The Tempest

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1. 
   sullymonster Teacher
   Community / Jr. College

   Caliban is a tricky character.  He is an attempted murderer and rapist.  He is often brutal in his behavior, considered "uncivilized", and is tempetuous.  He is easily fooled into the murder plot and even calls himself a "thrice-double ass".

   However, it is easily argued that Caliban is not a bad man at heart.  He is suffering under the invasion of his island, dealing with a "conquering force", if you will - he can be considered in some ways like the Native Americans, fighting against the oncoming hoards of Europeans.  These lines, coupled with Caliban's sensitivity, love of beauty, and eventually repentence allows audiences to understand that he is not the archetypal "villian" of this play, but a complex character with a reasonable mind.

   Sources:

   http://www.enotes.com/tempest/

   http://www.enotes.com/tempest/caliban-character-analysis

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   Posted by sullymonster on Friday April 18, 2008 at 5:03 PM
   
   

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