Critically examine if the treatment of Caliban in The Tempest is a reflection of the emergence of European Colonialism during the Elizabethan period

Prospero uses Caliban as a slave, substituting him for the dukedom he lost. Caliban becomes Prospero's only subject, doing all of his dirty work; Caliban tries to rape Miranda, and is shunned by both Miranda and Prospero because of this. All who encounter Caliban regard him as sub-human, or reprehensible, because of his different looks and strange ways. However, Caliban has a capacity for poetry and understanding beauty, as shown by a speech in Act III, which is one of the most poetic, beautiful, and descriptive of the play. Gonzalo is the only one within the play who even tries to evaluate Caliban and his kind fairly; the others, blinded by prejudice, mistreat him to various extents.