The position of Ariel relative to the remainder of the scene depicted in Hogarth's painting emphasizes his detachment and omnipotence with respect to the rest of the play. A storm rages in the background of the painting, causing the human characters to take cover under a large rock. Ariel, on the other hand, hovers above the shelter of the rock. By foregoing shelter during the storm, Ariel proves his ethereality by withstanding the tempest without constructed refuge. Furthermore, Ariel is physically distanced from the rest of the characters; the space between them represents the gap in power between their humanity and Ariel’s spiritual status. Of the other characters, Ariel is closest to Prospero, who holds the most of power of the humans. Ariel’s separation from the humans characters echoes the capacity he shows earlier in the scene when he describes the storm he created to “[disperse] them ‘bout the isle” (1.2.220). Additionally, he is furthest from Caliban, who is arguably the least human of the cast; he has many animal characteristics, setting him farther apart from Ariel than the additional characters. Caliban also has a pack of branches on his back, weighing him down. As described previously in the comparison of Ariel with Prospero, Ariel has wings and is floating above the scene. This gradient of humanity shows that Ariel is distant in terms of power from the rest of the characters.
In addition to his separate position, Ariel’s features also provide insight into Hogarth’s interpretation of the text. Ariel appears to be averting his eyes from the scene below; a variety of reasons could exist for this expression. One possibility is that Ariel, as an omniscient character disconnected from the cast, is already aware of what will occur in this scene of the play. He has no need to watch it, as he already knows what will happen. This omniscience could refer to Ariel’s lines later in the play that appear to predict the future, such as in Act 3, Scene 3, where he prophesizes to Alonso, Sebastian, and Antonio, describing his visions as their “clear [lives] ensuing” (3.3.82). An additional explanation for Ariel’s lack of attention towards the other characters is that he could be embarrassed about or otherwise negatively inclined towards their emotionally driven actions. As a being with emotional needs distinct from those of the humans in the play, Ariel is portrayed as disconcerted by the characters’ behaviors. Ariel is also playing a lute in the painting. By providing background music to the scene, he sets the mood while establishing himself as separate from the story. Ariel’s unique actions and features reflect his distance from the human happenings of The Tempest.