Language in Shakespeare's The Tempest

1303 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Language of shakespeare in tempest

This essay will attempt to find out the type of language that Shakespeare has used to portray the hatred and utter spite Prospero evidently has over Caliban. The great number of offensive dialogue during the argumentative conversation between Caliban and Prospero will be commented on. During the conversation, many ill-disguised remarks of contempt are made by all three characters. This will be analysed further and the reasons and consequences of the exchange will be described. There are a great number of reasons for why Prospero and Caliban are not by any means on respectful terms, and the factors that have lead to this occurrence will be expressed in order to explain the spiteful nature of Prospero in particular.

In the play ‘The Tempest’, Prospero and Caliban are portrayed as two completely opposite characters with contradictory and clashing views. Prospero, who was the rightful heir to become duke of Milan before being cast away and the ‘deformed slave’ Caliban are symbolic of opposite extremes, particularly in their roles in society and hierarchy. Prospero is a natural leader and is intellectually disciplined, while Caliban not only does not behave in this kind of manner, he seems to completely stand against it and ignore any order and is ‘capable of all ill’ according to Prospero. Caliban’s careless, unethical nature, and being born as part of a ‘vile race’ is an immediately apparent reason for Prospero’s hatred of him. Shakespeare quickly portrays the two characters as of clashing personalities during the passage, depicting Prospero as a person who emphasizes social lustre and class and uses his great intellect to only give others what he thinks they deserve. While Caliban is illustrated as an animalistic character, wi...

... middle of paper ...

...can show his true contempt.

In conclusion, the language Shakespeare uses to depict the hatred Prospero has for Caliban emphasises the separate backgrounds and values they share and the lack of understanding they have for one another. The fact that Prospero is heir to being duke of Milan and Caliban is the product of an unholy passion between the witch Sycorax and the devil, suggest opposing themes of backgrounds and therefore they share contradictory views of each others heritage and conduct. Therefore they stand against what the other values, causing a clash. The reader may feel that Prospero’s contempt of Caliban is within reason, due to his attempted violation of Miranda, and the fact that Prospero has been hurt and betrayed by many in the past, and therefore has a great amount of vengeance he can share out due to the attachment he has with his fiery emotions.

Show More
Related

  • Prospero, S Use Of Epiphany In Shakespeare's The Tempest

    1062 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the comedic, yet thrilling play, The Tempest, William Shakespeare uses characters such as Caliban, Alonso, and Ariel to show Prospero’s immense cruelness and pure monstrosity. Moreover, these Shakespearean characters are also used to highlight Prospero’s change in character into a kinder and more forgiving person. Prospero starts the play out as a vengeful monster, after an illuminating moment however, his persona transforms into his true identity of a compassionate man.

    Read More

  • Shakespeare's Influence on the Audience's Response to Caliban in The Tempest

    1266 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shakespeare's Influence on the Audience's Response to Caliban in The Tempest My essay hopes to draw into focus one of the most complex characters in Shakespeare's play The Tempest, - Caliban. Shakespeare influences the audience's response to Caliban using in turn, humour and pathos to make the audience relate to the various strands of his character. Caliban can be interpreted in many ways, and only when examining his character as a whole, can we truly understand how Shakespeare wanted us to interpret him. I will now further examine how he accomplishes this. Our first introduction to Caliban is not in person but instead, he is described by Prospero as "a freckled whelp,

    Read More

  • Essay on Social Hierarchy in The Tempest

    1070 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Tempest reflects Shakespeare's society through the relationship between characters, especially between Prospero and Caliban. Caliban, who was the previous king of the island, is taught how to be "civilized" by Prospero and his daughter Miranda. Then he is forced to be their servant. Caliban explains "Thou strok'st me and make much of me; wo...

    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

  • Anti-Colonialism in Shakespeare´s The Tempest Play

    912 Words  | 2 Pages

    In summary, Shakespeare’s The Tempest play explores the theme of opposition to the colonial-style authority of Prospero based on various characters’ covert and overt reactions to the master’s antics. For instance, Ariel opposes Prospero’s continuous detention of the former regardless of an earlier agreement to the contrary. Moreover, Caliban expresses his dissatisfaction with the forced labor that her does for Prospero. To prove his opposition to Prospero’s authority, Caliban plans the master’s death. Miranda also makes a statement that indicates her displeasure with the way Prospero executes his authority especially with regard to Ferdinand. The imprisoned Ferdinand also indicates his opposition to Prospero’s power through a disproving statement made before Miranda.

    Read More

  • The Tempest - Barbarism versus Civilization

    855 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this whimsical play, Prospero, the former Duke of Milan, after being supplanted of his dukedom by his brother, arrives on an island. He frees a spirit named Ariel from a spell and in turn makes the spirit his slave. He also enslaves a native monster named Caliban. These two slaves, Caliban and Ariel, symbolize the theme of nature versus nurture. Caliban is regarded as the representation of the wild; the side that is usually looked down upon. Although from his repulsive behavior, Caliban can be viewed as a detestable beast of nature, it can be reasonably inferred that Shakespeare’s intent was to make Caliban a sympathetic character.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Treatment Of Caliban In Shakespeare's The Tempest

