In all textual versions, Ariel is referred to with the male pronoun 'his' twice in the entire play. The actor would not even have been able to sweep the food into a receptacle behind the table, since the theatre had seating on three sides. Ariel first appears in the second scene of the play to report to Prospero on his success in carrying out his command to shipwreck the King of Naples and his crew in a violent tempest. In the Summer of 2013, Colin Morgan played Ariel in the Globe Theatre in London. [6] Since the male actor Leslie French played the part in 1930, the role has been played by both men and women. A Titan in the Huntik: Secrets & Seekers franchise is named after and inspired by Ariel. After 12 years of pain (and the death of Sycorax), Ariel was released from his prison by Prospero, who pressed the spirit into his service. The novel series Théâtre Illuminata, by Lisa Mantchev, stars Ariel as one of the main characters, and he persists as so throughout the trilogy. The character of Ariel, as played by David Brandon, appears in the 1978 film Jubilee as a guide for Queen Elizabeth I visiting Queen Elizabeth II's England. 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. Ariel dutifully follows Prospero’s orders because his new master is more powerful than he and Prospero are not afraid to exact revenge. Ariel is somewhat gender neutral, although I believe he is most often portrayed by a man. The magician denies Ariel's request for freedom at this time, but promises that on the condition he follows the rest of his commands, he will grant his wish in two days. The character, named Shrimp, is also an air demon controlled by a magician. In Act III, Scene III, for example, when Ariel, as a harpy, is directed to clap his wings on a banquet table, he causes the food to disappear by a "quainte device". Others, however, such as Nick Mount on YouTube, consider Plath's earlier childhood fascination with The Tempest's character Ariel and view the poem as talking about creativity and the dangerous direction her creativity was taking her. Sylvia Plath's most famous book of poetry is the 1965 posthumously published Ariel. ", Reed, Robert R. Jr. "The Probable Origin of Ariel. Prospero declines, reminding him of the state he was in before Prospero rescued him: Ariel had been trapped by the witch Sycorax in a "cloven pine" as a punishment for resisting her commands. ThoughtCo uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. The Influence of Gender: Ariel and “The Tempest” The spirit of Ariel is a notable character in Shakespeare’s, The Tempest. Thus, having fulfilled all of Prospero's tasks, and Prospero himself now being free to leave the island, Ariel is set free. On the other side, Ceres may have been associated, by Shakespeare, to the Kairos figure, related to rhetorics, personating the opportune moment to present the convincing argument in a speech. Other scholars propose that the ca. Jewish demonology, for example, had a figure by the name of Ariel who was described as the spirit of the waters. What was needed was some sort of device to act on the signal of Ariel slapping his wings on the table. Ariel appears in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen as part of the first incarnation of the group, Prospero's Men, alongside her master and Caliban. Ariel adds that, as commanded, he saw that none of the group were harmed, but that all landed safely on the island, scattered and separated along the coast. It is therefore likely that one of the same group of young male actors would have played Ariel. Ariel is widely viewed as a male character, although this view has wavered over the years, especially in the Restoration, when, for the most part, women played the role. [2], Though the actual source Shakespeare used has not yet been determined, it seems clear that Shakespeare's Ariel and his relationship with Prospero reflects more closely the Renaissance idea of a neutral spirit under the control of a magician than the religious idea of a sprite. Shakespeare, however, refuses to make Ariel a will-less character, infusing him with desires and near-human feelings uncharacteristic of most sprites of this type. However, this line is in fact said by Puck from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, making the quote inaccurate. However, in the episode "And the Happily Ever Afters", she disguises herself as a human (Hayley McLaughlin), with the watch on her necklace. Time is allowed for the character to change from Ariel to Ceres and back. Ariel in "The Tempest" is only gendered twice, as described below: A stage direction refers to Ariel with the male pronoun: "Thunder and lightning. Ariel's actor would have been unable to hide the food himself, having harpy wings over his arms which cumbered movement. Ariel is male. Ariel is a spirit who appears in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest. Several of the scenes involving magic have clear instructions on how to create the illusion required, causing critics to make connections and guesses as to exactly what sort of technology would have been used in Shakespeare's troupe to stage Ariel's role in the play. Enter ARIEL, like a harpy; claps his wings upon the table; and, with a quaint device, the banquet vanishes." In the Geneva Bible, which Shakespeare and others of the time would have known, the entry carries an interesting footnote describing this Ariel as the "Lyon of God." Many readers know that the title of the poem was changed to "The Horse" for the less discerning newspaper readers and think the poem Ariel is simply about her riding a wild horse. During the restoration period, it became a tradition for female performers to play Ariel. If you're preparing to take a test or write an essay about William Shakespeare's "The Tempest," it's important that you have a good grasp of the characters in the play, such as Ariel. Another spirit, Uriel, is also comparable. [1], The '-el' ending of Shakespeare's name translates in Hebrew as 'God', placing Ariel inline with more benevolent spirits, many of which were listed in sorcery books published in Shakespeare's day with similar suffixes. [1] Several of these proposals are outlined below: – Randall Hutchins, on the nature of sprites in Shakespeare's day.