Reflection
My reaction to this scene from Shakespeare’s The Tempest Act 2, Scene 2 was simple: it was racist and I couldn’t understand a word they were saying. It makes sense considering Shakespeare wrote in a unique language back in the 16th Century. But as a modern audience that speaks in a simplistic and straightforward language, we have a language that is completely different than our ancestors five hundred years ago. Not only has our language changed, but also our viewpoints on other people, mainly people of color. This scene of The Tempest showed a strong theme of racism and my goal for this unessay project was to rewrite this scene. Not only to make it understandable through a modern English language but also to remove the racist comments to see how much it compares itself to the original with strong racist elements.
Stephano and Trinculo’s interactions with Caliban included hateful words such as devil, monster, and especially mooncalf. They made themselves feel superior to Caliban just because they presumed their society and culture were more sophisticated compared to Caliban’s, seeing him as wild and untethered. What’s worse about it is they made him feel small and convinced him to follow them on their quest to survive on this island. I didn’t want that to slide. So instead, I edited the language so it seems the duo is asking for his help and making him swear by the bottle just in case he does anything to go back on his word. Of course, Trinculo is still speculative, not because of his skin color, but because he might betray them for their supplies and stuff. Needless to say, I tried to make it as understanding as I could.
That response to literature matters because white people have spent our entire human existence pushing aside people of color, calling them out as uncivilized, and making their stories go unheard. Today’s society should work to make their stories heard and ensure diversity is represented through all sorts of people. Someday, I hope to have all of the negative stereotypes against other races die out so we can ensure our species can coexist in peace. Looking back on historical works of literary works like Shakespeare helps teach us what racist mistakes we made in our writing and gives us the motivation we need to improve on writing works of fiction in the future. It’s unfair to have other stories get pushed aside because people get judgemental because of a person’s skin color and way of life.
Jan Grue made a good point on how disabled people are generally the target of villain characters in media. He specifically mentioned how the villains from the James Bond franchise all had certain disabled traits, from deformed faces to items replacing their hands. These people were called deformed yet they all had to face the generic handsome white guy with the numerous sexual innuendo one-liners that would not pass in films today. Films airing in the 1900s at the time with disabled rep weren’t treated fairly, no matter how hard an effort was made to showcase them in a protagonist rep.
The 1932 movie Freaks featured a cast of circus performers who had real-life disabilities, ranging from Siamese twins to having no legs, and dwarfism. The film didn’t gain as much attention as the film was too scary to be shown in most countries, being banned on occasion. 30 minutes of the film’s original screenplay was even cut, becoming lost media. The movie posed the circus performers as people who were treated harshly by an evil, greedy woman who dislikes them and wants to exploit them for money. Behind the camera, the performers were subrogated to discrimination, not being allowed on the studio lot and forced to reside in a makeshift tent during filming. The film was too grotesque for the time, but I’m glad to see it’s gaining some new light after emerging 91 years later.
I am glad to see more emergence in media today where we have positive reps in race, disability, and sexuality. An example that I like right now is a character named Fizzarolli from the indie animated series Helluva Boos on YouTube. He’s an imp with prosthetic limbs and broken horns after he lost them in a fire when he was young. Since recovering, he’s gained fame in the entertainment industry, though he’s subjugated to peer pressure from his greedy boss Mammom. Though he was originally portrayed as a villain in his first appearance, he later serves as a sympathetic character in his latest episode Mammon’s Magnificent Musical Mid-Season Special (ft. Fizzarolli) where he struggles to accept himself for what he was and desires to want more to keep the life he has, including his fame, security, and the love of a demon of higher class, the Sin of Lust Asmodeus (the two have a healthy gay romantic relationship that is powerfully wholesome, more evidence of positive queer representation). Seeing Fizzarolli go through thick and thin to gain the life he wants and be the person he wants sot be is very powerful.
Overall, I wish for better representation in media and wanted to portray what an updated version of this scene from The Tempest should be like. I felt very bad for Caliban when he was treated the way he was by Stephano and Trinculo. My only reaction when reading this and watching the video was These are just two drunk guys dishing on a native to the land and presuming he’s a savage because he looks and behaves differently from them. It seemed unfair for this scene to get passed off to others reading it and assuming this is how to act in front of others. Long story short, don’t be racist, and watch what you say, even when you’re drunk. Also, don’t force other people to drink, it’s not good for you by any means.
The Tempest Lines 90-195
TRINCULO: Wait, I know that voice. It can’t be, I thought he drowed. I’m surrounded by strangers. I need help!
STEPHANO: Whatever this thing is, it’s got four legs and two mouths! Yet the second voice sounds like my friend. It does sound a bit scratchy and detached. Sweet booze, please ease me of this pain so I can save my friend. I must help him. Come here (drinks alcohol). Amen! Better pour some on this guy’s mouth.
TRINCULO: Stephano!
STEPHANO: Is that my friend calling me? Please, spare me. Dear sir, if you have my friend, I will not leave him. I got nowhere else to go.
