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  • Essay / The refinement of Caliban in The Tempest

    “Do not be afraid. The island is full of noise, Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Gentle sounds and tunes that give pleasure and do no harm. woken up after a long sleep, will make me sleep again; and then, as I dreamed, the clouds which I thought would open and show riches ready to fall upon me, and when I awoke I cried to dream again. (Shakespeare III.ii.148-156). Here, Shakespeare gives the rights of the most elegant passage of The Tempest to the most vulgar savage of the play. Is this just classic, comic Shakespearean irony or is Shakespeare alluding to a more discreet facet of his play? Caliban, the son of an ogre witch, slave of Prospero, drunkenly plots with his new master, Stephano, and his accomplice, Trinculo, to murder Prospero and rule the island. The trio dance to carry out their plan while singing a tune out of tune, until Ariel, Prospero's servant spirit, invisibly plays the tune with a sort of flute and drum. This melody "played by the image of Nobody" stops Stephano and Trinculo who now show some fear, to which Caliban beautifully begs them not to be afraid but to appreciate the magic and awe of the island that is so special to him. dear. Previously, Caliban was known to the public as the spawn of an evil witch, an attempted rapist, and an unworthy subhuman (III.ii.0-166). With these lines, Shakespeare gives the audience a new impression of Caliban, who represents the savage native of the colonies, in order to appease the then-accepted idea that the various natives of the colonies were ineducable, monstrous cannibals. eloquently defend the savage rather than the savage himself? Caliban once again proves his ability to speak intelligently, even when drunk. The honesty with which his speech is delivered allows his audience to better understand his plight. Additionally, Caliban is the least vulnerable of the characters visible at this time, as he is accustomed to "sweet sounds and airs that give pleasure and do not hurt", unlike Stephano and Trinculo, who almost cower before the unexpected noise from Ariel (III). .ii.148). The transfer of power is also demonstrated in the opening lines of the speech when Caliban assures his new master to “be not afraid” (III.ii.149). This revision of power could also be seen as a metaphor contributing to the metaphor of The Tempest as a representation of colonial interactions with the “New World” and its inhabitants. Shakespeare frequently references the tension in the relationship between colonial Europeans and their indigenous counterparts in The Tempest with Caliban as the chief agent. There is a lot of irony in Caliban's reliance on the melody Ariel creates because it is something to be feared. The irony of the situation lies in Caliban's belief that music is a good blessing, intended to "give pleasure and not to hurt", when in reality it is Ariel who leads the group into Prospero's trap (III.ii.149). On the dramatic level of irony, the three conspirators must be led by the music into a trap, information that they do not know, but known to the audience. The devices Shakespeare uses to indicate Caliban's reliance on music serve to emphasize current ironies. Music is repeatedly referenced as "noises", "sounds" and "soft tunes", which are practically synonymous. Shakespeare, through Caliban, goes on to hyperbolize music as “a thousand tinkling instruments” (III.ii.150). Concentration on the first lines of the speech..