Lesson video

Welcome everybody.

It's Mr. Dyke here with your English lesson on "The Tempest".

Today we're going to be looking at the character of Caliban.

What I'd like you to do is make sure that you've got a pen ready, a second pen in a different colour, so that you can mark your work, and clear away any distractions that you might have.

Once you've cleared away your distractions, also make sure you do have your notes from previous lessons because they will always be useful.

When you're ready, just write down today's title, which is on the screen.

The Theme of Power: Act 1 Scene 2 - Caliban's Treatment.

Make sure you do those things now.

As always, let's start with a recap.

So you will notice that we are still on Act 1 Scene 2 and I'll explain a little bit why that is, because a lot goes on in this scene which is important for us to get a really good foundational understanding of the play.

Before we do that, let's recap what happened in Act 1 Scene 2 last, where we explored Prospero and Ariel's relationship.

So, as always, here are four symbols that represent different things I want you to have remembered about Prospero and Ariel's relationship and about those two characters.

So pause now and for two minutes, write down everything you can remember about these two characters.

So thinking about the way they speak to each other, the relationship they already have and why it's like that.

And anything else that you can remember.

So pause now, have a go.

Okay.

So here are some possible answers.

So the things I really want you to remember the most.

Ariel has carried out the duties as instructed by Prospero.

So those duties in particular were creating a storm whereby the ship was brought to the island by a shipwreck.

They have a respectful relationship.

We talked about how they do demonstrate respect for one another, and that they actually do speak politely, et cetera, and have manners.

But Prospero is still very much the authority.

So he has got the control and the power between them both.

Prospero is angered by Ariel's pleas for freedom and reminds him of his origins.

And if you can remember, Ariel was previously trapped in a tree by Sycorax, the evil witch, for 12 years, and Prospero has come along and freed him.

And Prospero very much uses that fact to remind Ariel that he must respect Prospero because Prospero could do the same to him again.

So those were the key information about those particular characters.

Before we meet our new characters today, so we're going to be looking at a slightly different relationship between Prospero, who's very much the power and authority, and a form of servant.

What you will notice with Caliban is that Caliban is treated very differently.

They have a different rapport.

So before we begin, remembering that Caliban is a native from the island, which means he was someone who has resided and was born on the island.

It's very much his land and his home.

And that's one of the reasons perhaps he behaves the way he does because he feels very defensive of anyone coming, like Prospero, and taking charge.

Let's see what their relationship is like as we read.

Here is your summary of this part of the scene.

So Caliban is a creature who resides on the island.

He is the child of Sycorax, the old evil witch who was once in charge.

He once had a good relationship with Prospero but since he attacked Miranda, Prospero treats him badly and curses him.

So Caliban will become a key character and we'll revisit him several times.

Those are some information that's really important that you know, before we read.

So just write down any key points from there before we begin.

Okay.

As we read, as always, summarise the key slide.

So the thing that you learned from this part of the scene, and also write down any key vocabulary I explained or any important ideas too.

So we're going to start with Caliban who is going to speak in a very bitter and cursing way towards Prospero.

Caliban says, "As wicked dew as e'er my mother brushed With raven's feather from unwholesome fen Drop on you both!" So he's talking to Prospero and Miranda.

"A southwest blow on ye And blister you all o'er!" So when Prospero's called upon Caliban, this is how he speaks to him.

So he's actually giving him lots of curses.

He wants the Southwest wind to blister them.

He's using lots of natural imageries, using language about nature which he knows lots about.

Prospero, "For this, be sure, tonight thou shalt have cramps, Side-stitches that shall pen thy breath up.

Urchins Shall, forth at vast of night that they may work, All exercise on thee.

Thou shalt be pinched As thick as honeycomb, each pinch more stinging Than bees that made 'em." So Prospero is just as unpleasant back.

He's trying to tell Caliban that I will give you cramps.

I will make you feel unwell.

I will use my magic to make you suffer.

So they're speaking to each other in a way where they don't trust each other.

Caliban is kept locked up like a prisoner.

It's quite an unpleasant relationship so far.

So, on that note, how do Prospero and Caliban speak to one another? So I'd like you to just finish the sentences off that you see in the box there.

So Caliban speaks to Caliban with, sorry.

Caliban speaks to Prospero with what or in what kind of way? And Prospero responds to Caliban in what kind of way? Okay.

So pause now.

Just spend two minutes having a go at that.

Okay.

Let's continue.

And Caliban is very much going to talk about his bitterness here.

So he's going to actually describe a little bit about the history between the two of them.

"I must eat my dinner.

This island is mine, by Sycorax my mother, Which thou takest from me.

