Whose neck to cut? I don’t know whose side I’m on?...I don’t know who to betray, this is how villains are made…no one ever starts that way… -Madalen Duke “How Villains Are Made”
Fig. 1 "Foul witch” Sycorax breastfeeding baby Caliban underneath a sycamore tree, atop the rock that he will one day be confined to after his alleged attempt to defile Prospero’s daughter, Miranda.
For this project I wanted to create a piece of artwork that reflected my postcolonial reading of The Tempest because I felt strongly that this play was, above all, a representation of the master/slave relationship that develops in result of colonization and more generally, how the abuse of power affects interpersonal relationships. Since the master/slave relationship between Prospero and Caliban has a dominant/submissive dynamic with Prospero exhibiting the dominant traits and Caliban exhibiting the submissive traits by default, I wanted to somehow capture this negation of characteristics in a different context. I decided that I could best find this diametric by looking first to nature, where I searched for the opposite of a violent windstorm essentially and found a peaceful setting in which to base my sculpture. The quiet, bonding moment taking place under a still tree on a windless day is meant to symbolize the antithesis of a tempest (see fig.1). I like to think of this piece as “the calm before the storm” or a precolonial representation of the island that serves as the setting for this play.
I really wanted to bring Sycorax's character to life in this sculpture since her character never gets the chance to speak for herself (because she is deceased) and is, therefore, only understood through Prospero’s uncharitable recount of her. Basically, he describes her as an evil sorceress, but as you can see from the image above, I imagined her character somewhat differently. In the scene I created, the "witchcraft" that Prospero accuses her of, is little more than some innocent interaction between her and a local raven, a connection that is rooted more in spirituality than in sorcery. I also wanted to incorporate Caliban’s infancy to reinforce the idea that although he is often portrayed as a villainous monster in this play and is even described as an “abhorrèd slave” (Shakespeare 1.2.350) by Miranda at one point, it is important to remember that no one, including Caliban, ever starts that way. As you can see, my presentation of Caliban is not villainous, monstrous, or even deformed (as implied by Prospero in Act I), as I imagined his physical deformities to be the result of long-term oppression as opposed to a preexisting condition. This sculpture is designed to symbolize the innocence that lies at the heart of even the most seemingly barbarous characters and more specifically, Caliban’s naivete and willingness to serve individuals like Stephano and Prospero who are undeserving of his servitude. There is a memorable line in the play when Caliban is conversing with Stephano and Trinculo and says, “Be not afeared, the isle is full of noises, sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not” (3.2.133-134). Not only does this quote capture a much softer side of Caliban, but also reveals his earthly and spiritual connection to the island.
In keeping with the narrative, I also included Ariel in this scene as it is reported by Prospero that Sycorax restrains this airy spirit to a "cloven pine" before her death. In this depiction however, Ariel has not yet been subjected to this confinement, they are simply perched in a sycamore tree while serving Sycorax, who seems to have control over this character. When reading this play, I imagined Ariel's character as an androgynous spirit which is why I portrayed them in the manner that I did. Obviously, the rock is foreshadowing Caliban's future confinement at the hands of Prospero.
Overall, I wanted to create a piece of artwork that would inspire viewers to question the legitimacy of Prospero’s rule over the land as well as his rule over Caliban, who, unlike Prospero, is native to the island (since he was born there). In general, I wanted to evoke some compassion for his character while reminding Tempest audiences everywhere that nobody is monstrous by nature.
Sincerely,
Heather
Note: This project has been inspired by a scholarly lecture on William Shakespeare's The Tempest, given by Dr. Laura Suski, who generously offered us several different interpretations of this highly complex play. This open-minded approach to the text allowed me the space to interpret it from my own unique perspective and enjoyed reading it more because of this freedom I think. It was also inspired by all the beautiful images of bead trees that I scrolled through online when searching for visual examples of this art form as well as Madalen Duke's hauntingly beautiful song "How Villains Are Made", which, I felt, perfectly captured the more sinister and murderous elements of this play, and more specifically, the villainization of Caliban's character.
Works Consulted
Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. Edited by Stephen Orgel, Oxford University Press, 1987.
