Caliban Abuses
The Tempest and the World around It
Some people might think of Shakespeare’s story The Tempest as just that, a story about a man who has his position as Duke of Milan usurped by his less than pleasant brother. However, after a careful analysis of The Tempest, it is not difficult to see how noticeable the mistreatment of Caliban is throughout the story. This analytical essay will use the lens of new historicism to attempt to show that Caliban’s character is depicted as monstrous, and the abuse imposed on him is prevalent in The Tempest because Shakespeare was influenced by the culture that surrounded him when he set about writing the story.
It is important to ask: Why? Why did Shakespeare give this character such a sad and purposeless life? Prospero was redeemed when Miranda married the King of Naples’s son, Ferdinand found his father, and Ariel was set free, but what about Caliban, what about his freedom? Caliban’s story is an unfinished one, we do not know …show more content…
Trinculo says “Were I in England now, as once I was, and had but this fish painted, not a holiday fool there but would give me a piece of silver” (Shakespeare 45, 46). Here Trinculo is demonstrating how he would profit from Caliban in England by showing him off like some carnival attraction to earn money. Additionally, Stephanos says “If I can recover him and keep him tame and get to Naples with him, he’s a present for any emperor”, and “If I can recover him and keep him tame, I will not take too much for him. He shall pay for that hath him, and that soundly” (Shakespeare 47). Stephanos, like Trinculo, ponders the idea of making a profit by taming Caliban so he too could prosper by selling him to the emperor. Prospero may have felt like Caliban deserved to endure the abuse because of what he tried with Miranda, yet, Trinculo and Stephano did not have a cause aside from their
Some people might think of Shakespeare’s story The Tempest as just that, a story about a man who has his position as Duke of Milan usurped by his less than pleasant brother. However, after a careful analysis of The Tempest, it is not difficult to see how noticeable the mistreatment of Caliban is throughout the story. This analytical essay will use the lens of new historicism to attempt to show that Caliban’s character is depicted as monstrous, and the abuse imposed on him is prevalent in The Tempest because Shakespeare was influenced by the culture that surrounded him when he set about writing the story.
It is important to ask: Why? Why did Shakespeare give this character such a sad and purposeless life? Prospero was redeemed when Miranda married the King of Naples’s son, Ferdinand found his father, and Ariel was set free, but what about Caliban, what about his freedom? Caliban’s story is an unfinished one, we do not know …show more content…
Trinculo says “Were I in England now, as once I was, and had but this fish painted, not a holiday fool there but would give me a piece of silver” (Shakespeare 45, 46). Here Trinculo is demonstrating how he would profit from Caliban in England by showing him off like some carnival attraction to earn money. Additionally, Stephanos says “If I can recover him and keep him tame and get to Naples with him, he’s a present for any emperor”, and “If I can recover him and keep him tame, I will not take too much for him. He shall pay for that hath him, and that soundly” (Shakespeare 47). Stephanos, like Trinculo, ponders the idea of making a profit by taming Caliban so he too could prosper by selling him to the emperor. Prospero may have felt like Caliban deserved to endure the abuse because of what he tried with Miranda, yet, Trinculo and Stephano did not have a cause aside from their