When thou camest first, Thou strok'st me and made much of me, wouldst give me Water with berries in't, and teach me how To name the bigger light, and how the less, That burn by day and night." So actually, Prospero has treated him really well in the past and been kind to him, given him nice things, and let Caliban show Prospero where things are on the island.

And Prospero's even taught him things like how to name things and what different things in the world are.

"And then I loved thee And showed thee all the qualities o'th'isle, The fresh springs, the brine pits, the barren place and fertile.

Cursed be I that did so! All the charms Of Sycorax, toads, beetles, bats, light on you!" So Caliban has gone from saying how Prospero treated him to what Caliban then did for Prospero, showing him what the island was like and showed him what his home was like and helped Prospero.

And then he's cursed him with lots of different awful creatures.

"For I am all the subject that you have, Which first was mine on own king.

And here you sty me In this hard rock, whilst you do keep me from The rest o'th'island." So to sty, think about a pig stye, it's like a pen that keeps you somewhere.

So he's actually being trapped and kept by Prospero.

He doesn't have freedom either, because Prospero clearly doesn't trust Caliban anymore, because he's been unpleasant and he's tried to attack Miranda previously.

So on that note, what is Caliban bitter and angry about? So again, three sentence starters there to help you.

When Prospero arrived, Caliban did what? Prospero once treated him how, but now Caliban is treated how, or in what way? Pause now, spend two or three minutes completing that question.

Okay, let's continue.

Let's see how Prospero replies.

And I want you to really notice how does Prospero refer to Caliban here? What kind of language does he use to refer? "Thou most lying slave, Whom stripes may move, not kindness! I have used thee, Filth as thou art, with human care, and lodged thee In mine own cell till thou didst seek to violate The honour of my child." So Prospero's described him as a lying slave.

And that Caliban is like filth and is therefore going to be treated badly because he tried to attack Miranda, tried to violate the honour of Miranda herself.

"You taught me language, and my profit on't Is I know how to curse.

The red plague rid you For learning me your language!" So Caliban actually now has a bit of power from Prospero to be able to speak and curse and things like that which Prospero clearly taught him how to do.

Prospero, "Hag-seed, hence! Fetch us in fuel.

And be quick, thou'rt best, To answer other business.

Shrug'st thou, malice? If thou neglect'st or dost unwillingly What I command, I'll rack thee with old cramps Fill all thy bones with aches, and make thee roar That beasts shell tremble at thy din." So Prospero is instructing him to go and collect some fuel.

So Prospero is very much in charge of Caliban and is threatening him here.

If you don't do this job, if you do it unwillingly, or you neglect it, I will curse you further and make you feel ill.

And I will, you know, torment you.

So we've got a bit of a dilemma where who do we feel sorry for here? And we will learn a little bit more about Caliban's character as we develop, and as we read the play further, we will do some evaluation about that.

So how does Prospero now treat Caliban? So what's Caliban been taught? How is Prospero describing Caliban? And Prospero threatens Caliban with what? So pause now.

Just spend two minutes answering that question.

Okay.

So change to your other coloured pen and we're going to just mark and check our questions that we've been answering as we've gone along.

So the first question we had was how do Prospero and Caliban speak to one another? Now these two characters threatened and wished curses upon one another, speaking to each other with disdain and distrust.

Disdain is like hatred, if you really don't like someone.

Prospero threatens Caliban with cramps and illnesses and Caliban wishes for a blistering wind to attack Prospero.

So just contrast this with how Ariel and Prospero spoke to each other with respect and honour.

These two actually think very little of each other, don't they? Caliban once taught Prospero the secrets of the island and showed him where everything was, such as clean water and fertile soil.

In return, Prospero treated Caliban with kindness and care.

So this is what Caliban is slightly annoyed about is that he was once kind to Prospero and actually helped Prospero.

And Prospero was kind back.

But now it's not the case.

How does Prospero now treat Caliban? Well, sadly, now Prospero treats Caliban as a slave.

He actually calls him a slave.

He refers to him as that, locking him away, demanding jobs from him.

Caliban has been taught the language of Prospero and Miranda, using it to issue curses towards them.

It also demonstrates the respect they once had for him.

Now Prospero threatens and curses him as if he were a terrible animal, because we know that Caliban has sadly behaved in a dangerous way.

So Prospero has to try and make sure that Caliban isn't behaving like that anymore and isn't a threat.

Okay.

We're going to really think about this particular question here.

So we do some close analysis about Caliban.

How does Shakespeare use language to portray Caliban's bitter personalities? We're going to really think about the word bitterness, the idea of bitterness, where someone is kind of slightly resentful and angry about things, particularly from the past.

So we'll break it down into these three parts.

How is Caliban's loss presented? So how do we know what Caliban no longer has? How is kindness and love described? And how is his anger and bitterness portrayed? So when we think about those three particular things first of all.

