For my piece, I chose to have the music resemble the various characters who attempt to guide Caliban away from his unsophisticated way of life and towards what the characters view as “acceptable” and proper behavior. The music I chose has one person singing in the background who has an almost hypnotizing effect. In the music, there are commanding words such as “machine,” “dance,” and “camouflage.” When I heard these words, I felt like they were very similar to what Caliban might have been told to do on the island by the other characters. Realizing this, I acted as Caliban, initially performing all the commands through movement, and trying to disguise myself as someone else. As the dance continues, the artist in the song says “there’s nothing to worry about.” I felt like this line represented how Caliban might have felt when he was first introduced to Prospero–a man he felt was of fatherly stature, and who convinced him that learning the English language would make him accepted by society. During this part of the music, I let myself completely submit to the voice and guide me in a different direction, only to realize at the end that there was something from my past that would never be let behind. This made me stop and change my path, leaving me halfway between two identities just as Caliban was when he learned the English language but still retained some parts of his past identity such as his physical appearance and behavioral mannerisms. This symbolized the anger Caliban felt while giving the speech I decided to focus on in Act One Scene Two.
Caliban most likely believed that, by following Prospero’s advice, he would be inducted into a world that finally accepted him. Instead, he was caught between two identities–one that would never be accepted by any of the characters on the island, and another that poorly mimicked a person of high class and sophistication. Furious, Caliban states that he wishes that he could use all of his mothers “charms” against Prospero, but Prospero is able to suppress his confidence and make Caliban return to slave like chores. This influenced me to act as if I were trying to gather up power to fight against the voices in the song while the lyrics sang “vast and limitless.” I believe the repetition of this phrase over and over nicely symbolized Caliban’s belief that he could beat Prospero, versus his inability to do so in reality. At the end of my piece, just like Caliban, I realize that overcoming Prospero’s power is a futile act. I therefore begin to break down to my natural state, ready to complete the tasks that lie ahead.