Description

While he is referred to as a mooncalf, a freckled whelp, he is the only human inhabitant of an island that is otherwise "not honour'd with a human shape“ (Prospero, I.2.283). In some traditions he is depicted as a wild man, or a beast man, or sometimes a mix of fish and man, stemming from the confusion of two of the characters about what he is, found lying on a beach. Caliban is the son of the witch Sycorax by (according to Prospero) a devil. Banished from Algiers, Sycorax was left on the isle, pregnant with Caliban, and died before Prospero's arrival. Caliban refers to Setebos as his mother's god. Prospero explains his harsh treatment of Caliban by claiming that after initially befriending him, Caliban attempted to rape Miranda. Caliban confirms this gleefully, saying that if he hadn't been stopped he would have peopled the island with a race of calibans. Prospero then enslaves Caliban and torments him. Resentful of Prospero, Caliban takes Stephano, one of the shipwrecked servants, as a god and as his new master, after being given some of Stephano's wine. Caliban urges Stephano to kill Prospero and become lord of the island. Caliban learns that Stephano is neither a god nor Prospero's equal in the conclusion of the play, however, and Caliban agrees to obey Prospero again. Mooncalf was a term formerly ascribed to the abortive fetus of a cow or other farm animal, and also occasionally to that of a human. ... In William Shakespeares play The Tempest, Sycorax is an unseen character described as a witch and a necromancer. ... This is an overview of the Devil. ... Setebos is a moon of the planet Uranus. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

Despite his portrayal, he also has moments in which he delivers beautiful speechs, such as in axt 3 scene 2;

Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises,
Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices
That, if I then had waked after long sleep,
Will make me sleep again: and then, in dreaming,
The clouds methought would open and show riches
Ready to drop upon me; that, when I waked,
I cried to dream again.
        -Act 3, Scene 2

Name etymology

The name "Caliban" may be related to "bruneteau"^{[citation needed]} and "Carib^{[citation needed]}." Calibaun is a Romany word for black. Carib family (by John Gabriel Stedman) Drawing of a Carib woman Carib, Island Carib or Kalinago people, after whom the Caribbean Sea was named, live in the Lesser Antilles islands. ... Romany (or Romani) relates to: The Roma: a people sometimes pejoratively called Gypsies. Their language Romany was the pseudonym of a broadcaster and writer of Roma descent, George Bramwell Evens. ...

Other interpretations and references

Caliban was originally mostly a comic figure; however, in later years, he became a symbol for the wild, natural man. For Ernest Renan he symbolised the struggle for democracy. And, in more recent times, Caliban has been used as a metaphor for colonialism by various postcolonial intellectuals. Ernest Renan (February 28, 1823–October 12, 1892) was a French philosopher and writer. ... It has been suggested that Benign colonialism be merged into this article or section. ...

The fact that neither Caliban nor Sycorax are native to the island, but were exiled there in much the same way as Prospero and Miranda, is often overlooked in this view.

The most well known example of this postcolonial interpretation of the character is the play "Une Tempete" by Négritude poet Aimé Césaire. In the following lines from Césaire's play, Caliban, acting as a symbol for the colonized and oppressed, confronts Prospero, here cast as the European colonizer: Négritude is a literary and political movement developed in the 1930s by a group that included the future Senegalese President Léopold Sédar Senghor, Martinican poet Aimé Césaire, and Léon Damas. ... Aimé Fernand David Césaire (born June 25, 1913) is a French poet, author and politician. ...

For years I bowed my head
for years I took it, all of it--
your insults, your ingratitude...
and worst of all, more degrading than all the rest,
your condescension.
But now, it's over!
Over, do you hear?
Of course, at the moment you're still stronger than I am.
But I don't give a damn for your power
or for your dogs or your police or your inventions!
[...]
Prospero, you're a great magician:
you're an old hand at deception.
And you lied to me so much,
about the world, about myself,
that you ended up imposing on me
an image of myself:
underdeveloped, in your words, undercompetent
that's how you made me see myself!
And I hate that image...and it's false!
        -Act 3, Scene 5

In this version, Caliban rejects Prospero's offer to return to his master's service; and the play ends with Prospero's eventual defeat and seclusion to the Island, away from the family and friends that left him.

