An often-debated question regarding Shakespeare’s The Tempest is the humanity of Prospero’s slave, Caliban. Though one can see why people question his humanity, Caliban is human. His ability to learn, feel emotions, his racial identity, and Adamic characteristics make him indubitably human, even though it may be doubtful to others. He is capaable of learning language and the liberal arts, something only rational beings can accomplish. He feels deep emotions such as love and hatred, emotions animals cannot sense as well. His race is distinct from Europeans, something clear immediately in the play. In addition, like Adam, his desire to procreate is another human trait instinctive to humans and animals as well.
An undeniable human trait is reason. Humans are sentient beings capable of reason and learning. Unlike animals, humans are conscious and can learn. Caliban displays this is several ways. His eloquent language, perhaps the most articulate in the entire play, which is a result of Prospero and Miranda, shows he can speak European languages. Unusual for a lower class character, Caliban speaks in verse (Shakespeare 1.1..395-411). Obviously, an aniaml cannot speak. An interesting correlation between the European belief that non-Europeans are like dumb, savage beasts that roam the earth, and theories regarding African languages is important for Caliban. For example, Herodotus, who wrote over 2000 years ago about certain African peoples, claimed that their speech resembles that of bats. Another European, John Lok, who had traveled in West Africa, said their languages “have no speech, but rather a grinning and chattering.” Herodotus also believed that there were headless men with their faces in their breasts in Libya, which is what the ancient geographers sometimes referred to the entire continent as. This may have influenced the appearance of Caliban, whose numerous physical deformities cause others to ask themselves if he is “a man or a fish” (2.2.25). These centuries-old beliefs aided in promulgating falsehoods. If Caliban speaks eloquently, however, he is just as human as Prospero or Miranda, who taught him to speak when he “wouldst gabble like/A thing most brutish (1.2.428-429).
In addition to language, Caliban also learns the liberal arts, which includes subjects such as geometry and astronomy. If Caliban can learn what Prospero can, he is Prospero’s equal intellectually. Like all humans, his mind is what empiricist philosophers call “tabula rasa.” Caliban gains his knowledge through his experience with Prospero, which places him on the same plane as Prospero. He is also cognizant of the power of Prospero’s books, saying that Stephano must first burn them because they are the source of Prospero’s power. As one may assume, Prospero is aware of Caliban’s humanity because he taught Caliban himself. Therefore, he must remain more educated than him to ensure his superiority. This provides the explanation of the marked language used to describe Caliban, who is the son of a “dam” (1.2.384), a term usually reserved for animals. Unfortunately, Prospero uses abusive language to dehumanize Caliban, who eventually refers to his own mother as a dam.
Furthermore, Caliban shows emotions. His emotions include anger, joy, and love, giving him diverse human emotions unseen in animals. For instance, when he tells of his first experiences with Prospero, who taught him to name the Sun and moon, his love for Prospero turns to hatred soon after the attempted rape of Miranda. Then one can detect anger when he tells Prospero, “Would’t been done” (1.2.419). By not showing any remorse, the reader immediately knows Caliban can be spiteful and vengeful. He is also generous because he shares the abundance of the island willingly before he endeavored to violate Miranda. He did not know Prospero and Miranda but showed them the fresh springs, brine pits, and barren and fertile areas of the isle. Moreover, because he loses the island out of generosity, his virtue is superior to that of Prospero, despite the attempted rape. That endeavor, on the other hand, is probably a result of ignorance of European customs and women. He admits never seeing a woman, “But only Sycrorax my dam” (3.2.110). That is why there is no surprise Caliban nearly assaulted her.
Race also influences the entire play. From the disparaging cmments on Caliban, he is clearly of another race. Trinculo who describes him as a fish to Stephano who simply calls him the monster, or Miranda, who refers to his vile race, he is vastly different from Europeans. The obvious conclusion is he is African, or to be specific, Algerian. His mother, Sycorax, the witch, was banished fro Algiers and gave birth to Caliban on the island. Although she does not appear in the story, she figures prominently in the play. After she dies, Prospero arrives and frees Ariel, who was her prisoner, thus making Ariel his slave. The race of Sycorax and her son is significant because of several Renaissance theories on Africans. Blackness, for example, was often equated with moral depravity and lust, perhaps explaining why Prospero calls Caliban a “thing of darkness” (5.1.330). Caliban’s position as an African slave is also significant because by the 1560s, Hawkins’ slave raids were proving themselves profitable for the British and other Europeans, strengthening race-based slavery. In order to justify slavery, myths such as the curse on Ham’s descendants became necessary. Servitude to the other sons of Noah was the result, but Africans were still considered human because they were recognized as having a common ancestor with Europeans. In fact, Caliban and Ham were both enslaved for crimes of a sexual nature. Therefore, Caliban must also be human because Africans were accepted as sons of Ham, thus brothers of Europeans. Islamophobia is also present through Sycorax and Caliban. During the Renaissance, the burgeoning Ottoman Empire was a great threat to Christian Europe, and English Islamophobia would be present throughout Shakespeare’s lifetime. Perhaps he vented his fear of Islamic expansionism through the dehumanization of Caliban and vilification of Sycorax, both coming from the Muslim world (Algiers).
Besides, Caliban also exhibits certain Adamic qualities. Like Adam, Caliban developed in isolation and named the life surrounding him. Both men also have a desire for a mate. In the case of both men, loneliness is the signficant factor. Both are alone with creation and feel the need for a companion, something instinctive for creatures and humans. As Adam, however, Caliban represents man in his primordial state, so both are unquestionably human. Shakespeare’s similitaries between the two characters resemble the noble savage, a human unencumbered by civilization, but still human. In truth, Europeans praised noble savages because they represented man in the Golden Age, before the fall.
In summation, Caliban is fully human. His ability to leanr language or speaking in verse is indicative of his humanity. Learning the liberal arts also places him on an equal plane with Prospero, his master. If master and slave can gain knowledge of the same matter, are they not equal beings? Obviously, both Prospero and Caliban are human. Furthermore, Caliban is capable of emotions unreachable to beasts, such as the love he felt toward Prospero for teaching him. This love, however, quickly turned to hatred and insubordination, sentiments beyond the capabilities of creatures. Caliban’s race, most likely African, also proves his humanity. All Europeans considered Africans humans, even if they believed Africans were inferior beings. Finally, yet importantly, Caliban’s Adamic attributes suggest a close connection with the noble savage, who was still human, but unfettered by civilization.
Works Cited
Lupton, Julia R. “Creature Caliban.” Shakespeare Quarterly 51 (2000): 1-23.
Mallin, Eric S. “Shakespeare, Race, and Colonoialism.” Shakespeare Quarterly 55 (2004): 352-355.
Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. New York: Pocket Books, 1994.
Smith, Ian. “When We Were Capital, or Lessons in Language: Finding Caliban’s Roots.” Shakespeare Studies 28 (2000): 252-256.
No comments:
Post a Comment