Compare and contrast the characters Ariel and Caliban. 

Answer

Compare and contrast the characters Ariel and Caliban. or,

What is a major difference in the way that Caliban and Ariel are treated?

“The Tempest” (1623) by William Shakespeare (1564-1616) is a play that explores various themes, including power, authority, and the relationship between the colonizer and the colonized. Ariel and Caliban are two contrasting characters in the play. Each of them represents different aspects of the colonial experience. Arial is a spirit of air, specifically an “airy spirit,” while Caliban is the offspring of the witch Sycorax and the devil.

Origins and Nature: Ariel is a spirit of the air, specifically an “airy spirit” enslaved by the sorcerer Prospero. He has a pathetic personality. Ariel’s nature is aerial and magical. On the other hand, Caliban is the offspring of the witch Sycorax and the devil. He is a creature of darkness and earth. He is often described as a “monster” or “savage.”

Motivations and Desires: Ariel is a spirit of air and a slave of Prospero. He wants to get rid of slavery, but he cannot because twelve years ago, Prospero freed him from the magical force of Sycorax. She turned Ariel into a tree with her magical force. He is Longing for freedom. He is primarily motivated by the promise of freedom from Prospero’s service. His actions are guided by a sense of duty and a hope for eventual liberation. Caliban is harsh and rude in behavior. He has a strong desire to regain control of the island. 

Servitude and Freedom: Ariel is a Faithful slave and Affectionate to Prospero. He is depicted as intelligent, obedient, and eager to please Prospero. He is a spirit who serves Prospero, the protagonist and former Duke of Milan. Despite being bound to serve Prospero, Ariel maintains a sense of loyalty and devotion. Ariel’s captivity is not entirely oppressive, as Prospero promises to grant him freedom once his tasks are complete. Then Ariel serves Prospero willingly in gratitude and to achieve eventual freedom: 

“All hail, great master! grave sir, hail! I come 

To answer thy best pleasure; be’t to fly, 

To swim, to dive into the fire….”

On the other hand, Caliban is portrayed as a more rebellious and resentful character. He is initially kind to Prospero but later tries to rebel against him. A time comes when Caliban becomes hopeless in his captived life under Prospero. So, he expresses his bitterness about his servitude: 

“You taught me language, and my profit on’t 

Is, I know how to curse…………”

Caliban’s servitude represents the darker side of colonialism, where the colonized feel oppressed and resentful.

Education and Intelligence: Ariel is depicted as a brilliant, supernatural spirit with magical abilities. Prospero acknowledges Ariel’s intelligence and uses it to achieve his goals. Ariel’s abilities allow him to manipulate the elements and influence events on the island. Prospero praises Ariel’s quick response and resourcefulness: 

“Hast thou, spirit, 

Perform’d to point the tempest that I bade thee?”

Caliban is portrayed as more primitive and less educated. Prospero accuses Caliban of ingratitude and lack of appreciation for the knowledge and language he provided.

Attitude Towards Prospero: Ariel’s attitude toward Prospero is loyalty and obedience. He willingly follows Prospero’s commands and seeks his approval. Ariel’s desire for freedom is coupled with a genuine sense of duty. Caliban, however, resents Prospero and sees him as a tyrant. He curses Prospero for enslaving him. He claims ownership of the island before Prospero’s arrival. Though he is initially submissive to Prospero’s authority, he later rebels against him. Finally, he desires freedom from Prospero’s control and seeks freedom and autonomy. Caliban says

“This island’s mine, by Sycorax my mother, 

Which thou tak’st from me.” 

Caliban’s attitude highlights the tension between the colonizer and the colonized.

Relationship with Nature: Ariel is closely connected to nature and its elements. He can control the weather and manipulate the natural world. Caliban, in contrast, is portrayed as a more brutish and earthbound creature. He has a primal and instinctual connection to nature. 

In termination, Ariel and Caliban in “The Tempest” represent contrasting perspectives on servitude, intelligence, attitudes toward authority, relationships with nature, motivations, and symbolic representations. Their interactions with Prospero and their roles in the play portrayed themes of power, control, and the complexities of human nature. They also represent the complexities of the relationship between the colonizer-colonized.