February292012

“Some subtleties o’ th’ isle, that will [not] let you/ Believe things certain.” (Act V, Scene 1, line 140-141)

This quote of Prospero’s reminded me of Caliban’s speech about the island (Act 3 scene 2, lines 148-156) when he talks about all the magical happenings of the island. In Caliban’s opinion all the sounds and spirits of the island and harmless and the island is wonderful. However, in Prospero’s note here we see that although the island is full of magic, this isn’t necessarily as great as Caliban sees it. The magic of the island that Caliban talked about, like the “sounds and sweet airs” cause Alonso and company to question the world around them and what is real and what isn’t. Also in this scene Prospero is having his sort of last hoorah with his magic before giving it up so in noting that the island causes people to question realities he could also be referring to the negative side of magic. This is a first for Prospero considering the entirety of the play thus far we have seen Prospero using magic to his advantage. With this view of the island readers can further see a change in Prospero from being strictly power hungry to being more forgiving and human in a sense.

-Ashley

The Tempest Shakespeare Prospero Caliban 

February282012
Our discussions about the importance and meaning of dreams in The Tempest reminded me of an artist, Jim Shaw. He is known for a series of drawings he did based off of his own dreams in order to commemorate and prolong the magic that ends the moment we awaken. This notion relates to one that Caliban from The Tempest expresses in act 3 scene 2 - “when I waked/ I cried to dream again” – ultimately acknowledging that our dreams are in fact illusive and unattainable in real life. Still, Shaw’s work uncannily connects this same breach between fantasy and reality that Caliban laments. His dream drawings are not a surreal body of work, but one that attains an equilibrium by presenting fantastic, figurative scenes in a concrete, narrative, matter-of-fact manner. As in the case of this particular drawing – Heather – Shaw reaches this equilibrium visually, through the balanced juxtaposition of realistic rendering with abstract lines.  To create his dream drawings (a collection of over 200 pieces!) Shaw kept a voice-activated tape recorder next to his bed as he slept. The moment he awoke from a dream, he would immediately regurgitate everything he could remember. Later, he would play back the recording and draw out these images or stories. His drawings make the inspirational ideas that surface during sleep accessible, and dreams a cohesive part of reality. In regards to The Tempest, had Caliban the technology to record and play back his own dreams, I wonder if he would find himself uplifted from the burden of reality, or only more reminded that his dreams were unattainable.  _Mikhaila  

Our discussions about the importance and meaning of dreams in The Tempest reminded me of an artist, Jim Shaw. He is known for a series of drawings he did based off of his own dreams in order to commemorate and prolong the magic that ends the moment we awaken. This notion relates to one that Caliban from The Tempest expresses in act 3 scene 2 - “when I waked/ I cried to dream again” – ultimately acknowledging that our dreams are in fact illusive and unattainable in real life.

Still, Shaw’s work uncannily connects this same breach between fantasy and reality that Caliban laments. His dream drawings are not a surreal body of work, but one that attains an equilibrium by presenting fantastic, figurative scenes in a concrete, narrative, matter-of-fact manner.

As in the case of this particular drawing – Heather – Shaw reaches this equilibrium visually, through the balanced juxtaposition of realistic rendering with abstract lines. 

To create his dream drawings (a collection of over 200 pieces!) Shaw kept a voice-activated tape recorder next to his bed as he slept. The moment he awoke from a dream, he would immediately regurgitate everything he could remember. Later, he would play back the recording and draw out these images or stories. His drawings make the inspirational ideas that surface during sleep accessible, and dreams a cohesive part of reality.

In regards to The Tempest, had Caliban the technology to record and play back his own dreams, I wonder if he would find himself uplifted from the burden of reality, or only more reminded that his dreams were unattainable.

 _Mikhaila

 

Caliban Heather Jim Shaw Shakespeare The Tempest Art 

February212012

In the movie, The Tempest, starring Helen Mirren, Felicity Jones, and Ben Whishaw, director Julie Taymore portrays Ariel as a being of the air and Caliban as a creature of the earth. Ariel disappears into thin air and blends in with the somber blue sky after a storm. Caliban is dark and is covered in what looks like mud or the bark of a tree. Typically, those associated with land stay true to their beliefs and roots and are slow to change to the evolving world around them. The air is affiliated with constant motion from wind and fluctuating movement. In the Tempest, the characters break from their appearance. Caliban is eager to switch alliances, while Ariels devotion to Prospera is unwavering. What does this switch reveal about the power of association to specific personality traits? Does this change our thoughts on any other characters that appear to fit in one box, but break from their affiliation?

