Airel in the Tempest Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Airel in the Tempest - Essay Example Most often, Prospero reminds Ariel about how he was trapped when he was the servant of Sycorax and, in Act 1: Scene 2, Prospero explains how Ariel suffered at the hands of his former master. It is also fundamental to realize that, as Prospero suggests, it was Ariel who often called himself as the slave of Prospero, and therefore the relationship between Prospero and Ariel is that of a master-slave relationship. Similarly, it is also lucid to the careful reader of the play that Ariel respected and obeyed Prospero more earnestly than Sycorax who had imprisoned him for refusing to accomplish her ‘earthy and abhorr’d commands’. Ariel obeyed every command by Prospero, unlike the commands by the wicked sorceress, and he played a major role in carrying out the schemes of Prospero to revenge his enemies. Therefore, a careful understanding of the character Ariel in the play The Tempest confirms that his role as â€Å"an airy spirit†, along with his relationship to P rospero, contributes greatly to the overall development of the play. It is fundamental to realize that the character Ariel in the play The Tempest plays an important role as â€Å"an airy spirit† who is at the service of Prospero, the chief organizer of the actions in the play. Ariel is a spirit of the air and Prospero makes use of the service of this ‘airy spirit’ to carry out his plans and schemes. Thus, we realize that it is Ariel, at Prospero’s command, who stirs up the tempest in the beginning of the play and the tempest stirred up by this ‘airy spirit’ strands Alonso and his followers on the island. The important role of Ariel becomes obvious when we relate the very title of the play, i.e. The Tempest, to the source of this tempest, i.e. the ‘airy spirit’. Similarly, in another important scene, Ariel beguiles Alonso’s son, at the instructions by his master, and it is a crucial turning in the plot of Prospero. Therefore, the visible and invisible role