Caliban in Shakespeares The Tempest Essay -- essays research papers

The Tempest, considered by many to be Shakespeares parting salutation to the theatre, has of all his plays the approximately remarkable interpretive richness. The exceptional flexibility of Shakespeares st eld is given particular prominence in The Tempest collectable to its originality and analytic potential, in particular in the presentation of one of his most renowned and disputed characters, Caliban. Superficially portrayed in the play as a most detestable hulk, Caliban does not evoke much sympathy. However, on further examination Caliban presents himself as an extremely complex character and short his apparent monstrosity is not so obviously transparent. The diverse dress of presentations of him on stage exemplifies Calibans multifarious character. Although Caliban attempts to rape Miranda, appearing ab initio to be nothing more complex than a degenerate beast and so should be presented as such, Caliban is in fact a piece being and not a monster, misunderstood only beca use Prospero, the colonizer, has unjustly represent him as being merely a primitive native. At the quantify of The Tempest, settlers began moving out of Britain to colonize America, Africa and parts of Asia. Laying a telephone call to overseas territory was becoming increasingly crucial to national identity element and power. The voyages of Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama sparked what has come to be known as the age of European Expansion, when England and the rest of Europe began devoting their energies to exploring and developing markets overseas. When The Tempest was written, these immensely important social events were on the top of everyones mind, including, presumably, Shakespeares. It is for this reason that the play is often considered an allegory of European discovery and i... ...ual intentions behind the creation of the play quarter never be revealed. However the bulk of the evidence points towards a Caliban who is, in spite of his possible demonic parentag e and unspecified deformity, a human, and it often appears that Shakespeare wished him to be presented as such. This view is not unfounded, as it was known that Shakespeare had read, and indeed quoted from Michel de Montaignes Of Cannibals where it is argued that the customs of natives were not barbarous or uncivilised, merely different. Post compound interpretations of The Tempest appear to view Caliban in a similar light. Calibans wonderful grasp and description of his surroundings does not suggest evil, kind of his words imply a true innocence. Caliban is not a monster and so should not be presented as such, he is simply bare, unimproved nature, an example of humanity at its rawest form.