Ariel, Caliban, and Notions of Servitude in The Tempest Anonymous 12th Grade

Foils are common in Shakespeare—a pair of characters, usually very different but sharing certain commonalities, each highlighting the other’s qualities by contrast. Ariel and Caliban, despite both being servants of Prospero, act as foils to each other, as they share few similarities and dramatic differences in character and storyline. Ariel is Prospero’s lieutenant, ever-prepared “to fly/To swim, to dive into the fire, to ride/On the curl’d clouds.” He is a doting, sprightly spirit of the higher elements of air and water at variance with the earthly, carnal Caliban who is a brutish symbol of bestial depravity.

Both are natives to the island and had inhabited it long before Prospero and Miranda were marooned on it. However, the way in which each responds to subservience is diametrically different. Ariel, rescued from Sycorax’s bondage, chooses to trust Prospero and be his loyal servant while Caliban is mistreated by him and, in turn, detests him with every “fin” on his body.

Ariel’s bondage is not coerced for the most part; he works out of a moral obligation to the sorcerer, and unlike Caliban, his gratitude is enough to compel him to stay in Prospero’s thrall. Regardless, his cheerful obedience is stained by annoyance and...