“Do not be afraid. The island is full of noise, say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essaySweet sounds and airs that give pleasure and do not hurt. Sometimes a thousand tinkling instruments buzz in my ears, and sometimes voices, Which, if I then waked after a long sleep, will make me sleep again; and then, in the dream, the clouds I thought would part, and show riches ready to fall upon me, that when I awoke I wept to dream again. (Shakespeare III.ii.148–156). Here Shakespeare cedes the rights of the most elegant passage of The Tempest to the most vulgar savage of the play. Is it just classic, comic Shakespearean irony or is Shakespeare alluding to a more subtle aspect of his work? Caliban, the ogre son of a witch, slave to Prospero, drunkenly plots with his new master, Stephano, and accomplice, Trinculo, to kill Prospero and rule the island. The trio dances to execute their plan by singing the wrong melody, until Ariel, Prospero's spirit servant, invisibly plays the melody with some sort of flute and drum. This melody "played by the image of Nobody" stops Stephano and Trinculo who now show some fear, whereupon Caliban beautifully implores them not to fear but to appreciate the magic and awe of the island that is so dear to him. Previously, Caliban was known to the public as the offspring of an evil witch, an attempted rapist, and an unseemly subhuman (III.ii.0–166). With these verses Shakespeare gives the public a new representation of Caliban, who represents the wild native of the colonies, to appease the then accepted idea that the various natives of the colonies were uneducated, monstrous, cannibals. And who better to eloquently defend the cause of the savage than the savage himself? Caliban once again demonstrates his ability to speak intelligently, even when completely drunk. The honesty with which his speech is delivered allows his audience to better empathize with his situation. Furthermore, Caliban is the least vulnerable of the characters visible at this time, because he is accustomed to the "Sounds and sweet airs that give pleasure and do not hurt", unlike Stephano and Trinculo, who almost cower at Ariel's unexpected noise (III .ii.148). The transfer of power is also shown in the opening lines of the speech when Caliban assures his new master to “Be not afraid” (III.ii.149). This revision of power could also be seen as a metaphor that contributes to the metaphor of the Tempest as a representation of colonial interactions with the “New World” and its inhabitants. Shakespeare often references the tension in the relationship between the colonial Europeans and their native counterparts in The Tempest with Caliban as its primary agent. There is much irony in Caliban's trust in the melody created by Ariel, because it is something to be afraid of. The irony of the situation lies in Caliban's belief that music is a good blessing, meant to "give joy and not hurt", when in reality it is Ariel who leads the group into Prospero's trap (III.ii.149). On the dramatic level of irony, the three conspirators must be led by the music into a trap, information without their knowledge, but known to the public. The devices that Shakespeare uses to indicate Caliban's trust in music serve to emphasize the ironies present. Music is repeatedly referred to as “noises,” “sound,” and “sweet air,” which are virtually synonymous. Shakespeare, through Caliban, goes on to hyperbolize music as “a thousand vibrating instruments” (III.ii.150). The concentration on the first lines of the speech which connote the goodness of the music..
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