Caliban in the Tempest

In Shakespeare’s play, “The Tempest,� one of the most interesting and difficult characters to define in a particular way is Caliban. Many people see Caliban as a “noble savage”, wild man, the missing link, as well as other things. His character is one of the most talked about and controversial and yet he is not a direct influence on the conclusion of the play.
While Caliban is not a direct cause of the conclusion, he does have many small but important functions. He is part of the comic relief in this play, along with Trinculo and Stephano, as they stumble around the Island drunk plotting and scheming on how to gain power. He also is the complete opposite of Ariel, who is a happy servant of Prospero’s. Caliban resents that he is a slave, and is depicted as an ugly monster, where as Ariel is seen as a beautiful super-natural being. From the beginning of this play Caliban is shown to us as evil. I believe he has good reason to act out towards Prospero. Being that he was enslaved and his Island was taken over by his now master.
It is understandable that many readers of the text would refer to Caliban as an awful person. When Caliban is first introduced he comes across to be very beastly and immoral.

He has much thanks for what Prospero and Miranda taught him. They taught him to speak, and somewhat to act civilized. He also states that when they first came to the island, they embraced him and made a lot of him, and he also says at that time he loved them. But Prospero used that against him and enslaved him by making Caliban feel he owed them for what they taught him. Which depicts that he feels betrayed by who thought were his friends, and is one of the reason he has so much hate towards Prospero and Miranda.

“Be not afeard. The isle is full of noises, Sounds and sweet airs the give delight and hurt not. Sometimes/…Will make me Sleep again; and then, in dreaming, The clouds methought would open, and show riches Ready to drop upon me, that when I waked I cried to dream again.” (IIIii148-156) This short soliloquy spoken by Caliban in act three scene two is extremely important in showing another side of Caliban. It shows more of a sensitive side, not only in his concern for the others in reassuring them that there is nothing to fear, but also that Caliban himself is not always an awful person. By this I mean, even he is happy sometimes, his dreams is where he wants to live. Away from the horrible Prospero who does nothing but demean him. There is some signs of him being noble at this point, in calming down the others and showing compassion. This part also reiterates his reason for hating Prospero and Miranda for whom his h