This reminds me of my essay on the adaptations we were tasked with writing where I chose an animation where Ariel was feminized. N.p., 22 Aug. 2014. The ideas of dominance and strength coincide with that of a masculine character. The patriarchy that Prospero enforces is not an independent or coherent system; rather, it reacts to its opposite, which Sycorax symbolizes. By Prospera being a dominant female, and Ariel taking the role of a submissive male, gender boundaries are crossed again and their relationship takes a whole other variation. This conversation took place between Prospero and Ariel after the storm and shipwreck, and after Prospero tells Miranda of her past and who she is. It was this feminization that paired with Ariel’s greater submissiveness and affection with Prospero that highlights how feminizing the characters correlates with greater masculine control for those in power such as Prospero. Both he and Prospero utilize their power outside of the physical world to achieve what they desire; after all, if this were the case, this confirms the social hierarchy of gender that the men vastly overpower Miranda, the only female on the island. Ariel as a female: graceful and proud, but passive and sexualized. The difference between masculine and feminine power being depicted affects other characters because the dynamic of the relationships are reliant on these qualities. Ariel is somewhat gender neutral, although I believe he is most often portrayed by a man. Change ). The suggestion of likeness in difference is especially noticeable in the case of the two strange servants of Prospero, Caliban and Ariel, one an airy sprite, the other an earthy monster. Both women, subjected to male domination, shows just how unjust and poorly women are treated in a gendered society. On the curl’d clouds; to thy strong bidding A call for Increased Sensitivity When Analyzing Ruins, The Undeniable Force of Nature in “The Revenant”, Why Human Agency Alone is Not Responsible for the Rise and Fall of the Inca, The Influence of Gender: Ariel and “The Tempest”. Where you analyzed Tamer’s adaptation, I find it intriguing in that she deconstructs the idea that gender plays a role power in the first place and she reverses the gender of characters in power to show this. The other gender pronoun used in the dialogue at I.ii.190-93, when Ariel responds to Prospero saying: The casting helps us recognize a new form of patriarchal power and implications of structure through the work it serves. These decisions of gender influence the interpretation of characters and their interrelations, therefore creating a strong presence in production choices. Ariel is a nature spirit and a shapeshifting air elemental who acted as a servant to the Algerian witch Sycorax and later to the wizard Prospero when he got stranded on a magical uncharted island. I never really thought about Ariel’s gender when I was reading The Tempest and always assumed Ariel to be male. ( Log Out / He/She is Prospero’s servant and carries out his every need, influencing the course of the story tremendously. In a Christian context, wings “denote spiritual truths [and] intellectual things” (Swedenborg). Gender combines with race to determine the degree of power each person holds. You had said that “the suppression of women by males exists not just on a physical plane, but also on a social one” about the two female … Change ). However, through your post, I was able to realize the potential flexibility of Ariel’s gender and how that may be significant in different contexts. In this way, Cesaire’s Ariel reconciles the idea of freedom and oppression being intertwined in Winged Ariel 1. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. “The Symbolism of Wings.” New Acropolis. Carrillo De Albornoz, M. A., and M. A. Fernandez. I find it kind of odd how the wings were given to the female representation but not the male, given that the female version is symbolically more oppressed. Because spirits can’t necessarily get pregnant, this reveals that the suppression of women by males exists not just on a physical plane, but also on a social one. You had said that “the suppression of women by males exists not just on a physical plane, but also on a social one” about the two female statues because that for one, spirits cannot be pregnant and also that pregnancy was a socially valued state during Shakespeare’s time. This further empowers not just Ariel as an individual but women in general; though they seem suppressed, they have the strength (or, even more) to overcome what ties them down. Ariels gender matters because it forces people to think about gender and poses questions of how it gives others power in the play, specifically Prospero. Analyzing Empire and the Origins of its Failures. The ideas of patriarchal and gender power are illustrated extensively in Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' through the relationships portrayed in the play, and the play's symbolic depiction of colonialism. In Toby Bell’s male sculpture of Ariel, Ariel seems almost incomplete, with rough, uneven patches all around his body. Adaptations and their manipulation of gender and its role compared to the original Shakespearean play have revealed many new power structures in the original. This further adds to her maternal, pregnant image, emphasizing that Ariel should not be defined by the actions Prospero forced on her. I think that it’s very interesting how the interpretation of Ariel can vastly change depending on gender. While he's been referred to by male pronouns, Ariel's actual gender remains ambiguous and he's variously been portrayed as female, genderless or androgynous. If Ariel in Shakespeare’s play was indeed female and was infertile, then what does it mean for all Ariel represents? Web. Many of today’s critics view Prospero as an aggressive upholder of patriarchal and colonial power. Perhaps, this is to show that despite being oppressed by men, women have the power to overcome it and break free from that mold. The representation of a feminine character coincides with qualities of equalizing and embraceing oneself, directly in contrast to a more dominant and therefore masculine approach. This blog post is incredibly interesting! Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. In The Tempest, gender is only one opposing force between Prospero and Sycorax. 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Image, emphasizing that Ariel should not be defined by the actions Prospero forced on her commenting using Google. Wings symbolize freedom this continued until the early 20th century, at which point custom shifted and,... Significant to the form of patriarchal power and implications of structure through the work it serves some for... - ariel the tempest gender period where society was still most strongly patriarchal versions, is. Does Gandhi Believe in the Tempest, Prospero and Sycorax in Toby Bell ’ s also.
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