Caliban

Acts

Act 1, Scene 2 - Curses Prospero & Miranda. Sent to fetch logs

Act 2, Scene 2 - Meets Stephano & Trinculo. Gets drunk with them & promises to serve Stephano

Acct 3, Scene 2 - Persuades Stephano to overthrow Prospero

Act 4, Scene 1 - Fails to carry out his plan to kill Prospero & is chased by spirit dogs

Act 5, Scene 1 - Apologises to Prospero

Key Character Traits

Bitter - intially liked Miranda & Prospero, but hates them after enslaving him

Gullible - thinks of Stephano as a “god” because of his wine.

Sensitive - only character who appreciates the island, he says it is “full of noises, / Sounds, and sweet airs.”

Contexts

Shakespeare

Caliban

Postmodern Representation of Caliban

On the other, Shakespeare breaks the linguistic hierarchy by lowering the language, words, and phrases of high characters; inserting highly metrical verses and refined expressions in ordinary characters which represents a postmodern feature. The hierarchy of the language is disrupted and formed as mutant and idiolect that make the language of The Tempest chaotic and polymorphous. Through Caliban Shakespeare applies versal prose in The Tempest. This "savage and deformed slave" utters dignified, elevated, and highly musical words, phrases, and sentences that confirm his expertise and skill in utilizing the language. In Act 2, Scene 2 Caliban proves his ability while celebrating his daydream-freedom from Prospero. He sings the following song:

No more dams I'll make for fish;

Nor fetch in firing at requiring;

Nor scrape trenching, nor wash dish: 'Ban, Ban, Caliban

Has a new master: get a new man.

Freedom, high-day! High-day, freedom! Freedom, high-day, freedom! (I.ii. 180-187)

With his lyrical voice, Caliban shows that he is capable of composing rhythmic songs despite being a "savage and deformed slave" as Prospero introduces him to the audience. On another occasion in Act III, Scene ii when Stephano and Trinculo enjoy singing merrily Caliban finds that their song is not "in tune" (Il.ii. 122). Here, Shakespeare portrays a revised clone Caliban who neither startles others as Ariel does with his abrupt appearance and ghostly sounds nor observes their movements. As Caliban goes on to say:

Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises

Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight, and hurt not.

Sometimes a thousand twangeling instrument Will hum about my ear; and sometimes voices, That, if I then had wak'd after long sleep, Will making me sleep again, and then, in dreaming, The clouds me thought would open, and show Ready to drop upon me; that when I wak'd I cried to dream again. (IILii.133-141)

Here an uncivilized, dark, evil self like Caliban as Prospero sketches, utters the words: "airs, music, delight, and dream" which contradicts his character. On one hand, he is conscious of the melody of the music and on the other hand, is very sensible. This breaks the hierarchy of language and makes it anarchic. Such disorder in the diction of the play creates inconsistency in the characters. This sort of alteration and reformation of Caliban by Shakespeare is precisely postmodern.

Caliban Represents Paranoia and Intertextuality

The appearance and physical structure of Caliban is unusual and alien-type. He is a half-monster and half-human who is not civilized as Prospero terms him a "savage and deformed slave" who is an animalistic and evil creature. Thus Caliban's presence, shape, description, and personality create a paranoid aura in the play. His first instruction is very scary as he intends to rape Miranda in Act-I, Scene II. (1.11.351-352). Plotting a murder attempt against Prospero, Caliban wishes to possess Miranda as his wife and become the monarch of the isle.

His actions are 'terrestrial, earthly, evil, black and lowly' which makes him a paranoid villain. To present Caliban as a paranoid character, Prospero constantly mentions that Caliban is a "slave, villain, earth, tortoise, poisonous, abhorred, capable of all ill, savage, vile race, hag seed and devil" (Iii. 315-372).

Like Caliban, his mother Sycorax also creates fear among the characters in The Tempest. The reference of Sycorax—a witch, in Act-I, Scene-ii who represents 'darkness, bad luck and evil omen' (I.ii.258) is also a paranoid character. Both the mother (Sycorax) and son (Caliban) create distorted illusions and suspicion in The Tempest. Trinculo and Stephano call Caliban a 'monster' and 'moon calf', and refer him to as "slave, villain, tortoise, poisonous, abhorred, capable of all ill, savage, vile race, hag seed and devil" (I.ii.351-372) portray Caliban a paranoid figure in The Tempest. Out of fear, Caliban wants to murder Prospero and out of revenge, he wants to rape Miranda. Both the mother and son horrify other characters and create paranoia in the play.

The subtle presence of previous literary works in a story, and intertextuality is an important elements of postmodern literature. The character of The Tempest, Caliban and Sycorax represent historical, geographical, mythological, and religious figures, events, and places that make the passage of The Tempest intertextual. Sea voyages, discovery, and exploration of new lands and continents refer to Shakespearean time. This theme of the adventure of the mariners and sea voyagers for a 'new world' in The Tempest and other Shakespearean plays are adapted from his time. So the Scholars and critics believe that Shakespeare has adopted the theme of The Tempest, from his time, and the character —Caliban is also borrowed from Montaigne's essay "Of Cannibals" (1580) and Bermuda Pamphlets (1610).

The name of Caliban is adapted from the word 'Cannibal' (Skura 1989. p.51) which represents native Caribbean and cannibalism. The critic Chambers has suggested that the name of Caliban is derived from the gypsy word "cauliban" which means "blackness" (Kermode 1954, p.xxxviii). In The Tempest, we find a similar character and portrayal of Caliban who is termed as a "salvage and deformed slave" representing an evil and black monster. In Act-I, Scene ii, Caliban wants to rape Miranda (Lii. 351-352); plots to slay Prospero, and wants to possess Miranda as his wife thus becoming the King of the island (III.ii. 85-100). Prospero treated Caliban as a "thing of darkness" whereas Stephano and Trinculo referred to him as a "monster" and "moon calf" and Shakespeare considered him a "salve, villain, earth, tortoise, poisonous, abhorred, capable of all ill, savage, vile race, hag seed and devil" (Lii. 315-372)—all these show that Caliban's personality, language, activities, movements, and reactions are befitted with his name. In representing Caliban Shakespeare uses playful and indeterminate language and evil actions which added multi-dimensional "layers of allusiveness and intertextuality" to The Tempest. Here Caliban not only creates paranoia but also constructs intertextuality.