So I'm actually going to give you a series of quotations.

So for example, here is a quotation from Caliban.

"This island is mine, by Sycorax my mother, Which thou takest from me." So what I want you to do, whenever I give you a quotation like this, I want you to think and write down how does Shakespeare portray Caliban's bitterness through that quotation? Okay.

So go back to here and think, right, which one of these is really being demonstrated here? Is it to do with loss? Is it to do with kindness and love? Is it to do with anger and bitterness? So when we look at this, "This island is mine, which thou takest from me." So for me, it's about loss.

So I'm going to just write a quick explanation to this quotation.

You might want to choose to do this now yourself if you wish.

So you might want to pause and just spend three minutes writing an explanation for this quotation and how it shows bitterness.

When you're ready, resume, and I'm going to show you a quick answer, and then we'll continue and do several more.

So pause now, if you wish to write your answer to this one there.

Okay.

Here is a potential answer that you might put together here.

So the use of personal pronouns, mine and me.

So I focused on a particular language technique.

I've tried to look for real specific parts of language in the quotation.

This creates the sense of ownership and connection that Caliban has for the island, which is now being "takest".

"Takest" connotes that he has been powerless in defending his own home and land.

So I've really zoomed in on two or three words when I've referred to word-class where it's necessary in techniques, where it's necessarily, and I've explained how it demonstrates bitterness.

So I focused on that loss and how he's now powerless.

That's the kind of detail I'm looking for in your answers.

So when I move forward now, I'll be just giving you the quotation and then you're going to be writing a response to the quotation.

I'm going to give you several.

So here is your first one.

"When thou camest first, Thou strok'st me and made much of me, would give me Water with berries in't, and teach me." So pause now, read the quotation again.

How does that portray Caliban's personality? Pause now and spend two or three minutes on that quotation.

Let's look at another one.

So this one.

"And then I loved thee." Okay.

"Then I loved thee." Pause now and I decide, how does this demonstrate Caliban's bitter personality? Because this one seems like a positive quote but what's he saying there? Pause now, spent two or three minutes on this one.

Okay.

Here is another one.

"showed thee all the qualities o'th'isle, The fresh springs, brine pits, barren place and fertile." So what is Caliban talking about here? How does this show he is bitter? Pause now.

Explain this quotation.

And here is another one.

"Cursed be that I did so!" Pausing again.

How does this show his bitter personality? And another.

"And here you sty me In this hard rock, whiles you do keep me from The rest o'th'island." How does this show, pausing here, how does it show his bitter personality? Okay.

So just be ready to mark your answers now, so change your coloured pen.

Let's go through some possible answers that you could have written about and add anything which you've missed.

Okay.

So I'm going to start with the second quotation here and this quotation, while it's really focused on what Prospero did at first for Caliban, demonstrates a sense of care and respect and that's portrayed with "strok'st" and "give" which contrasts with Prospero's later curses and insults.

So Caliban is bitter here because he used to be kind, Prospero used to be kind, but now he's not.

So add anything to your answer you're missing.

And the next one.

So this one is focused on that quotation "And then I loved thee." So "loved thee" reveals Caliban's capability of human connection and emotion, demonstrating he has the ability to love and respect, just like Ariel, as he has been treated well.

So that is a nice example that they once had a positive relationship but now they do not.

And that is what Caliban is bitter about.

And the next one.

So this one is where Caliban has talked about showing Prospero the qualities of the isle, and this really displays the generosity that Caliban once had.

So the use of the personal pronoun "thee" suggests that Caliban is really directing his bitterness towards Prospero, reminding Prospero that he is successful because of Caliban.

So "I showed thee, all the qualities of the isle." I showed you all the qualities of the isle.

So actually Caliban's enabled Prospero to be powerful on this island.

There's a bitterness and anger there, isn't there, in Caliban's voice? "Cursed be I that did so!" The strong, bitter language of "cursed" so using that and the verb cursed and the use of an exclamation mark communicate Caliban's intense and deep-rooted anger.

He's really angry, isn't he? He's really frustrated.

He demonstrates a sense of regret for having once been kind.

So Caliban, he's annoyed at himself for once being kind to Prospero, because he was.

And this one.

So this is about him being trapped.

So this reflects how Caliban feels imprisoned.

So it's maybe really important we think about that, using that word imprisoned, like a worthless creature.

Sty connotes entrapment but also status.

Caliban is no longer treated with respect by Prospero and Caliban resents this.

So Caliban is almost like an animal-like creature, and that's how he's now been reduced by Prospero.

Okay.

So thank you very much, as always, for your excellent focus this lesson.

And I look forward to next time.