One thing I kept noticing while reading The Tempest was how often Prospero would promise freedom to the spirit Ariel, but still continue to request more service from her. In Act 1 scene 2, Prospero says to Ariel, "thy charge exactly is performed; but there's more work" (238). While Ariel continues to carry out Prospero's requests time and time again in the play, Prospero is pleased and well aware of Ariel's desire to be free, but he continues to request more of her services. Finally in Act 5 scene 1, Prospero says "Thou shalt be free" at line 242, but at line 251, he turns to Ariel to request that she "set Caliban and his companions free." Ariel exits and is not seen again for the remainder of the play. The audience is deprived of witnessing the exact moment when Ariel is officially set free. Instead, the last time we see Ariel, she is still acting according to Prospero's orders.
While it is significant that Prospero saved Ariel from the "cloven pine" (1.2.277) and the witch Sycorax, he threatens to confine Ariel for "twelve winters" (1.2.296) if she fails to comply with his demands. While Prospero tries to remind Ariel of what worse fate she might have suffered if he had not freed her, he also shows himself to feel the same lack of compassion for the spirit as Sycorax did, which brings up the question of whether Ariel is truly better off in Prospero's service than in the service of Sycorax. This problematic relationship between spirit and master is also an issue because we never actually see Prospero carry out his promise to release Ariel from her sentence of servitude.
Emily Chang
Discussion 1C
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