234 UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO STUDIES 



courteously, if somewhat briefly. He then makes the most profound of human 

 reflections: "We are such stuff as dreams are made on": all that is of the senses 

 fades away, and changes to something rich and strange, and we at the core are spirits 

 such as produce and are our dreams. This reflection, in its disturbing reaction, 

 recalls that incarnation of sense, the beast Caliban, who is as far as possible from 

 his master's ideal. Hence, accordingly, Ariel's next service is the disciplining of 

 the three valorous companions whom he had led to the "filthy-mantled pool." 



Prospero commands Ariel to bring a load of glistening apparel' with which to 

 keep the minds of the three companions turned away from their true purposes of 

 destroying the books of Prospero, Prospero himself, and Miranda. This plan sue. 

 ceeds in spite of Caliban's superiority to the allurements that overcome fool and 

 butler. Mountain, Silver, Fury, Tyrant are the symbolic names of the hounds by 

 which these ignorant wretches are hunted. 



In the fifth act Ariel performs two more services for Prospero. As the scene 

 opens, he reminds his master of his promise of liberty. Prospero is not unmindful 

 of what he has promised. In Ariel's reply to the wizard's question concerning the 

 king and his followers, the description of Gonzalo is such that Ariel himself is almost 

 touched by the contemplation of mortal woe; but Ariel is not human in the sense 

 of mortal. When Prospero sees that Ariel himself has a feeling of their afiiiction, 

 his austerity is moved, and he makes a speech at once tragic and magnanimous. 

 Ariel is dispatched to free the king and his followers; the worst of whom are now 

 weak and distracted, while the others mourn over them in a common fellowship of 

 misery and "heart -sorrow." Ariel fetches them to the cell of Prospero, where they 

 learn to know their real characters in the vivid words of the magician. After this 

 event Ariel sings his song of freedom, with better reason than Caliban had had after 

 forming his league with the butler and the fool. The simple playfulness of the 

 song is superficially astonishing as the expression of the liberty of a being of such 

 power, knowledge, and ubiquity. After the song, which is a cry of joy, Ariel receives 

 a commission to bring the sailors to the cell of learning. While performing this 

 service he incidentally sets the ship to rights. Ariel, now ends his arduous tasks by 

 fetching Caliban and his two companions to Prospero, who rates them soundly and 

 gives them employment. Prospero's last words to Ariel are: 



"My Ariel, chick, 



That is thy charge." 

 Alluding to the success of the voyage to Italy: 



"then to the elements 



Be free, and fare thou well!" 

 It is clear that the play off'ers no dearth of facts about Ariel. These facts, too, have the 

 similarities and significant relationships necessary for generalization. During the 

 action Ariel appears as one who is much freer than he has been and much less free 



" Cf. Sartor Rcsartus. 



