Shakespeares Influence on the Audiences Response to...

Shakespeares Influence on the Audiences Response to Caliban in The Tempest My essay hopes to draw into focus one of the most complex characters in Shakespeares play The Tempest, - Caliban. Shakespeare influences the audiences response to Caliban using in turn, humour and pathos to make the audience relate to the various strands of his character. Caliban can be interpreted in many ways, and only when examining his character as a whole, can we truly understand how Shakespeare wanted us to interpret him. I will now further examine how he accomplishes this. Our first introduction to Caliban is not in person but instead, he is described by Prospero as a freckled whelp, hag born - not honoured†¦show more content†¦Wouldt had been done. / Thou didst prevent me - I had peopled else / This isle with Calibans. Instantly the suggested terrible action becomes comical at the thought of hundreds of little Calibans running over the isle. Again Caliban wins the day. His lack of contrition, his lewd and bawdy behaviour and insolence in the face of authority would have hugely appealed to the uneducated groundling audience of Shakespeares theatre. Calibans savagery is contrasted with his eloquence when he talks about things he loves, such as music, Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments / Will hum about mine ears; and sometime voices, / That if I had waked from a long sleep, / Will make me sleep again. He speaks with eloquence equal to the words of Prospero, a Duke. This makes the audience see him in a civilised light and makes them question Prosperos treatment. Shakespeare uses poetry to show how much Caliban values the nature and simple things, that the mercenary elements in the audience would not appreciate. Caliban thinks nothing of riches or the glistening apparel that Ariel presents him with, Let it alone, thou fool, it is but trash. The audience might perceive this in two ways: They might admire his values of music and dreams.Show MoreRelatedEssay on An Analysis of Shakespeares The Tempest3488 Words   |  14 PagesAn Analysis of Shakespeares The Tempest There are many ways of interpreting Shakespeares The Tempest. A Post-Colonialist critic, such as Stephen Greenblatt, will look at the influence of historical and political implications of colonialism on the text. Along these lines, a Reader Response critic, such as Paul Yachnin, will look specifically at Shakespeares audience and their concerns at the time in which the play was written. Very different from these approaches, a Psychological criticRead MoreExplore the Ways in Which Prospero Is Presented as a Character in William Shakespeares ‘the Tempest2219 Words   |  9 PagesProspero is arguably the most interesting and diverse characters within William Shakespeares ‘The Tempest. He is a man that was wronged by his usurping brother, however he is somewhat difficult to like as his story unfolds and the story of others is submerged. His power over and treatment of other characters shows him as a man that is struggling with his own importance and ability, however his isolat ion from the world for so many years clearly plays an important part in the way prospero uses hisRead MoreShakespeares Use of Language, Imagery and Setting to Illuminate Prosperos Journey from Revenge to Reconciliation1174 Words   |  5 PagesShakespeares Use of Language, Imagery and Setting to Illuminate Prosperos Journey from Revenge to Reconciliation The Tempest opens on a ship at sea caught in a tempestuous storm. This setting would immediately suggest to the Elizabethan audience, the presence of danger and evil, as they would be familiar with other Shakespearian plays where storms have been used in this way, for example, Macbeth and King Lear. The desperate language of the characters in the opening