Shakespeare, however, sheds light on this complexity by paralleling Prospero and Caliban. This display of unsubstantiated reconciliation underscores the complexity of Prospero’s intentions in the play.
The king takes no heed of Prospero’s offence Prospero likewise forgives Caliban, bidding him, “As you look / To have my pardon, trim it handsomely” (293-94). Both commit a crime punishable by death and both escape punishment.
By juxtaposing Caliban’s disownment of his master with Prospero’s refusal to pay proper homage to his king, Shakespeare reveals the characteristic sameness between Prospero and Caliban as if to show that they were one single entity. Prospero’s subsequent lines, however, contradict his seemingly unforgiving demeanor he embraces everyone with “Welcome, my friends all” (125). Instead of addressing the king in humble respect, Prospero flagrantly disregards the monarch who has just deigned himself in apology. Yet Prospero ignores the king and instead greets Gonzalo: “First, noble friend, / Let me embrace thine age, whose honor cannot / Be measured or confined” (121-23). Upon sight of the “The wrongéd Duke of Milan, Prospero,” (V.i.107), King Alonso regrets having banished him and pleads to Prospero, “ do entreat / Thou pardon me my wrongs” (118-19). Just as Caliban plots to subvert the authority of Prospero through a “foul conspiracy” (IV.i.139), so Prospero displays a patronizing attitude toward the king. Similarly, while he was still the Duke of Milan, Prospero had an uncontrollable appetite for “the liberal arts”( 73) and was constantly “rapt in secret studies” (77), which turns out to be the hamartia that caused him to neglect his political responsibilities and enable Antonio to overthrow him (Holland).Ĭaliban’s treasonous murder plot, furthermore, is metaphorically linked to Prospero’s insolence and disregard for authority. Caliban, who sought to “violate / The honor of child” (I.ii.346-347), is the personification of appetite and negligence for the law. Prospero often exhibits Caliban-like qualities, lending credibility to the claim that Caliban is a physical manifestation of Prospero’s desires. By confessing to his ownership of Caliban, who is beget of the witch Sycorax, Prospero admits to his own “darkness” as he prepares to consummate his plan of reconciliation, to purge himself as well as those who have sinned against him. More significantly, however, the lines reveal the role that Caliban plays in the development of Prospero’s character. A colonial interpretation of the line might suggest that Caliban represents the subjugated native who is conquered by Prospero, a foreigner who espouses a haughty Eurocentric attitude (Riggs). When Caliban joins the gathering in the last act of the play, Prospero says: “This thing of darkness I / Acknowledge mine” (V.i.276-277), admitting he believes Caliban is his slave. Prospero and Caliban exhibit the same “darkness” or flaw, indicating that Caliban is perhaps an embodiment of Prospero’s concealed defects. Prospero ultimately succeeds, however, in recognizing these flawed qualities as he restores himself to his original human state. This unifying effect presents Prospero with the difficulty of separating himself from Caliban’s and Ariel’s flaws. Shakespeare attempts to unifies the roles of Prospero, Caliban, and Ariel by defining their relationship within the “great chain of being” as well as ironically portraying them as the Holy Trinity. Ariel and Caliban are perhaps manifestations of Prospero’s character flaws that he has failed to admit. Prospero’s acts of forgiving Caliban and freeing Ariel can be seen as a surrender of the qualities that made him a cruel and vengeful demi-god. Some critics have suggested that Prospero’s dominion over the island is a gesture of colonial appropriation over the two natives of the island (Parker), yet Prospero’s remarkable metamorphosis from an abusive to a merciful master in the last scene complicates the relationship between Prospero and his two servants. By examining the master-slave interactions in The Tempest, the reader can understand what Caliban and Ariel represent in the play. For Caliban, servitude is natural, for he was born devoid of self-control and consequently must fall under the authority of another. Ariel is indebted to Prospero for freeing him from the dreadful darkness of the “cloven pine” (I.ii.277) to which he was banished by the witch Sycorax. In Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Prospero exerts wrathful influence over the island and his servants Caliban and Ariel cannot help but cower in humble obedience.
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