In Act 1 Scene 2 the style of the language used in contrast to the previous scene is very different. The language Miranda and Prospero use towards each other is a lot more caring and sensitive. As Miranda pours her heart out about her feelings for those others who were killed on the shipwreck, Prospero is kind and sympathetic – ‘tell your piteous heart there is no harm done’. Miranda too is being very thoughtful feeling for others. This makes the audience admire both Prospero and Miranda and feel very sympathetically towards them. I think there is a big contrast to the previous scene because in scene 1 the language is kind, sympathetic and loving.
Ferdinand and Miranda are very much in love and can’t stand to see each other have to work or get hurt. As soon as they meet they fall in love. Act 3 Scene 1 is a good example of showing their love for each other. Miranda – ‘If you’ll sit down I’ll bear your logs the while’ Ferdinand – ‘No precious creature, I had rather crack my sinews’ This shows how romantic they are and that they would do anything for each other. Prospero is still very against their relationship – ‘Poor worm thou art infected, this visitation shows it’. This quote shows how Prospero believes Ferdinand has poisoned her into believing he loves her and is a good person, although he is just a horrible person and is just using her. Although, Prospero begins to change his attitude towards Ferdinand and Miranda in Act 4, and accepts their relationship and the situation.
Caliban is a very different type of character. Shakespeare shows this by the use of language he uses. Caliban, unlike Prospero, Ferdinand and Miranda, is a very ignorant and violent character. He is a savage, deformed slave who is the son of the evil witch Sycorax. In the play he attempts to rape Miranda, showing his monstrous and evil personality. Shakespeare also uses language to portray Caliban’s horrid personality. In the beginning of the play when Caliban greets Ariel and Prospero with curses ‘A south-west blow on ye And blister you all o’er’. This shows the evil creature he is, he uses a lot of crude language throughout the play. This makes the audience feel very unsympathetic towards Caliban. I think that part of the reason Caliban is so evil and crude is just because he feels lonely and wants to be loved. He was raised by Sycorax, who taught him how to live, and not exactly in the nicest way. She taught him evil things and horrible curses. I also believe part of the reason for the way Caliban acts is due to Prospero. The reason for this is because when Prospero first became stranded on the island, Caliban showed him around the island, - which is rightfully his by Sycorax his mother -, and showed Prospero how to survive. In return for this Prospero took advantage of it and used his powers to then take over the island and make Caliban his slave. This is why Caliban is so rude and evil, because he was nice before and Prospero took advantage of his kindness and is now locked up and feels very betrayed. Although, Caliban thinks that Prospero is very hard to bear, and is very oppressive, Prospero claims that he has cared for and educated Caliban, or did so until he tried to rape Miranda – ‘You taught me language, and my profit on’t is I know how to curse. The red plague rid you for learning me your language!’
I feel Anthonio is the real villain in the play. He never stops being cynical and mean and continues to plot evil schemes throughout, trying to convert others to villains like himself. He tries to make Sebastian help him to kill Alonso and Gonzalo so that he can have the power of the throne. ’Lay to bed forever’, Anthonio says this in his plot to kill Alonso, it means to kill, and he also says ‘the perpetual wink for aye’, this stands for death itself. At no time is he nice to anyone or does he change his mind about what he has done. As Alonso repents in the end, Anthonio does not budge or show indemnity or guilt about his actions, even though Prospero forgives him and spares his life. Anthonio is the one that started the whole argument in the first place by banishing Prospero, Anthonio is the one that should be punished, the one that should be repenting, but he does not show a single sign of remorse.
