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Essay On The Noble Savage In The Tempest

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The concept of the noble savage has been long debated since time immemorial. The more controversial issues that surround the matter include who exactly are to be considered as noble savages and what exactly do we mean when we say noble savage. The debate has long continued so much so that writers such as Montainge and Jean-Jacques Rousseau have dedicated essays and writings to contribute to this topic. The concept of the noble savage is almost identical to what we know as barbarism. The noble savage is a constructed label that is attached to a literary character who is considered as uncivilized, primitive and barbaric. Noble savages are those undiscovered persons who have not been indoctrinated into modern and western ideals; their raw unharnessed goodness make them uncorrupted by civilization so to speak. Bearing this in mind some scholars have suggested that Shakespeare’s Caliban in “The Tempest” is an example of …show more content…

Let us consider our initial meeting with him. Caliban is the only native living on the island now inhabited by Prospero and Miranda. Caliban is described as hag-born, whelp, not honored with human shape, demi-devil, poor credulous monster, hag-seed, strange fish. Caliban tells Prospero in scene two that when thou camest first, thou strokedst me and madest much of me wouldst give me water with berries in't, and teach me how to name the bigger light and how the less, that burn by day and night: and then I loved thee and show'd thee all the qualities o' the isle the fresh springs, brine-pits, barren place and fertile. Caliban is reminding Prospero that he learnt everything about the island from him, suggesting also that Caliban was a native on the island and also that Prospero had no knowledge on how to survive on the island. One can now begin to picture an untapped and undiscovered island operating by the laws of

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As the play begins, it seems as if the massive tempest is simply a random occurrence, catching the mariners and nobility by chance. However, as the act continues, Shakespeare reveals that the tempest was actually the work of Prospero and his ghostly servant Ariel, who stirred up the seas and set fire to the masts (1.2, 193-194). This establishes Prospero as the executor of a mess of ‘coincidences’ ranging from Ferdinand stumbling upon his daughter Miranda to King Alonso and his party walking directly into the former duke’s cell. Though Prospero may have the same control over the English language as the other characters, Caliban points to his specific source of power. He says, “… for without [his books] /

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When thou cam’st first, Thou strok’st me and made much of me...... and then I loved thee... Cursed be I that did so... For I am all the subjects that you have, Which first was mine own king; and here you sty me In this hard rock, whiles you do keep from me the rest o’th’island. (I, ii, 331-44) He made Caliban his slave and labeled him a thing of darkness.

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In comparison, the inconsistency between diction depicts the power dynamics observed in the play. Shakespeare often uses Prospero’s servant, Ariel and slave, Caliban to portray the differences in the hierarchy of the play. As observed by the audience Prospero often uses threats and insults to communicate and assign task to Caliban, hence “...tonight thou shalt have cramps, side stitches that shall pen thy breath up. ”(I.ii.325-326) Prospero threatens Caliban with pain after his refusal to do work, because he feels as if the isle belongs to him due to the fact that it was inhabited by his mother first.

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