Which play has the character Caliban?
Answer
The Tempest
Answer
The Tempest
The play featuring the character Caliban is The Tempest.
Caliban is the son of Sycorax, a witch who previously ruled the island where much of the play takes place. After Prospero arrives with Miranda, he claims control of the island and forces Caliban into servitude. Caliban resents Prospero’s authority, yet he is also intelligent, emotionally vivid, and capable of speaking some of the play’s most memorable poetry.
Shakespeare describes Caliban as a strange or monstrous inhabitant, but productions have portrayed him in many ways: as a wild man, a deformed human, a fishlike creature, or a symbolic representation of colonized peoples. His relationship with Prospero has therefore prompted centuries of debate about power, language, slavery, and colonialism.
Readers sometimes confuse Caliban with Ariel, another supernatural figure in The Tempest. Ariel is an airy spirit who serves Prospero and longs for freedom; Caliban is an earthier island native who rebels against enslavement. Neither character belongs to Cymbeline, The Winter’s Tale, or A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Aug. 2026