Has Ariel any personality of her own, or is she just a convenient figment of Prosperos imagination (and Shakespeares)?

Ariel is a character in her own right. In Act 1, Scene 2, Shakespeare uses language to convey many aspects of her character. He uses an exclamation mark when Ariel addresses Prospero, All hail, great master! and this establishes her position as Prosperos servant. Ariel uses detailed description and onomatopoeia in her account of the shipwreck. This conveys her sense of excitement and eagerness to please Prospero. Shakespeare refers to classical gods such as, mighty Neptune and Joves lightning, he not only appeals to the Jacobean audiences general knowledge but also conveys a sense of worldliness and timelessness of Ariel. The use of lists and imperative verbs, I boarded, I flamed and Id divide demonstrates her delight and pride in her own magic powers. The fact is all these combined effects of Shakespeares language help to make his character, Ariel, more authentic and real. There is also history on Ariel such as being trapped by Sycorax, due to her morally good decision in refusing to carry out her bad deeds. This all occurred before Prospero arrives on the island, now unless the whole play becomes some kind of dream or illusion for Prospero (this is highly unlikely, since this would greatly displease the audience) it is not possible for Ariel to be a part of his imagination if she has interacted with other characters before. Her existence as a separate being and character is further emphasised when other characters acknowledges her, for example, her songs and music tends to cause Alonso and Gonzalo to sleep and reawaken in Act 2, Scene 1. Her music also lures Stephano and Trinculo away from Prospero (Act 3, Scene 2), and there is also the matter where the only reason Prospero is two steps ahead of everyone is due to Ariel. He is able to find out anything that happens anywhere on the island. This is not possible if Ariel was only a figment of Prosperos imagination. Their relationship is complex for example, there are at time obvious tension between the two. In Act 1, Scene 2, Ariel desires her liberty yet Prospero is unwilling to give it away so soon. His threat towards her increases the tension. One can argue that she more or less symbolises a part of Prosperos subconscious rather than being a convenient figment of Prosperos imagination. It would not make sense if Ariel were to be part of his imagination, otherwise she would become an illusion in which only Prosperos sees, and this does not match how the other characters are able to experience or witness her power. On the other hand, she always remains invisible to everyone with the exception of Prospero, her power could easily be from Prosperos magic, after all magic was an unknown subject. We do not know the extent of its true nature and power. Ariel could be Prosperos power in magic form, yet Ariels connection to Sycorax (in which we are assuming is a real character in the play) discards the idea of Ariel being only a part of Prosperos imagination. It would also make the audience uneasy, mainly because it would make Prospero appear mad. Seeing things where others could not was a sign of mental illness, and is still considered dubious in modern society, it is not something people would consider normal. Therefore, Shakespeares great talent in the theatre would have most likely prevented him to even portray such a thing in the play. The contrast in tasks given to Ariel and Caliban by Prospero also shows us the contrast between their roles in The Tempest and indicates the how crucial Ariel is in the play, meaning once again she can not be reduced to Prosperos imagination. Caliban carries out menial tasks such as he does make our fire, fetch our wood and serves in offices which shows the similar parallel situation he is in with Ariel. Both are slaves to Prospero, and both to some extent represent two

The Tempest

sides of Prosperos conscience. Caliban can represent Prosperos hunger for power since Caliban is always complaining that the island belongs to him. Ariel appeals more towards Prosperos human nature, as in his compassionate side. It is because of Ariel that Prospero is able to accept the tragic part of his fate and able to forgive the people who betrayed him with an open heart. Compared to Caliban, Ariel on is given much more important jobs, but this is not because she means any more to Prospero than Caliban does, but simply because of her magic, which means Prospero need something from her, Prospero relies on Ariel to help him. Therefore, this rejects the idea that Ariel may have been formed from Prosperos own magic. Naturally, all the characters are created from Shakespeares imagination. However, we could say that his creation of Ariel as a magical being is extremely convenient in relation to the plot of the play. As previously stated, if it were not for Ariel, Prospero may have never ceased the opportunity to teach his traitors a lesson of moral value. If it were not for Ariel, then he would not have been able to carry out half the tasks he wanted to, such as distracting Stephano and Trinculo. Therefore, one could say that the traits Shakespeare has created for Ariel is highly convenient.

The Tempest