Does Caliban Deserve Forgiveness

498 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Analysis reading fo the tempest

The character Caliban, does he really deserve forgiveness? Shown in the theatre play The Tempest, the fish-human mutant Caliban does deserve a reparation. The reasons behind why, is because Prospero didn’t raise him right, or with respect. The second reason is that within Caliban’s soul; he’s still human on the inside. Caliban not only deserves a reparation by Prospero but a second chance in life to show that he is someone different, just treated horribly. The first example is the way Prospero treats Caliban in the play. Represented in the play, Prospero doesn’t treat Caliban with the respect he deserves. Prospero abuses or threatens to do something to him if he acts out. He also treats Caliban differently than he does with Ariel, with respect and politeness. This fuels Caliban hatred for Prospero, showing that he wasn’t raised right by Prospero. The way that Miranda treated him would be better, as she taught him how to speak and understand the human language, in a nice polite manner. Prospero on the other hand, has demonstrated his forceful bargainings on Caliban, with much disrespect and disregard for how Caliban feels. Caliban didn’t mean to become this way, if he was treated better, in the beginning, hatred wouldn't be such a prominent emotion. …show more content…

Though he looks like a fish mutant, he still has human emotions and personality within him. Shown throughout the play, he has demonstrated that he’s still human; like at the end of the play, he cowered in fear from Prospero. His mutant counterpart doesn’t impact any of his decision; anyone would want revenge if they had a nasty ruler that did not care for their well-being. Connecting this to the last reason, if he was treated better he would have been taught how to act more like a human, yet he was treated like a wild animal. Caliban is still human, his fish half doesn’t mean anything besides

Show More
Related

  • Categorizing of People in Shakespeare’s Tempest and Dante’s Inferno

    1201 Words  | 3 Pages

    Prospero tries to justify enslaving Caliban, but all he really does is place Caliban into a category of bestial and uncivilized and as a result enslaves him. Even Miranda, Prospero’s daughter, speaks in a way that categorizes Caliban as an uneducated and uncivilized savage. “I pitied thee, Took pains to make thee speak, taught thee each hour [.] When thou didst not, savage, know thine own meaning [. ]” (1.2.356-359) Miranda doesn’t stop there; she continues labeling Caliban, “But thy vile race, though thou didst learn, had that in’t which good natures could not abide to be with; therefore wast though deservedly confined into this rock [. ]”

    Read More

  • The Tempest Quotes

    552 Words  | 2 Pages

    Characters in The Tempest see Caliban as rude, while in the poem he sees himself as damaged by his past. People around Caliban see him as rude because he is never nice to them, but in the poem, he says his past is the reason he’s rude. On page

    Read More

  • Prospero and Caliban in The Tempest by William Shakespeare

    412 Words  | 1 Pages

    Another way that the treatment of Caliban by Prospero is similar to the treatment of Native Americans by the Europeans is the adaptation of the language. When the Europeans came to the New World they forced the Native Americans to learn their languages and live according to the European culture. People who had spoken one language all their lives, now had to learn another. They had to live by customs they have never heard of even before. In the Tempest, Prospero does this also. When Prospero came to the island he forced Caliban to learn the language that he spoke. Caliban had to adapt to a style of living that he had never experienced before. Caliban had to change completely to adapt to the life forced upon him.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Superego In The Tempest

    1102 Words  | 3 Pages

    Caliban is the id, the one who seeks instant gratification and has no concern for morality. Everyone has a love-hate relationship with the id because it is the part of the psyche that seeks biological necessities, however, it is also the part which can create socially unacceptable impulses. Prospero and Caliban initially had a loving relationship with each other; the relationship with the id is fostered because of biological needs. Prospero is forming a strong connection with the id but it takes over when Caliban “didst seek to violate / the honour of [Prospero's] child” (1.2. 347-348). Caliban acts based on the biological necessity of reproduction and this parallels the socially unacceptable circumstances that occur when one lets the id take control in one’s life. The ego must counteract this impulsive behaviour; Prospero decides to cage Caliban to prevent him from acting impulsively again. However, completely abolishing the id is never an option. The id is the embodiment of biological necessity thus it is impossible to live without it. This idea is paralleled in The Tempest because Prospero cannot simply rid himself of Caliban, the one who provides the food and wood which sustains life. This is a visual representation of the necessity of the id in the human psyche. This love-hate relationship between Prospero and Caliban exemplifies the dangers

    Read More

  • The Tempest - Barbarism versus Civilization

    855 Words  | 2 Pages

    During this time Caliban loved Prospero and showed him the features of the island, "The fresh springs, brine-pits, barren place and fertile…" Caliban regrets helping Prospero as he says towards the end of his speech, "Cursed be I that did so!" Caliban feels this way due to his imprisonment.

