The Student Room Group

Is Caliban a noble savage?

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Was Caliban a noble savage before Prospero & Miranda colonised him, or does he become one?
If a noble savage is someone not corrupted by being civilised I personally think he is. He seems far better at using English (his non native language) than prospero, as in his 'be not afeared, the isle is full of noises, sounds and sweet airs' speech. He uses poetic language more appropriately than prospero as he uses it when describing the island's beauty whereas prospero uses it to describe pain, e.g. Ariel's groans 'as fast as mill wheels strike'. His better use of language I think shows his natural state is poetic and appreciative. A counter point would be that he uses similar language to prospero to curse. For example Caliban's 'toads, beetles, bats light on you' can be compared to Prospero threatening Caliban with 'cramps, side stitches'. This would suggest that Caliban's 'profit' of learning language is indeed that he knows 'how to curse' suggesting he has been corrupted by civilisation.

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