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.
