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Caliban

Literary Character
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Caliban is the enslaved, complex native of Prospero’s island in The Tempest, symbolizing colonialism, rebellion, and primal humanity.

Detailed Definition
Caliban, native of the island, embodies the colonized subject—brutish yet poetic, rebellious yet subjugated. In poetry, he represents the Other, the voice of the oppressed, and the ambiguity of nature versus nurture.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Shakespeare’s "The Tempest," Caliban embodies colonized resistance and natural humanity; In Aimé Césaire’s “A Tempest,” Caliban becomes a symbol of anti-colonial defiance; In Sylvia Plath’s “Daddy,” Caliban-like imagery conveys oppressive paternal figures; In W.H. Auden’s “The Sea and the Mirror,” Caliban represents the id and primal self; In Derek Walcott’s “The Sea is History,” Caliban symbolizes Caribbean identity and resilience; In modern postcolonial poetry, Caliban often stands for silenced voices reclaiming language.
Additional Notes
Caliban, from Shakespeare’s The Tempest, embodies the colonized “Other,” primal nature, and linguistic subjugation; poets reinterpret Caliban to critique imperialism, reclaim voice (e.g., Aimé Césaire’s A Tempest), or explore hybrid identity—his famous line “This island’s mine” resonates in postcolonial poetry as a claim to land, language, and self-definition.
Also Known As
Savage of the Isle Earth-Bound Slave Monster of Prospero’s Realm
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