The Tempest

A cursory reading of The Tempest seems to give the impression that Caliban is, indeed, a monster. In fact, Shakespeare establishes him as a monster fairly early in the play: Miranda and Prospero repeatedly call him a monster in Act 1. Prospero tells us that Caliban’s mother, the witch Sycorax, was a “hag,” and that Caliban himself was “a freckled whelp hag-born, not honour'd with a human shape.” This implies that Sycorax was not human, and therefore neither is Caliban. Prospero also claims that when Caliban was younger, he gave him “human care,” which implies that Prospero does not think him worthy of receiving such treatment. Trinculo and Stefano describe Caliban as less than human: Trinculo asks if he is "a man or a fish," and Stephano calls him a "moon-calf." Thus at face value, Caliban can unequivocally be thought of as a monster.

However, all the evidence that casts Caliban as a monster comes from the other characters speech (as there isn’t much else in a play). On closer inspection of this speech, it seems that the way the characters talk about Caliban reflects the attitude European colonizers had towards the natives during the time this play was written. Most of the characters in the play are of European descent; Caliban, on the other hand, was born of Sycorax, who was a native of Algiers. This could be an explanation for why he seemed a creature apart from them.  His skin color would have been different – this possibility is supported by the fact that his name is so similar to the Romany word "Cauliban," which means "black" or something associated with blackness.  His speech would have been very different as well: Miranda states that before the play, Caliban gabbled "like / A thing most brutish," which suggests that he may have known a language – it simply was not English. He calls the language Prospero taught him “your” language, also indicating that he could have had his own language before English was forced on him (in the way that English was forced on natives when the Europeans settled in a new place). Thus the treatment of Caliban in the Tempest can be taken as a reflection of the way Europeans treated non-white races at the time.

On looking through the play again, there is actually evidence to be found that Caliban is, in fact, a human. Stephano and Trinculo describe him as having arms, legs, and eyes in his head, implying that he does at least have a humanoid form. He does not appear to have magic, reducing the possibility that he is descended from a real (non-human) “witch” or that he is a spirit of the island like Ariel. The fact that he is able to articulate human reasoning for even his animalistic behavior (such as trying to rape Miranda – he wanted to “people the island with Calibans”) shows that though he may be strange and disturbing at times, he may still be a human. In other words, if it looks like a human and talks like a human for the whole play, it probably is a human.

Ultimately, I believe that a successful argument can be made for either side. However, I personally lean towards the belief that Caliban is, in fact, human. I think that the portrayal of him by the characters as an animal with no sense of morality only further cements the audience’s understanding of him as a victim of colonization. Obviously, the play is not sympathetic to Caliban, because it was written from a European point of view; however, I think in this day and age Caliban very much deserves our understanding.

King Lear

Describe the significant tensions present in Shakespeare's King Lear.  Be sure to ground your insights with specific textual references.

The tensions in King Lear can be categorized into two broad types: tension between the impetuous youth and the (sometimes) wiser older generation, and sexual tension. In the course of the play, these tensions result in the breakdown of hierarchy and stability in the kingdom, and chaos ensues.

The tension between King Lear and his daughters forms the crux of the play. First the tension between the King and his daughter Cordelia is introduced: because she is unable to express her love for her father in words (“What shall Cordelia do? Love, and be silent…I am sure, my love's more richer than my tongue…I cannot heave my heart into my mouth”), he thinks she does not love him, and does not give her a share of his kingdom. Instead, he bequeaths it to his two other daughters, Goneril and Regan, who turn out to be scheming and ungrateful. Immediately after he so generously gives them his kingdom, they resolve to strip him of his remaining power (“let's hit together: if our father carry authority with such dispositions as he bears, this last surrender of his will but offend us.”). Both Goneril and Regan blame his old age for his behavior, calling it the “infirmity of his age” and expecting more such “unruly waywardness that infirm and choleric years bring with them.” This description of the king (who as far as we know has always had a weakness for flattery, and therefore we cannot call it senility) shows the disrespect the youth in this play have for the older generation; later, even Edmund calls the king “old and miserable.”

Of course, Edmund being a villain, there is also tension between him and his father, the Earl of Gloucester. Edmund was born out of wedlock, and although Gloucester calls him his son, there is some awkwardness between them on this point: Gloucester calls him a “whoreson,” and says he has “so often blush'd to acknowledge him,“ making it seem like he does not care for Edmund as he does for Edgar. Moreover, Edmund is bitter that it is Edgar who is Gloucester’s heir.  He schemes to make Edgar appear a traitor in his father’s eyes so that he will inherit his land, telling him  Edgar has said “sons at perfect age, and fathers declining, the father should be as ward to the son, and the son manage his revenue,” and that he intends to kill him. The audience, however, knows that it is actually Edmund that feels this way about his father, and about the older generation in general.

The sexual tension between Edmund and the two sisters Goneril and Regan is introduced later in the play, after the primary familial disagreements have been established. The competition for Edmund and his love causes the sisters to turn against each other: Regan tells Edmund “I never shall endure her: dear my lord, be not familiar with her.” While Goneril resolves that she would “rather lose the battle than that sister should loosen him and me.” Ultimately, this tension causes Goneril to poison Regan and then kill herself in the final scene, leaving the kingdom in disorder.

Tensions between lesser characters reflect the major tensions in the play. For example, the tension between Kent and Oswald is a reflection of the tension between the King and his two older daughters.