy beast" who has the sexuality and earthiness of man, Ariel represents the goodness of man (by the way of his positive thinking and his ways of feeling emotions). He has "the heart and head of a man," as you said!!! As unlike as they are, they have some traits in common. They both have an aversion to working (labor) and a longing for freedom. Also, they both have a crude sense of humor, a fondness for tricks and pranks, and a capricious and unsophisticated love of nature. Furthermore, both have deep-rooted conflicts inside them, one has a fear of a higher power and the other a craving for affection and approbation. Ariel symbolizes "pure body"--Prospero's word in action, the precise fulfillment of his desires, and operates as an extension of Prospero's body. The spirit Ariel can, in a way, be seen as being ubiquitous

Caliban was enslaved because he committed an unacceptable act that deserved punishment (in Prospero's eyes). However, he had not been raised in society and, therefore, did not know any better. Even though Prospero taught him etiquette, it is his basic nature to do as he feels since he truly doesn't understand right and wrong. The reader tends to feel sympathetic towards Caliban because he is punished and oppressed for conduct he could not control. However, Caliban has what no man of society (beside Ariel---who isn't truly a man) has---purity and innocence. Shakespeare even gives Caliban some of

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1222
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English