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How Is Caliban Dehumanized In The Tempest

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The Noble Savage Throughout life, we often discover individuals whose true identity is masked (concealed?) by their attitude and appearance. This mask (veil) conceals the bigger picture. Without deeply knowing an individual, it’s difficult to perceive (discern) who they are and their influence on the world around them. In The Tempest, Caliban is shown as a deformed creature ------------------------ . Through Caliban’s soliloquy, the veil (hiding Caliban’s true self) is removed allowing for the development of character, extension of plot, Caliban, the symbol and target of Eurocentric views in the colonial era. Shown deformed, dehumanized, and as the comic relief of an exemplary illustration of how common it was for non-Europeans to be seen …show more content…

---------------------------------------------------------------- Caliban’s telling soliloquy holds both explicit and implicit value that serves to reinforce, The Tempest’s, theme while adding to the overall meaning of the play. Explicitly, Caliban used vivid language to -------- the tortures Prospero had inflicted on him and how he wished for Prospero’s slow transformation into that of a disease. Implicitly, the infliction of pain that Caliban experienced mirrored the abuse that the first nations peoples endured during their interactions with Europeans. From Caliban’s soliloquy, it’s evident that he was a symbol of the first nations peoples. This symbol served play about colonialism primarily because Prospero comes to Sycorax 's island, rules the land, and imposes his own culture on the people of the land.We can take Prospero as a representative of the Europeans who usurped the land of native Americans and enslaved them. He, as a sense of superiority, takes Caliban as half …show more content…

The dastardly conspiracy for revenge undertaken by Caliban is focused upon the physical ruination of Prospero; Caliban wants him dead. Through Caliban’s vivid language, of the tortures Prospero has inflicted on him, the motivation for Caliban’s murder plot was formed. The overall plot of The Tempest, is paralleled by Caliban’s murder plan in his comedic subplot.Without it, Prospero would never have to deal with the effects of vengeance upon him and Shakespeare 's exploration of revenge would lose thematic significance. This all comes back to Caliban 's soliloquy, for just like the background details provided by Prospero about his challenges, it provides a glimpse into Caliban’s mind and fuels the character’s motivation to pursue his desire. ---------------------------------------------------- Caliban represents the first nations peoples afflicted by Europeans worldwide. He is the developer of his own character as well as Prospero’s. He enhances the main story-line while paralleling it with that of his own. He serves to strengthen play’s theme by showing it from the perspective of the slave, rather than master. All this, in just fourteen

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