How effectively is Caliban presented through his actions to a modern audience?
Tom Moore
How effectively is Caliban presented
through his actions to a modern audience?
One of the most crucial characters of the Tempest is the character Caliban; the ‘monster-like creature’ that inhabits the island at which the play takes place. Caliban lacks civilized influence due to the fact that he was born on the island and deprived of any social activity other than nature and instinct. Caliban is not monstrous simply for the sake of being frightening. Caliban is now looked at more sympathetically to a modern audience. To a Shakespearean audience they could not see past all of this, whether it was to do with lack of action in the way Caliban used to be played of the lack or intelligence of the audience present. His action or his looks are more likely to be the reason where the sympathy leaked through as on the stage during the Shakespearian period he has been played as a lizard, dog, monkey, snake and even a fish.
Caliban is more of an animal rather than a monster. He is labeled a monster throughout the play due to his appearance; this ghastly front covers up his true emotion. He is in fact an animal. He is not evil or malicious, this shown through his sensitivity and guilt towards Miranda, after the rape incident. He relies on his own instincts and skills that he has learned to adapt to his surroundings to survive, this is because he has been deprived of a mother and has been alone for many years. He is literally man untamed. This leads to the fact that Caliban has no other choice in the way he acts and deals with situations, the rape of Miranda. Part animal, part man, but not really either because he is more mentally sophisticated than an animal, but disabled of any characteristics generally associated with civilized human beings. He displays promise in which he wants to become civilized. Although Prospero will not let him develop to his full capability this is because Prospero is fake in the play, stringing Caliban along, Prospero says to Miranda, I ii 318, ‘We’ll visit Caliban, my slave’ this shows although Prospero is new to the island he is already taking over things. This also shows that Caliban is being looked down upon not only by Prospero but now by Miranda too as Prospero is influencing Miranda’s thoughts by these words without her deciding her own opinion of Caliban. An audience would see this as a form of bullying and take Caliban’s side in the unruly situation.