Robert Browning wrote one of his dramatic monologues from the point of view of Caliban, Caliban upon Setebos, in which he views Caliban as a Rousseauvian "natural man." Caliban also gives a lengthy monologue in the style of Henry James in W.H. Auden's long poem The Sea and the Mirror, a meditation on the themes of The Tempest. Robert Browning (May 7, 1812 – December 12, 1889) was a British poet and playwright whose mastery of dramatic verse, especially dramatic monologues, made him one of the foremost Victorian poets. ... A dramatic monologue is a type of poem, developed during the Victorian period, in which a character in fiction or in history delivers a speech explaining his or her feelings, actions, or motives. ... Caliban upon Setebos is a poem written by the British poet Robert Browning. ... Rousseau redirects here. ... For other uses of this name, see Henry James (disambiguation). ... Wystan Hugh Auden (21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973) IPA: ;[1], who signed his works W. H. Auden, was an Anglo-American poet, regarded by many as one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. ...

Ernest Renan's philosophical drama Caliban represents the struggle between aristocratic and democratic principles, represented by Prospero and Caliban. Ernest Renan (February 28, 1823–October 12, 1892) was a French philosopher and writer. ...

The American poet Louis Untermeyer (1885–1977) wrote Caliban in the Coal Mines, published in 1914 in his collection Challenge. Louis Untermeyer (1885 - 1977) was a United States author, writer and editor. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Fantasy author Tad Williams retells the story of Caliban from his point of view in the short novel Caliban's Hour (1993). For other uses, see Fantasy (disambiguation). ... Robert Paul Tad Williams (born March 14, 1957) is the author of several fantasy and science fiction novels, including Tailchasers Song, the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series, the Otherland series, and The War of the Flowers. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ...

Inspired both by The Tempest and Caliban upon Setebos, Caliban is revived as a monstrous inhuman beast in Dan Simmons' literary science fiction duology Ilium. Dan Simmons (born April 4, 1948 in Peoria, Illinois) is an American author most widely known for his Hugo Award-winning science fiction novel Hyperion and its sequel The Fall of Hyperion. ... For other uses, see Ilium. ...

Caliban also is mentioned in the Preface of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, albeit very briefly, as quoted below: Oscar Fingal OFlahertie Wills Wilde (October 16, 1854 – November 30, 1900) was an Irish playwright, novelist, poet, and author of short stories. ... The Picture of Dorian Gray is the only published novel written by Oscar Wilde, and first came out as the lead story in Lippincotts Monthly Magazine on 20 June 1890. ...

"The nineteenth century dislike of realism is the rage of Caliban seeing his own face in a glass.

The nineteenth century dislike of romanticism is the rage of Caliban not seeing his own face in a glass."

In John Fowles' novel The Collector, one of the main characters, Miranda, constantly compares her abductor, Frederick Clegg, to Caliban. He reminds her of a monstrous savage, deprived of any human emotion.

In P.G. Wodehouse's novel Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit Percy Gorringe, a poet, is mocking the crude Stilton Cheesewright in a poem called Caliban at Sunset. Called English literatures performing flea, P. G. Wodehouse, pictured in 1904, became famous for his complex plots, ingenious wordplay, and prolific output. ...

In James Joyce's novel, Ulysses, Malachi Buck Mulligan compares Stephen Dedalus with Caliban. This reference becomes ironic because Stephen feels oppressed by Mulligan and Haines in his own house (like Hamlet and Telemachus). Also, the analogy becomes a political reference in terms of the Irish desire for "Home Rule" in place of British occupation. This article is about the writer and poet. ... Ulysses is a novel by James Joyce, first serialized in parts in the American journal The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920, and then published in its entirety by Sylvia Beach on February 2, 1922, in Paris. ... Stephen Dedalus was James Joyces early pen name and the name of the main character of his early novel Stephen Hero. ... For other uses, see Hamlet (disambiguation). ... Slaughter of the suitors by Odysseus and Telemachus, Campanian red-figure bell-krater, ca. ...

"The rage of Caliban at not seeing his face in a mirror, he said. If Wilde were only alive to see you!" - Ulysses, Chapter One: Telemachus

In Jeanette Winterson's novel Written on the Body, the narrator compares herself to Caliban, chained to a rock, ostensibly by love. Jeanette Winterson OBE (born August 27, 1959) is a British novelist. ...

Grace Slick references Caliban in her song Fishman on the album Baron von Tollbooth and the Chrome Nun saying that Fishman is "the son of Caliban / he roams the ocean land" Grace Slick (born Grace Barnett Wing on October 30, 1939) is an American singer and songwriter, who was one of the lead singers of the rock groups The Great Society, Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, Starship, and was a solo artist, for nearly three decades, from the mid-1960s to the...

"Caliban" has also been used as the name of the high school in a well-established web-comic called "Kevin & Kell".

