"The Tempest", William Shakespearean - Prospero's relationship with the natives

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In Shakespeare's play The Tempest, Prospero is presented as the colonizer, and Ariel and Caliban are seen as his «colonized subjects ». These two Natives had to accept this newcomer twelve years ago, and we rapidly learn that both didn't react the same way. Ariel feels grateful towards Prospero because the latter had rescued him from Sycorax's cast. She had imprisoned Ariel in a tree. But she was also Caliban's mother, and Caliban lived Prospero's arrival on the island as an intrusion. Therefore, we can say that Prospero's name can be rearranged to spell out « oppressor », and we'll see there's a reason for that. We quickly notice that these two subjects have different attitudes towards their master, who symbolizes modern civilization.

Extraits

[...] But she was also Caliban's mother, and Caliban lived Prospero's arrival on the island as an intrusion. Therefore, we can say that Prospero's name can be rearranged to spell out oppressor and we'll see there's a reason for that. We quickly notice that these two subjects have different attitudes towards their master, who symbolizes modern civilization. We shall first study Prospero's attitude towards Ariel, his most loyal ally, and then the case of Caliban, this opponent to Prospero's power. The first appearance of Ariel, Prospero's familiar spirit, immediately establishes their relationship with and his submissive character, a devoted slave: All hail, great master! [...]

[...] He is the winner in this story, a free spirit unrestricted by human nature. The first time Caliban appears in the play is after he has been called by his master in a very rough manner. Contrary to Ariel, Caliban is presented as rebellious, and greets Prospero with a curse : Prospero: Thou poisonous slave, got by the devil himself Upon thy wicked dam, come forth! Caliban : As wicked dew as e'er my mother brushed With raven's feather from unwholesome fen Drop on you both! [...]

[...] Ariel has the last task to make sure the seas are calm for the return-voyage and then is set free. In The Tempest, we can assert that the character of Prospero is autocratic, and behaves like a slave-holder, but in the end, he manages to persuades the audience to share his vision of the world. He delivers an epilogue asking this audience to forgive him for his mistakes and set him free at his turn, by applauding. Bibliography and sources Shakespeare: Anthology of Criticism ad Theory 1945/2000, Paperback, R. [...]

[...] The native explains why he can't just run away; he fears his punishment : I must obey. His art is of such pow'r It would control my dam's god, Setebos, And make a vassal of him. (I,2,372-374) Ariel is submissive because he as a debt towards Prospero, we saw it, but Caliban has no such motive and develops a rebellious attitude throughout the play. With time, and because of all he had to undergo, Caliban tends to reject everything Prospero taught him, like the language for example. [...]

[...] McDonald Shakespeare's Caliban: A Cultural History. Cambridge, Vaughan, Alden T. and Virginia Mason Vaughan. Prospero's Art, Shakespeare Studies, Vol New York: Burt Franklin. www.wikipedia.org. [...]