The 6ème and 5ème in the American Section are just wrapping up their work on The Tempest. They have not only discovered aspects of Elizabethan England and William Shakespeare but have also learned that Shakespeare’s plays can be accessible at any age.
One of our major projects revolved around the character Caliban. He is complex- at times appearing like a victim, and at times a villain. Shakespeare doesn’t describe him in detail, but he is referred to as an ugly creature, the “servant monster”, and confuses two other characters with his fish-like smell.
With only a few lines of the play available, and before seeing the different ways different directors of the play have decided to portray him, our students tried to imagine what Caliban could possibly look like.
They then wrote a text explaining their choices based on excerpts from the play and a variety of sea creatures. Most of them were surprised to discover how simply Caliban is often portrayed in live action versions of the play! Here are some versions, the first from a Clark University production, the second from The Globe Theatre production watched in class, and the last from the film released in 2010:
It seems that our students may have careers in set and costume design!
What do you think of our students portrayals of Caliban? Have you seen The Tempest?