Talk:Ariel (The Tempest)

He vs She

Just a question. If Ariel is often referred to as he, couldn't that be translated as 'it' in modern english? 'He' and 'his' were often used instead of 'it' in his time. Wrad 22:59, 29 April 2007 (UTC)

Good point, the masculine was the default so this is a distinct possibility. Thanks, George D. Watson (Dendodge).Talk^{Help and assistance} 17:37, 23 February 2008 (UTC)

Role in the play

This article does okay outlining gender issues (although it needs sources). One huge hole in the article though is that it has no outline of her role in the play. For an example of such a section, see Gertrude (Hamlet), or King Hamlet. Wrad 23:50, 28 June 2007 (UTC)

I fixed this. Right now I'm trying to get this article to GA status. Wrad 02:02, 30 June 2007 (UTC)

First sentence

I'm glad this article makes clear that Ariel is a fictional sprite instead of, you know, the other kind :)

Is that comment really necessary? Please sign your posts and only contribute things that will help the article. The writer of the article was probably trying to avoid writing about the character in an in-universe manner. Thanks, George D. Watson (Dendodge).Talk^{Help and assistance} 17:42, 23 February 2008 (UTC)

This reads too much like someone invested in what they are saying, but only there to tell you what you already know. Such a work needs a better edit. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.244.190.66 (talk) 04:21, 6 November 2010 (UTC)

Post-Colonial Theory Section

Should this section be here? The Tempest was written before the colonial era so it's hard to see how it's relevant - maybe to an article about Shakespeare in post-colonial theory, but not here. Jpiccone (talk)

It's fine for the article to include modern interpretations, if they are WP:DUE. We would need someone with the appropriate background to comment on that, but the red link in "Psychology of Colonization by Octave Mannoni" does not inspire confidence. On the other hand, the material has been there a long time, see November 2007. Johnuniq (talk) 03:22, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

Moved the section here for further discussion:

===Post-colonialism===

Beginning in about 1950, with the publication of Psychology of Colonization by Octave Mannoni, The Tempest was viewed more and more through the lens of post-colonial theory. This new way of looking at the text explored the effect of the coloniser (Prospero) on the colonised (Ariel and Caliban). Though Ariel is often overlooked in these debates in favour of the more intriguing Caliban, he is still involved in many of the debates. The French writer Aimé Césaire, in his play Une Tempête, sets The Tempest in Haiti; Ariel is portrayed as a mulatto who, unlike the more rebellious Caliban, feels that negotiation and partnership is the way to freedom from the colonizers. Fernandez Retamar sets his version of the play in Cuba, portraying Ariel as a wealthy Cuban (in comparison to the lower-class Caliban) who also must choose between rebellion or negotiation. Although scholars have suggested that his dialogue with Caliban in Act two, Scene one, contains hints of a future alliance between the two when Prospero leaves, in general, Ariel is viewed by scholars as the good servant, in comparison with the conniving Caliban — a view which Shakespeare's audience would have shared. Ariel is used by some postcolonial writers as a symbol of their efforts to overcome the effects of colonisation on their culture. Michelle Cliff, for example, a Jamaican author, has said that she tries to combine Caliban and Ariel within herself to create a way of writing that better represents her culture. Such reference to Ariel in postcolonial thought is not uncommon; Ariel is even the name of a scholarly journal covering post-colonial criticism. Kelsey Ridge argued that Ariel, and not Caliban, is the rightful owner of the island and that Caliban, who claims the island, is the son of the colonizer who stole the island from Ariel's people.

Larkusix (talk) 18:52, 28 September 2019 (UTC)

References