Week 6 Blog Post
In Act III of “The Tempest”, the themes servitude and freedom are explored through the characters of Ariel and Caliban, each representing and contrasting different facets of these themes. Ariel’s character embodies a spirit who wishes to gain freedom. His servitude highlights his loyalty and desire of freedom. Ariel obeys Prospero’s orders in hopes that it will gain him the freedom he wishes, however, Ariel’s submission towards Prospero only comes to show the lengths he is willing to go, even if it means to relinquish his own power and well being. On the other hand, Caliban only obeys Prospero by force. Caliban’s servitude only shows his desire for rebellion, and with other characters, his servitude reveals his self-determination and hate towards oppression. He cannot handle being controlled by others, and so he uses his anger to fuel himself and regain his freedom.
Through the characters of Ariel and Caliban, the themes of servitude and freedom are both represented through different perspectives. The main idea through these themes prove how different each character handle their freedom. Ariel submissive actions is his only weapon to gain freedom, however, Caliban’s rebellious actions fuel his desire to break free from the enslavement he faces.