Throughout “The Tempest” we see Caliban and Ariel being treated horribly by other characters – namely Prospero. As much as I’d like to look at Prospero as a great symbol of the advent of science, I am also unable to ignore the fact that he also enslaves these two characters.

Prospero obviously holds significant power over both Ariel and Caliban. Throughout the play he makes them do his bidding, threatening them if they refuse. However, I found it more interesting to look at how Ariel and Caliban react to this treatment rather than how/why Prospero acts the way he does.

While Ariel and Caliban are both enslaved, their reactions are polar opposites. Ariel abides by Prospero’s rules and requests, and accepts his reasonings for treating Ariel as a servant without rebuttal. Caliban, on the other hand, has no problem spewing hateful words at Prospero and reminding him of the many reasons why he doesn’t, or shouldn’t, hold such power over Caliban. In return, Ariel is treated as a servant worthy of courtesy, while Caliban is treated as a despised slave. While it may seem that Ariel is behaving correctly, since they receive more respect from Prospero, there is something to be said for the way Caliban keeps his dignity by standing his ground and at least putting up some kind of fight against Prospero. Perhaps Caliban retains more dignity through his actions, and Ariel admits defeat through theirs.

We talked a bit about Caliban’s name in class — how it has roots with the word “cannibal” — and mentioned his role as “the native” or even as a “savage” on the island. I think that given the two slaves’ different behaviors and resulting treatment, Shakespeare (whatever “Shakespeare” really means) is raising questions about colonization. When Europeans dominate new native populations, how should those people react? Which behaviors leave them with their dignity intact? In a sense, how are people supposed to react to being “othered”?