    1939 Words  | 4 Pages

    This means that from a modern perspective, Prospero’s treatment of Caliban makes him a monster, due to the cruelty of his actions. The human want of justice, however, can justify the poor treatment of Caliban by Prospero, given that his status as slave is a punishment for the attempted rape of Prospero’s daughter. In this way, Prospero is not a monster, only a man seeking justice for a perceived wrong. Stephano and Trinculo are ignorant to the evils that make Caliban a monster independent of his appearance, making their actions towards Caliban inexcusable. Upon seeing Caliban, Trinculo states, “Were I in England now… and had but [Caliban] painted, not a holiday-fool there but would give a piece of silver.” (Act 2, Scene 2). Trinculo jests about the worth of Caliban, as if he were no more than a strange creature to take and sell. Stephano is no different in his first appraisal of Caliban, “If I can recover him, and keep him tame, and get to Naples with him, he’s a present for any emperor…” (Act 2, Scene 2). Stephano, like Trinculo, plans to take Caliban away from his native Isle and sell him for a profit. This assessment of his worth comes from little more than a first glance at his person, selling a person for material gain is an act of evil, and considering it as seriously as both Trinculo and Stephano did, makes them not so much men as monsters. This assessment, however, is a product of modern perspective, and it puts into question the intentions of Shakespeare as to the portrayal of these three characters. In an earlier Shakespearean text, Macbeth, the character that exemplifies man, Macduff, says to Macbeth, “We’ll have thee, as our rarer monsters are, painted on a pole, and underwrit, ‘Here may you see the tyrant.’” (Act 5, Scene 8) This shows that the displaying of monsters as exhibits is not rare, and nor is it frowned upon by the general public. This would mean that perspectives of

    Read More

  • tempnature Caliban as Representative of Natural Man in Shakespeare's The Tempest

    1961 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the first scene, it seems as if Shakespeare intended to present Caliban as a beast and a savage.  However, two items come across to reveal the fact that Caliban is more than just a monster, he is a human being with real emotions (Wagner 13).  First, the audience sees a sense of sensitivity when Caliban reflects on his previous relationship with Prospero, when Prospero spared him and attempted to educate him.  Prospero exchanged his teachings for lessons from Caliban about the island itself; because Caliban is so close to nature, he is the best person to teach Prospero about it:

    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

    portray his degraded, brutish nature. In Act 1 Scene 2 Caliban complains of how Prospero used h...

    Read More

  • Essay on the Importance of Language in The Tempest

    1312 Words  | 3 Pages

    In discussing Derrida's view of Western literature, Geoffrey Hartman writes that "Western tradition has been marked . . . by a metaphysics of light, by the violence of light itself, from Apollonian cults to Cartesian philosophies. In the light of this emphatic light everything else appears obscure; especially the Hebraic development of aniconic writing and self-effacing commentary of textuality" (xix). This point is well illustrated by the nature of Prospero's power in The Tempest for his control of natural and supernatural forces is achieved through book-learning the bringing to life of Logos. That which Prospero does not control completely is the vilified character of Caliban. The denigrated and unwilling servant seems to represent Prospero's shadow, and in light of the above statement, perhaps Caliban represents the shadow of our light-infused Greco-Roman style of domination of the material world. The text tells us that when Prospero first arrives on the island Caliban willingly reveals its secrets to him. Only when Caliban threatens the chastity of Prospero's daughter, Miranda, does the relationship turn into one of master and slave. Prospero thus draws the line between the shadow realm and purity. His action suggests that sexuality, too, must be kept in a role of servitude if one is to retain control of one's kingdom. In affirming this schism, Prospero simply enforces the dualistic nature of the Western tradition. In heaping scorn upon Caliban, Prospero embodies the West's extreme dualistic nature vis-a-vis its perceived schisms existent between light and dark, mortal and immortal, good and evil.

    Read More

  • Human Relationships Between The Central Characters in William Shakespeare's The Tempest

    1450 Words  | 3 Pages

    In this essay I intend to explore the ways that William Shakespeare has presented the relationships between the main characters within his play “The Tempest”. I shall investigate Ferdinand and Miranda’s relationship, the father/daughter bond between Miranda and Prospero and Caliban’s lust after Miranda.

    Read More

  • How Does Shakespeare Present Caliban In The Tempest

    449 Words  | 1 Pages

    In Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Prospero, the former duke of Milan, is cast out from his dukedom onto an island, where he meets Caliban, the sole inhabitant of that island. He then eventually enslaves Caliban, and a spirit on the island, Ariel. Caliban is shown throughout the play to be less civilized than his peers on this island, by the way his personality he revealed through his actions. This is shown in the interactions he has with Prospero and his daughter, Miranda, and in the differences he exhibits with Ariel, Prospero’s other slave.

    Read More

  • Essay on Resolution of Conflict in The Tempest

    989 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Tempest, like any text, is a product of its context. It is constructed in relation to moral or ethical concerns of 17th century European Jacobean society. The resolution of conflict appears 'natural' or an inevitable consequence if regarded in relation to the concerns of its context. The resolution of conflict in this play incorporates Prospero being returned to his 'rightful' or natural position as Duke of Milan, his daughter Miranda getting married to Ferdinand, and the party returning to Milan leaving the island to the 'monster', Caliban. The resolution is a consequence of the concerns of the time, including the idea of the divine right of kings, courtly love, and colonisation.

    Read More

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

    1012 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Shakespeare’s play The Tempest, there are two characters who appear to be polar opposites. The characters of Caliban and Ariel both play very important roles in the play. The term caliban is defined as “a brutish or brutalized man,” and the term ariel is defined as “a spirit of the air” (Dictionary). The definitions of these two characters names even show the huge difference in the two characters before readers or viewers even get to know the characters. There are also differences in how the two characters feel about the self-proclaimed king of the island, Prospero. However, regardless of their many differences the one thing that they do have in common is the fact that they are both oppressed by Prospero who has deemed himself king of the island and seek freedom.

    Read More

More about Language in Shakespeare's The Tempest

Open Document