The Tempest Friendship Quotes

Ariel the mulatto slave is forced to do his masters Prospero’s bidding by creating a huge storm. Ariel does as he is told but he becomes frustrated with Prospero and reminds him that he has promised to set him free multiple times and is awaiting his freedom. When Caliban, Prospero’s black slave enters the scene, he says the word for freedom in his native language, and Prospero scolds him for this. The tension between Prospero and Caliban is evident as they get into an altercation. Prospero tells Caliban that he should be grateful that he taught him his language, and equates Caliban to a beastly savage that knew nothing before he came along and saved him. Caliban combats Prospero’s claims that he knew nothing before Prospero he, in fact, states that the only thing that he learned from Prospero’s was how to take orders in his language. The relationship between Ariel,

Caliban, and Prospero are very important because it shows dynamics of the colonized and the colonizer. The relationship between Ariel and Prospero is important because it shows the obedience that Ariel displays with hopes of possibly gaining his freedom.
Ariel is the more passive and patient person willing to wait for his freedom. His actions in the eyes of Caliban seem to be weak because Caliban is more outspoken and he demands his freedom. Ariel’s complacency is due to his belief that Prospero will keep his word and set him free after he has completed all his task despite his frustration. Caliban is the slave who is willing to raise hell to retain what he knows is a birthright, and to maintain any amount of identity that he can. Caliban makes it clear that he does not care what Prospero says about him because he knows who he is, and no one can tell him different. Caliban in the context of the book becomes a revolutionary symbol for freedom. Caliban declares to Prospero that his name is no longer Caliban, and he shall be referred to as X. He explains that this is a man without a name or identity because it has been stolen from him. Prospero symbolizes the epitome of what a colonizer is he degrades Caliban and forces Ariel to do his dirty work. While talking to Caliban he continually asks him what he would do without him. He tells him that he would be nothing without him and that he should be happy that he came along to save him. Caliban in return tells him that he would have been just fine without him and that the only thing Prospero did was teach him his language.
Within the book, another metaphor that is recognized is the presence of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King.

Caliban is the epitome of what Malcolm X stood, he stands up against the oppressor to regain his freedom. Caliban manipulates Trinculo into waging a war with Prospero for the benefit of him possibly gaining his freedom. Prospero finds out that Caliban has organized a guerrilla force and commands Ariel to kill him with all poisonous creatures, and that his punishment will be an example for those who challenge his power. Ariel is portrayed as the “passive” metaphor for Martin Luther King because he takes the peaceful alternative to gain his freedom from Prospero. While marching to battle Prospero; Trinculo and Stephano along with Caliban are being attacked by different creatures that Prospero had Ariel conjure up. When Caliban is explaining what that these creatures of are from Prospero arsenal this seems to be a metaphor for riot police and Caliban and his people are the metaphor for protesters in a way. In this passage, Prospero states that the creatures are part of the Anti- Riot

arsenal.
Caliban, Trinculo, and Stephano are all captured by Prospero and taken prisoner. Prospero asks Caliban if he would like to defend his action against him and Caliban still defiant says no. Caliban begins to tell Prospero of the lies that he has told him about himself. “And you lied to me so much about the world, about myself, that you ended up imposing on me an image of myself: Underdeveloped, in your words, undercompetent.” This passage is reminiscent of the imposed image of third world countries by western and first world lenses. The image of how people in the third world see themselves are not taken into consideration, and their image is distorted by the outside world and their misconceptions. This is what Caliban is telling Prospero he did to him. He changed Caliban’s perception of himself and told him who he was instead of letting him define who is. This is a parallel between the first world and the third world.