the altered tempest.

"Ariel and Caliban" William Bell Scott. 1865.
Victorian Web.

Even though I haven't found much on Victorian ritualism and magic in Shakespeare's plays, it's on my brain all the time. But I have been finding some very interesting things on Shakespeare's Victorian stage in general. In this post, I'll focus more on what I've found out about Victorian appropriations of The Tempest, specifically on the character of Caliban.

One thing I found out about Victorian productions of The Tempest was that the character of Caliban was changed to not be seen as so diabolical a figure as audiences saw him out to be, but instead he was made into a more human and tragic figure, who was softer and sadder than what many claim the original Caliban was. There are even some claims of Caliban's change in character being influenced by Darwin's Origin of Species, aiding even further anti-slavery movements. Before the more humanistic Caliban hit the stage, many productions, mostly directed by Frank Benson, portrayed Caliban as a monkey-like creature, hanging from the trees that were on set. Benson even researched and observed primates to make sure that Caliban had the movements and the mannerisms of an animal (Keiser). Also, the character of Caliban was seen as the "star" of the play, and the role was oftentimes filled by the most famous actors of the time. Every actor wanted the opportunity to portray the tragic character and to really let their talents really shine through (Keiser).

"Miranda and Caliban" James Ward.
The Illustrated Shakespeare.

I've also been looking at paintings of Caliban that were produced in the 19th century, and it's interesting that even though the character in the play was altered to become more human and emotional, the pictorial representations of Caliban were still very animalistic. Perhaps the artists knew that the easiest way for viewers to distinguish who Caliban is in the painting would be to hold true to the centuries of portraying Caliban as a monster and an animal.













Keiser, Melissa. "Pre-twentieth Century Productions of The Tempest". Web. http://www2.cedarcrest.edu/academic/eng/lfletcher/tempest/papers/MKeiser.htm