The Heart Of The Savage In The Tempest

The Heart Of The Savage In The Tempest Caliban the deformed savage on the island from his first appearance in the play is more animal than human. Prospero first refers to Caliban by calling him a, "tortoise" (1.2.318).This sets the tone for Caliban's character in the play as he is labeled as a semi-beast in the play. But interestingly despite Caliban's deformed body and animal like appearance he possess remarkable eloquence that gives him power. …

…and his use of language we can create a strange dynamic that puts Prospero in the physical world above Caliban but in the world of magic and speech at the same level. This is consistent with the atmosphere of the island which is a place of confusion, chaos and magic. Caliban is the nexus of these shifting forces and the staging of his character should represent these seemingly opposite forces that give Caliban his power.