Ariel and Caliban, embody different facets of servitude and freedom. Caliban, once oppressed by Sycorax, seeks to overthrow Prospero, revealing a distorted understanding of freedom. His desperation drives him to offer Prospero’s daughter as a means of liberation, highlighting the depth of his servitude. In contrast, Ariel, though bound to Prospero, enjoys a degree of autonomy, moving freely and carrying out tasks that demand intelligence and creativity.For example in Act 3 Scene 3 we see Ariel help Prospero further his endeavors by scaring king Alonzo and his cohort by making the dinner that Prospero had the spirits bring in for them disappear. Then delivering a stark cryptic warning as to the reasons why they are here. His loyalty to Prospero, rooted in gratitude, contrasts sharply with Caliban’s resentment.

This entry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.