Tempest Art

I went to the link for the emory site. The two paintings that I looked at were one of Miranda and Caliban and one of Ariel. The painting of Miranda and Caliban was interesting to me because the picture I have in my mind of Caliban changes with almost every scene of the play. He is portrayed in this image as a devil, a villain. It conflicted with my mental picture a bit because I feel that Caliban can evoke sympathy at times, and this painting depicts him as sort of one-dimensional. After we talked in class about Caliban's enslavement and the ways that Prospero has really taken advantage of him, I don't completely agree with this interpretation of the character.

The painting of Ariel agreed more with my initial interpretation of the character. I always pictured Ariel as either a man or a sort of gender-less being, because he isn't human and shouldn't have to have a gender. I also think that the image of Ariel changes over the course of the play, depending on the circumstances of his emotions and what is going on in the scene. This agreed with my mental picture of Ariel when he is sent out to do Prospero's bidding. He seems to take delight in torturing others and carrying out the more darker aspects of Prospero's plan.