Ariel: The Free Spirit Who Is Not Yet Free
First appears: Act 1, Scene 2
Ariel was imprisoned inside a cloven pine by the witch Sycorax for twelve years before Prospero freed Ariel. The first scene in Act 1, Scene 2 establishes the deal immediately: Ariel has done everything asked of Ariel, asks for freedom, Prospero refuses and reminds Ariel of Sycorax at length. Ariel accepts: two more days, then release.
Every task is carried out: creating the storm, luring Ferdinand with music, appearing as a harpy to terrorise the court party in Act 3, Scene 3, monitoring Caliban and Stephano's plot. The work is precise and apparently willing. But the desire for freedom never fully disappears. Ariel asks again in Act 1 and is told to wait.
Ariel's song 'Full fathom five thy father lies' in Act 1, Scene 2 is one of Shakespeare's most musical passages: a transformation of grief into beauty, drawing Ferdinand toward the island with wonder. It is also Ariel doing a job: following orders. The line between genuine feeling and performance is never quite visible in Ariel, which is what makes the character so interesting.
Key Scenes
Famous Quotes
“Full fathom five thy father lies; of his bones are coral made.”
Ariel — Act 1, Scene 2
“Where the bee sucks, there suck I.”
Ariel — Act 5, Scene 1
Themes
Other Characters in The Tempest
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