-Rachel F.

art media The Tempest Ariel Caliban Prospera Helen Mirren Julie Taymore appearance earth air character traits 

February172012
“I’ll show thee the best springs. I’ll pluck thee berries. I’ll fish for thee and get thee wood enough….I’ll bear him no more sticks, but follow thee Thou wondrous man” (2.2 166-170).”

This quote is when Caliban decides to commit himself to Stephano’s slavery because they gave him alcohol. This quote is important because he decides to do all the dirty work that he promised Prospero before he turned on him. He told Prospero that, “And then I loved thee, And showed thee all the qualities o’ th’ isle. The fresh springs, brine pits, barren place and the fertile” (1.2 402-405). Caliban basically promised Prospero the same things he is promising Stephano, and doesn’t understand that although he may be escaping from Prospero’s slavery, he is actually subjecting himself to the slavery of someone else. Stephano is actually only a power hungry butler who plans on selling Caliban to the zoo, when they are back in Naples, while Prospero is a born and raised duke who took care of Caliban before Caliban tried to rape Miranda. The theme of colonization is prominent throughout the play and I believe that Caliban’s situation is an allusion to the different countries trying to take over native land by conquering the people. Caliban is very naive about the intentions of his “employers” so he believes that he can be free from his torture if he becomes a slave to someone else.

-Amanda

quotes the tempest caliban prospero 

February152012
Hieronymous Bosch Creatures and Caliban Sorry to be sticking with the Caliban trend… There was an image in our copy of The Tempest (Folger, page 84), glossed in the reference notes, of a fish-bird-man-thing - a visual interpretation of Caliban. Of course, there are a million interpretations of Caliban (and Ariel too), but this one was so eerie that it got me thinking of some paintings I’ve seen by Hieronymous Bosch. A bit about Bosch:  he lived simultaneously in line with and before his time, and a century prior to Shakespeare. A Dutch painter of the 15th century, Bosch’s work represents the transition from the religious imagery of the Middle Ages to the individualist imagery of the Renaissance; his work’s content derives from Biblical scenes (such as Genesis, Hell, The Last Judgement, etc.) though the imagery he uses is visionary and magical. His creatures are often absurd hybrids of things…hence, we may consider them many of them Caliban-like… This image is a detail from Bosch’s Temptation of Saint Anthony.  Besides the connection to the wild visual representations of Caliban, I think Bosch’s larger body of work reflects larger themes in The Tempest: for instance, the work represents different types of power - magical, religious, political, etc, through this rare combination of religious imagery and individualized artistic style. Also, Bosch lived at a time of toss up between religious hierarchy and individual autonomy, and he also lived though the era in which European nations began conquests to the New World. I like to think Bosch was embracing the concept of the New World in his art, as his paintings of abnormal creatures were breaking the artistic codes of the day.  _Mikhaila

Hieronymous Bosch Creatures and Caliban

Sorry to be sticking with the Caliban trend…

There was an image in our copy of The Tempest (Folger, page 84), glossed in the reference notes, of a fish-bird-man-thing - a visual interpretation of Caliban. Of course, there are a million interpretations of Caliban (and Ariel too), but this one was so eerie that it got me thinking of some paintings I’ve seen by Hieronymous Bosch.

A bit about Bosch:  he lived simultaneously in line with and before his time, and a century prior to Shakespeare. A Dutch painter of the 15th century, Bosch’s work represents the transition from the religious imagery of the Middle Ages to the individualist imagery of the Renaissance; his work’s content derives from Biblical scenes (such as Genesis, Hell, The Last Judgement, etc.) though the imagery he uses is visionary and magical. His creatures are often absurd hybrids of things…hence, we may consider them many of them Caliban-like…

This image is a detail from Bosch’s Temptation of Saint Anthony. 

Besides the connection to the wild visual representations of Caliban, I think Bosch’s larger body of work reflects larger themes in The Tempest: for instance, the work represents different types of power - magical, religious, political, etc, through this rare combination of religious imagery and individualized artistic style. Also, Bosch lived at a time of toss up between religious hierarchy and individual autonomy, and he also lived though the era in which European nations began conquests to the New World. I like to think Bosch was embracing the concept of the New World in his art, as his paintings of abnormal creatures were breaking the artistic codes of the day. 

_Mikhaila

Hieronymous Bosch Caliban The Tempest Shakespeare Art 

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