    Read More

  • Shakespeare's Caliban and the Colonial Approach to Slaves

    1908 Words  | 4 Pages

    Caliban is treated in a highly demeaning manner since Prospero is a man of magic and has infinite power to control Caliban in every aspect. It is seen early on in the play the amount of control that has been placed over Caliban, to the extent that memories make him cringe and satisfy all of Prospero’s needs. Prospero is obviously the Duke of that island similar to how he was Duke of Milan before being usurped and banished to the island, which is Caliban’s home. In general, the relationship of Prospero and Caliban is a model of early colonization into the New World considering Caliban is it’s only inhabitant. In reality, colonization is the chief reason slavery was implemented which was to maintain laborers in order to prosper in the New World.

    Read More

  • Utopian Society in Shakespeare's The Tempest

    1944 Words  | 4 Pages

    Prospero is saying that Caliban is a “savage” who can not be educated, yet we hear that Miranda has taught him to speak, amongst other things. This gives a conflicting view over the character of Caliban. Is he an “uncivilised savage” or is he a “normal” human being?

    Read More

  • Essay On Marxism In The Tempest

    1398 Words  | 3 Pages

    Early on in the play, the text strongly indicates that the relationship between Prospero and Caliban is far from loving o...

    Read More

  • Relationship between Prospero, Caliban and Ariel in The Tempest

    1503 Words  | 4 Pages

    Prospero appears to be a ruthless tyrant that strikes fear into Caliban to make him work but further on in the text we learn that this is not the case. Caliban's foul-mouthed insults,

    Read More

  • Nature vs. Nurture in William Shakespeare’s The Tempest

    1244 Words  | 3 Pages

    Caliban is described as “naturally evil”. Despite any efforts, his nature cannot be changed. His natural evil in The Tempest will always triumph any attempts to change him. His relationship to an evil witch made him naturally evil and will forever be who he truly is.

    Read More

  • Major Themes in "The Tempest"

    854 Words  | 2 Pages

    Caliban is evil is the fact that he tried to rape Miranda, Prospero’s daughter as states by Barbara Fuchs in her article Conquering Islands: Contextualizing the Tempest where it says, “Caliban’s attack on Prospero’s daughter once more genders the colonizing impulses” (61). This suggests rape and it is not inhuman and it shows that Miranda is not the first woman who this has happen to. It not right, it’s evil. Caliban’s character in this book is horrible in the things that he does, he starting off has an evil monster that was born from an evil parents and he goes around causing trouble wherever he goes. As a servant, he does evil deed and by himself he is evil.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between The Tempest And The Colonization Of The 16th Century

    818 Words  | 2 Pages

    To begin with, Prospero and Miranda view Caliban as a monster, however, readers were shown Caliban’s own logical perspective on how Prospero and Miranda infiltrated his territory. Miranda, believing that Caliban is a monster because he attempted to rape her, said, “Being capable of all ill, I pitied thee, took pains to make thee speak, taught thee each hour...though thou didst learn, had that in’t which good natures could not be abide to be with. Therefore wast thou deservedly confined into this rock, who hadst deserved more than a prison.” (39, Shakespeare). Miranda believes that since she taught the monster how to speak, he should to pay her back, however, his actions of trying to rape Miranda shows that he is nothing but an ill-minded monster, and should be locked up to prevent harm.

    Read More

  • Compare and Contrast of Caliban and Ariel in Shakespeare’s The Tempest

    1012 Words  | 3 Pages

    Caliban whom we are told is “not honour’d with a human shape,” (1.2.419) is the son of Sycorax who inhabited the island Prospero was banished to. After the death of his mother, Sycorax, Caliban falls under the rule of Prospero and becomes one his servants. Caliban is very different from Ariel in the fact that while Ariel is pleased to serve under Prospero’s rule, Caliban is not. In fact, we find out that Caliban is far from happy to be Prospero’s servant and even plots with two other men to end Prospero’s life. As we discussed in class Caliban is also more of an angry individual than what Ariel seems to be and this comes from the fact that Caliban believes he is the rightful king of the island and that Prospero had robbed him of what was his, which we find out when he says that he is “subject to a tyrant, a sorcerer, that by his cunning hath cheated me of the island” (3.2.40-41). Ariel, who we are told in act one, scene two was the old servant of Caliban’s mother Syco...

    Read More

  • Ariel And Caliban In Shakespeare's The Tempest

    969 Words  | 2 Pages

    A master servant theme can be seen throughout the whole play. Prospero has a this relationship with both Ariel and Caliban clearly, but it is the way he goes about the relationship. He prefers Ariel because he is more compliant than Caliban and has more uses. Prospero’s relationship with Caliban is more toxic. These show what kind of person Prospero really is. He is a manipulative person that is willing to whatever he needs to get what he wants. This is compared to how the colonists interacted with the Native Americans. They would trade and help each, and were able to tolerate them. Eventually the colonist learned what they needed and then turned their backs on

    Read More

  • Theme Of Power In The Tempest

    753 Words  | 2 Pages

    Prospero’s trust is broken with Caliban because he tried to rape Miranda. There is no evidence of rape, however Miranda was the only female on the island practically supports the idea. Caliban being a natural creature he would not know the different in societies rule against sexual engagement. Prospero learns from his second betrayal, apparently tyrannical state is revealed in verbal abuse ...

    Read More

More about Does Caliban Deserve Forgiveness

Open Document