Characters of Ariel and Caliban in "The Tempest"

Ariel and Caliban are two important characters in the play, The Tempest written by William Shakespeare. They play a vital role in this play. They stand in sharp contrast to each other. Both are elemental beings. Ariel is the pure spirit of air and fire. But Calibanishalf-monsterand half-human.Calibanisbrutaland sensuous.whileArielis pure intelligence. Now let us try to compare and contrast the character of Ariel and Calibanwithspecialreferenceto theplayanddiscussaboutcompareandcontrastariel andCaliban.

Caliban is theson ofa witch by thenameof Sycorax who hadbeen expelled fromher country on a charge of practicing black magic. He has a deformed body. He is halfhuman and half-monster. He uses rough language. On the other hand, Ariel is totally different. He is a spirit of the air. He is the principal spirit at the beck. He is a supernatural being. He has supernatural power. He is at home on earth, on sea and in fire.Hecanfly.HedoesnotuseroughlanguagelikeCaliban.

Ariel is shapeless and invisible. We can gather something of him from Prospero's calling him a "dainty and graceful spirit". On the other hand, Caliban is an ugly misshapen monster, whose physical exterior is a symbol of his inner ugliness. He is wicked in nature. He represents mankind at the brute stage. He is morally a devil. He resistsallactiveoccupations.Herecognizesnomorallaw.Prosperohadtriedhisutmost to civilize Caliban but in vain.On the other hand, Ariel is totally different. Ariel is a refinedbeing.Thereisnoevilinhim.HeisveryobedienttoProspero.

Again,theirrelationtotheirmasterProsperobringsoutthe differencebetweenthetwo. AriellovesProspenoverymuch.Prosperoalsoloveshimverymuch.Ontheotherhand. Calibanhasaprofound hatred forProspero.Hehateshis masterProspero. Heregards hismasterasausurper.BothCalibanandArielexerciseProspero'smagic.Arielobeys Prospero's order willingly and gladly but Caliban carries out Prospero's commands

unwillingly. Ariel performs all the works and duties imposed upon him punctually. ArielremainsalwayscheerfulandshowsduerespecttoProspero.

However, Caliban is a symbolic character. He symbolizes an embodiment of the supernatural,aslave,andadispossessedindian.Ontheotherhand, Arielisthesymbol of modesty and loyalty.He serves Prospero loyally, lovingly, cheerfully and wisely.. Healsosymbolizesfreedom.Thus thecomparison and contrastgive usagoodpicture of the o characters Ariel and Caliban.. The contrast between the two is the contrast betweenthesuper-humanandthesub-human.