The “fantastic” elements of William Shakespeare's The Tempest are made evident by the introduction of Ariel, the spirit, Caliban, the son of a witch, and Prospero, an exiled duke who has he mastered occult powers. Despite what appears to be an expression of gratitude and debt repayment for their respective rescue from prison, both Ariel and Caliban submissively serve Prospero because they are slaves to his powers and are essentially mere tools in his intricate plan to regain the usurped power . Shakespeare uses the characterizations of Aerial and Caliban and their interactions with Prospero on an isolated island in the first act to illustrate themes of power, pecking order, law, and justice. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayAriel is a spirit who seems to be indebted to Prospero and assists Prospero with his powers as a servant, but at the same time, those of Ariel The relationship with Prospero is not simply that of master and slave. Without a doubt, Ariel is obedient to her “noble master” (1.2.357). Ariel's exaggerated language when she “answer[s]” (1.2.225) to Prospero with “[her] best pleasure” (1.2.225) and “[her] strong bidding duty” (1.2.227) is to the point of servileness as he desperately tries to appease Prospero. Prospero also does not pass up the opportunity to reassert his dominance over Ariel, as when Prospero launches a barrage of sarcasm and rhetorical questions when Ariel timidly proposes his impending freedom. Prospero denounces it as an "evil thing" and that "if [Ariel] murmurs again, he will tear down an oak / And nail [Ariel] in his gnarled bowels until / [Ariel] has howled twelve winters" ( 1.2.349-1.2.351 ). Prospero's hypocrisy is evident, as he appears to bully Ariel into submission in a manner similar to what Sycorax once did. Yet Prospero does not treat him like a humble slave. To him, Ariel is more of a respected but subordinate servant. Although only a servant, Ariel possesses and controls the powers of the elements, which include the flame that “bursts / With sulphurous roar” and “terrible thunders” which he uses to ground the ship at Prospero's command. Prospero describes Ariel as a “spirit” (1.2.229) and a “sea nymph” (1.2.359), further implying that Ariel is a pure figure representing nature and its very elements. Shakespeare insinuates that the relationship between Ariel and Prospero is one of mutual dependence, to some extent, as Prospero requires Ariel's elemental powers, while Ariel serves to free herself from Prospero's “earthly” yet constricting magic. Caliban, unlike the “picturesque” (1.2 .380) Ariel, is at the bottom of the island's social order, condemned to menial labor and to be a humble slave of Prospero, but in many ways he also seems to be a manifestation exaggerated by Prospero himself. From a literal point of view, Caliban is the son of a social outcast, a witch and a seemingly uncultured brute. This characterization is demonstrated both in her speech and in Prospero's remarks towards her. Prospero refers to Caliban as the “freckled little one, born of a hag and not honored with / A human form” (1.2.336-1.2.337) that Sycorax has “rubbish[ed]” (1.2.335) on the island . The play on words in Prospero's description points to Caliban as a social outcast, a piece of rubbish and rubbish, even on an island with four beings, and also suggests that Caliban is the offspring of a disgusting animal. Furthermore, Caliban's speech is full of insults that Miranda describes as “chatter” (1.2.428) of a “most brutal thing” (1.2.429). However, Caliban's characterization means more than one.
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