TRINCULO: Stephano! Is that you Stephano? Speak to me, man, it’s me Trinculo—don’t be afraid—I am your good friend Trinculo.
STEPHANO: If you are Triculo, come here. Are these by any chance your legs? Come out if they are. (He pulls them out from under Caliban’s cloak). Bro! You are Trinculo. What are you doing here with this young man? Can he speak Trinculo?
TRINCULO: I needed his help to survive the storm. Did you not drown, Stephano? I hope you didn’t Stephano. Did the storm pass? I hid behind this man because I was afraid of the storm. Are you alive, Stephano? Oh, Stephano, by Neapolitan’s Scape!
STEPHANO: Don’t get on my nerves, bud. My stomach’s not feeling well.
CALIBAN: (Aside) These men are so strange. They’re definitely not fairies. That energetic guy does have some kind of magical drink. I better kneel before him. (Crawls from under the cloak)
STEPHANO: (To Trinculo) So how did you escape? Why didn’t you come to find me? Swear by my drink you were going to find me — I escaped in a sack of butter that the sailors threw overboard — with this bottle, which I made from tree bark with my own hands ever since I came to shore.
CALIBAN: I swear upon your bottle that I will help you as your drink is not natural on Earth.
STEPHANO: (To Trinculo) Here. Tell me how you escaped.
TRINCULO: I swam to shore, man, like a duckie. I swear, man, I swim just like a duck.
STEPHANO: Here, kiss the bottle. (Trinculo drinks) You may swim like a duck, but you made it look like a goose.
TRINCULO: Um, Stephanom do you have any more of this?
STEPHANO: I got plenty, man. My case of booze washed up against a rock on the seaside, where the wind blows high. So then, uh, why doesn’t this guy complain about all this?
CALIBAN: Did you not drop down from Heaven?
STEPHANO: We dropped from the moon, I believe. It was out when the storm was.
CALIBAN: I do adore you, fun men. I can let you stay in my shelter in the bush, with my wife and dog.
STEPHANO: Really? Then swear to it by this drink. Kiss the bottle. If you help us, we’ll tell you all about us and our world. Swear it.
(Caliban drinks.)
TRINCULO: This man does seem like he could use some help as well. I fear for him. He’s physically weak. This man has potential and we shall help him.
CALIBAN: I’ll show you around my land, every inch of this island. Help me and I shall help you, my new friends.
TRINCULO: This a great day! This is a wondrous man. Wherever he goes, we shall drink beside him.
CALIBAN: I’ll be your friend if you shall be mine.
STEPHANO: Come on, then. Side with me and swear it.
(Caliban Kneels)
TRINCULO: I gotta admit, this is fun. Wash up on shore for a day and meet a native wanting to befriend us. If only the captain were here so I could beat him—
STEPHANO: Kiss the bottle.
TRINCULO: —but that man doesn’t know the drink. He probably won’t handle it.
CALIBAN: I will show you where to find the freshest of fruits and the healthiest springs of water. I’ll show you how to fish and cut down trees for firewood. If anybody harms you, I’ll fight them back. If you promise not to harm me back, I will help you, wondrous men.
TRINCULO: Okay, there’s no way he’s going to drink to all of that, especially when we can just do it naturally.
CALIBAN: Come on, bud. Take me to where the crabs are. As a man with long nails, instruct me on how to find the forest so we can navigate this place. Stephano, wanna come with me?
STEPHANO: I’ll go with you bud. Lead the way, but let’s keep the talking at a minimum. Triculo, our new friend, we will stay here. Here, take this bottle, Trinculo, we’ll fill it up later once we find more.
CALIBAN: (Sings drunkenly) Farewell, master, farewell, farewell.
TRINCULO: One man’s a howling monster, and another’s a drunken monster.
CALIBAN” *sings*
No more dams I’ll make for fish,
Nor fetch in firing
At requiring,
Nor scrape trenchering, nor wash dish.
’Ban, ’ban, Ca-caliban
Has a new master. Get a new man.
Freedom, high-day! High-day, freedom! Freedom,
high-day, freedom!
STEPHANO: Oh brave Trinculo, Lead the way!
(They exit.)
Works Cited
Grue, Jan. “The Disabled Villain: Why Sensitivity Reading Can’t Kill off This Ugly Trope.”
The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 14 Mar. 2023,
Kelly, Alan. “The Controversial History of Tod Browning’s ‘Freaks.’” Collider, 3 Nov. 2023,
Shakespeare, William. “The Tempest – Act 2, Scene 2.” Folger Shakespeare Library, 1610, http://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/the-tempest/read/2/2/.
collider.com/freaks-history-tod-browning/.
Viziepop. “Helluva Boss – Mammon’s Magnificent Musical Mid-Season Special (Ft
Fizzarolli) // S2: Episode 7.” YouTube, YouTube, 29 Oct. 2023,
Sprockets and Springes 