Described in the character list as "a savage and deformed slave," Caliban is the son of Sycorax, an evil witch who has since died but who once held authority over the island now ruled by Prospero.
Regarding him as a "beast" and a "poisonous slave, got by the devil himself' upon Sycorax, Prospero has forced Caliban into slavery (act4 scene1 line140) (act 1scene2 line319). By contrast, Caliban considers himself mistreated and overworked. He bitterly accuses Prospero of befriending him in order to take advantage of his appreciation and rob him of the island which he considers his birth right.The tempest tells us a lot about Shakespearean England.
Shakespearean life had a big influence on the tempest and the themes included in it. The character of Caliban really puts these into the story and draws out the themes such as slavery, power and prejudice.Our first impressions of Caliban are that of an evil monster. This is seen in act 1 scene 2 "As wicked dew as e"er my mother brush’d with raven’s feather from unwholesome fen drop on you both! A southwest blow on ye and blister you all o’er.” Shakespeare used harsh words and very poetic and aggressive writing for the character of Caliban. Prospero also feels that Caliban takes everything he has done for him for granted.
He is impressed and calls them his new god. His only doing as Prospero wants because he has power over Caliban and if not for that Caliban would be the ruler of the isle. He tries to rape his daughter Miranda "till though didst seek to violate my child" (act1 scene2 line347). His relationship with his master Prospero is that of hatred and detest.
Caliban loathes Prospero and that is why he is always rebelling and insulting him. We learn from the introduction of Caliban, that he is a slave and this is a theme throughout the entire play. Prospero is also very prejudice against Caliban and almost manipulates him into being violent and argumentative.Caliban is portrayed as more animal than human.
Prospero first refers to him as a “tortoise” (act 1 scene 2 line316) this marks him as a semi-beast in the play., but although he has the deformed body and animal like appearance, he has a sense of power at times. Prospero takes his power away most of the time. So this continues the power struggle between them. Caliban’s name suggests a lot. It is a rough and quite aggressive name and might suggest an aggressive person, so you will think straight away of Caliban as a bad creature.
It is not until later in the play that we realise he is actually quite poetic, cunning and emotional, especially towards his island.Nearly every scene in the shows a relationship between a figure that holds power and a figure that is victim to that power, the play explores the master-servant / slavery theme most harshly. For instance, in the opening scene, the “servant” (the Boatswain) is dismissive and angry toward his “masters” (the noblemen), who’s silliness almost leads to a shipwreck in the storm. From then on, master-servant relationships like these dominate the play: Prospero and Caliban; Stephano, Trinculo, and Caliban; and so on.
The theme of slavery manifests in two ways such as the generally positive relationship between Prospero and Ariel and the generally negative relationship between Prospero and Caliban.Shakespeare presents Caliban as an aggressive and rebellious “creature” but gives that hint of emotion and poetry deep in his character. He really shows the themes of slavery and Prospero’s prejudice towards him which also relates to Shakespearean times with the slave trade and discrimination. The tempest really shows the moralities of today, with so many wars breaking out because of dictators and discrimination. It shows that although the play is over 400 years ago, it still relates to life today.