"Caliban" is also the name of a deformed mutant who is a member of "The 198" in the Marvel Universe. Caliban is a mutant character in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Cover to the X-Men: The 198 Files X-Men: The 198 is a comic book limited series that is published by Marvel Comics and set in the Marvel Universe shortly after the House of M and Decimation events. ... This article is about the shared universe setting used by many Marvel Comics titles. ...

"Caliban" makes an appearance in Jasper Fforde's book The Fourth Bear where he is seen as a small, thieving character. Jasper Fforde (born in London on 11 January 1961) is an English novelist. ... The Fourth Bear is a mystery/fantasy novel by Jasper Fforde published in July 2006. ...

"Caliban" is also the name of the main character in Rob Thurman's book, Nightlife who is half human and half monster. Nightlife is the debut novel from author Rob Thurman. ...

"Caliban" is also a metalcore band from Germany. Metalcore is a fusion of extreme metal and hardcore punk that began in the United States. ...

"Caliban" is referenced as half-man, half-fish in Vladimir Nabokov's 1969 novel, Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle. Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov (Russian: Влади́мир Влади́мирович Набо́ков, pronounced ) (April 22 [O.S. April 10] 1899, Saint Petersburg – July 2, 1977, Montreux) was a Russian-American, Academy Award nominated author. ... Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle is a novel by Vladimir Nabokov published in 1969. ...

"Caliban" is also the alias of the protagonist in Michael Pryor's 1996 novel "The Mask of Caliban"

"Caliban" is the name of the home planet of the Dark Angels Space Marine Chapter in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. The Dark Angels are a fictional military unit in the Science Fantasy game Warhammer 40,000. ... The current Space Marine sourcebook (codex) cover The Space Marines are one of the major forces available in the table-top wargame Warhammer 40,000. ... Warhammer 40,000 (informally known as Warhammer 40K, WH40K, W40K or just 40K) is a science fantasy game produced by Games Workshop. ...

Nineteenth-century Russia is referred to as the "Caliban of Europe" in Tom Stoppard's play "The Coast of Utopia"

The novel The Fall of Never by author Ronald Damien Malfi takes place in the fictional Caliban County in upstate New York. The novel depicts a manlike creature named Simon who seems modeled after the Shakespeare character. Speculative thriller written by novelist Ronald Damien Malfi. ... Ronald Damien Malfi (born in Brooklyn, New York on April 28, 1977) is the author of novels and short fiction, primarily mainstream and literary works with occasional speculative themes. ...

In the Swedish animated film Resan till Melonia, which is very loosely based on The Tempest and has a strong environmental theme, Caliban is depicted as a creature made entirely of vegetables.

In the 1956 American science fiction film "Forbidden Planet", which is loosely based on "The Tempest", "The Caliban" refers to the deadly and powerful so-called "id monster" that was subconsciously unleashed by Dr. Morbius using the ancient Krell machinery. Caliban is confused about his life. This article is about the 1956 film. ...

"Caliban" is also used metaphorically in a Caribbean History book by Harvey Neptune entitled "Caliban and the Yankees".

The video game Silent Hill: 0rigins features a monster known as 'Caliban' that is described as 'someone's twisted memory of The Tempest.'

Friday and Miranda Caliban are among the castaways who feature in Lemony Snicket's The End. In Lemony Snickets A Series of Unfortunate Events, the castaways are fictional characters living on an island appearing in The End. ... Lemony Snicket is a pseudonym used by author Daniel Handler in his book series A Series of Unfortunate Events, as well as a character in that series. ... The End is the thirteenth and final book in A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. ...

Notable performances of Caliban

• George John Bennett
• Canada Lee
• Herbert Beerbohm Tree
• Ralph Richardson

Canada Lee, born Lionel Cornelius Canegata, (March 3, 1907– May 9, 1952) was an American actor who pioneered roles for African Americans. ... Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree (December 17, 1853 - July 2, 1917) was an English actor-manager. ... Sir Ralph David Richardson (19 December 1902 – 10 October 1983) was an English actor, one of a group of theatrical knights of the mid-20th century who, though more closely associated with the stage, did their best to make the transition to film. ...

External links

• Caliban at Sunset, a poem by P. G. Wodehouse.
• "Something Rich and Strange": Caliban's Theatrical Metamorphoses

'Bold text' For other uses, see The Tempest (disambiguation). ... Prospero and Miranda by William Maw Egley Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Prospero Prospero is the protagonist in The Tempest, a play by William Shakespeare. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Ariel taking on an illusionary form, at Prosperos command Ariel (IPA: [ɛəriəl]) is a fictional sprite who appears in William Shakespeares play The Tempest. ... In William Shakespeares play The Tempest, Sycorax is an unseen character described as a witch and a necromancer. ... For other uses, see The Tempest (disambiguation). ...