In Act III of The Tempest, Ariel and Caliban provide contrasting perspectives on servitude and freedom. Ariel serves Prospero willingly in exchange for freedom in the future. This reflects his belief that loyalty and fulfilling obligations will lead to liberation, as Prospero did save Ariel. Caliban, in contrast, despises his servitude and views Prospero as a tyrant who stole his freedom. He seeks to reclaim his autonomy through rebellion, allying with Trinculo and Stephano in a plot to kill Prospero.

There is an underlying message which implies that true service and loyalty can only come from someone’s own choice rather than compulsion. Ariel has known what true imprisonment truly feels, stuck within a cloven pine for years. Prospero has saved him, and therefore owes him. He doesn’t resent Prospero the same way Caliban does because his situation under Prospero is still much preferable than his previous one. There’s also the promise of a better future for him —freedom. Caliban on the other hand hates Prospero because he never owed Prospero anything. Prospero forcefully enslaves him through magic and took from him what he considered his birthright.

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