In William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Ariel is the spirit who serves Prospero. Ariel is a magical spirit bound to Prospero after the magician frees him from imprisonment inside a pine tree. The imprisonment was imposed by Sycorax, a witch who ruled the island before Prospero arrived.
Ariel carries out many of Prospero’s commands, including creating the violent storm that brings the ship carrying Alonso and his companions to the island. Despite the frightening spectacle, Ariel ensures that nobody is physically harmed. Throughout the play, Ariel spies on the shipwrecked group, disrupts plots against Prospero, and helps guide events toward reconciliation.
A central tension in Ariel’s story is the spirit’s desire for freedom. Prospero repeatedly promises to release Ariel after the remaining tasks are completed, and the promise is finally fulfilled near the play’s end. Ariel is sometimes described as male, female, or gender-neutral in performance, so the name—not a fixed human identity—is the key point.
Titania, Oberon, and Puck are characters from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, not The Tempest.