Ty's essay

Ty LeVarge
Mr. H. Salsich
English 02
January 27 2009

The suffering in confinement:
A comparison between Ariel and Caliban in “The Tempest”

Two figures of the past both despise each other and are stranded on one island with a merciful ruler is like being in a prison cell. With a roommate and a jailer outside the door who won’t listen means that chaos will break out at anytime. This is similar to Ariel and Caliban and how they are within tight space under Prospero’s rule. This is a wonder of how things will turn out in the future between them.
Being a servant of Sycorax, Ariel, over the years, had gone through some harsh punishments casted upon her. Ariel had gone through tough confinements for any type of disobedience to her mending masters. Ariel was first trapped within the confines of a pine tree by Sycorax for 12 years until she was freed. She was later threatened by Prospero to be sealed within an oak tree, if she was to disobey him, of which it would be nearly impossible for her to escape from. Ariel had been a loyal servant to Prospero and he does not want to let her go yet. She is loyal to Prospero and travels anywhere he commands her to go and does what he says. Through her loyalty, she is now bound to the island as a servant to her master. Ariel is bound to the island as if there were large walls and a gate that can only be unlocked by Prospero and that gate leads to her freedom.
Caliban has despised Ariel and Prospero for their cruelty towards him and he curses at them for their cruelty hoping that something lurid will happen to the both of them. Hurt by Ariel’s words makes Caliban feel as if they are another prison cell for him. He is not in control of how he looks, and yet Ariel still uses words to make him feel weak and helpless. Ariel seems to release her frustration upon Caliban because he is a punching bag to most because he seems defenseless. However Caliban was also bound to the island like Ariel. Caliban is also a servant carrying out Prospero’s deeds with great displeasure. He is also weighted down by Ariel and her cruel words and is nearly about to go off the edge because of all the pressure. Both of these factors bearing down on him are making him nearly lose his mind and he is going on the brink of disaster.
Ariel and Caliban despise each other but yet suffer some the same punishments. Both were forced into becoming a servant in order to be free from their previous imprisonment. They are to stay within their island prison or face being isolated within an object. They paid the price for freedom, but was it really worth it?

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