From Caliban’s point of view Prospero is an ungrateful tyrant. It was Caliban’s island long before they arrived; “The Island’s mine by my mother Sycorax”, and it was Caliban who taught the newcomers how to survive in the foreign environment. To Caliban a union with the island’s only eligible bachelor is entirely ‘natural’ and he is deserving of it. It is possible that if Caliban were shaped like Ferdinand he would be more accepted as a possibility for Miranda. Shakespeare presents the common belief that appearance was a measurement of a person’s ability to be good, and thus Caliban is considered a bad person.
The theme of rightful authority is not limited to the island. At the beginning of the play we witness society’s impression of authority reversed when an inferior, the boatswain, gives orders to his superiors, the aristocrats; “What cares these roarers for the name of the King? To cabin! Silence!” The ‘God-given’ authority of a King means nothing beyond the boundaries of land as the boatswain has the rightful authority when handling the sea. Despite this, the aristocrats react badly to the boatswain’s comments as their authority is challenged.
The tempest that causes the trouble on the boat was created by Ariel under Prospero’s instruction. Ariel is a spirit who acts in service to Prospero. Service to one’s King or ruler was considered part of the ‘natural order’ in Shakespeare’s time but is Prospero Ariel’s rightful King or does Ariel serve him out of fear that he will entrap her in the tree that he originally freed her from? On the other hand Prospero seems to have genuine affection for Ariel who for the large part serves him cheerfully. In many ways Ariel is a contrast to Caliban; she is airy and has no body, Caliban is grounded and earthy. More than this, the characters differ in terms of their positions on the Jacobean hierarchy. Ariel is at the top of the hierarchy as her magical powers and immortality place her above humans, Caliban is at the bottom of the hierarchy as he is less than human in shape and has no magical powers whatsoever. To control Ariel Prospero uses threats and flattery. To control Caliban Prospero uses threats and punishment. Both the ‘monster’ Caliban and the ‘good’ Ariel serve Prospero unwillingly and chafe against his rule, Prospero labels them both as slaves.
Prospero’s power and magic are dominant throughout the play yet in reality his power is limited as it is based on the willingness of Caliban and Ariel to comply with what he says. Ariel and Caliban give him his power as they let him rule the island. Prospero needs Caliban to do the household chores “We cannot miss him. He does our fire, fetch our wood, and serves in offices that profit us…” Prospero needs Ariel to help conduct the magic that he uses to control the island. Without his two ‘slaves’ Prospero has nobody to rule over except his own daughter Miranda.
It is clear how much Prospero relies on Ariel after the audience learn that it was Ariel who caused the storm at the beginning of the play, “Hast thou spirit, performed to point the tempest that I bade thee?”. She performs acts that he as a mortal human could not complete on his own.
Geographically the use of an island is important. The island could be turned into any kind of society but Shakespeare makes the point that there will always be someone who takes authority and people who desire authority. Later in the play Trinculo and Stephano plot to take charge of the island thinking that they are the only inhabitants but as peasants they would never be successful despite the advantage of having a native on their side. An island is cut off from the rest of the world and thus society. The inhabitants are imprisoned there. This situation is highly reminiscent of Baille Beag in Brian Friel’s ‘Translations’ where a ‘deserted’ area can become a Kingdom for the first arrivals if they have enough authority and the correct tools; i.e. a magical cloak or technology far beyond that of the native’s.
In fact the situation in Ireland was vastly similar to the situation in the rest of the world. The age of exploration had begun and colonisation was taking place all over the world as the major powers like Spain, France, and England colonised countries where their tools and technology were far superior to the native’s. The colonisers rationalised their actions as bringing words to the wordless, but as Caliban points out “You taught me language, and my profit on’t is I know how to curse.”
‘The Tempest’ is widely believed to be Shakespeare’s last play and in this way he has been compared to his character Prospero since Prospero relinquishes his magical powers at the end by breaking his magical staff and Shakespeare lays his pen to rest. The play contrasts the idea of civilisation and ‘savageness’ fighting for power, and the greed that overwhelms a character in their pursuit of power; as evidenced by Caliban’s plot to kill Prospero later in the play. The collective desire for power brings two of the most contrasting characters, Prospero and Caliban, closer than any other pair of characters in the play. The play centres on the loss and gain of authority and the resulting consequences that the characters suffer when there is a struggle for authority.