The Rebirth of Caliban
During a seminar, we discussed elements of The Tempest movie by Julie Taymor. While we were discussing a scene towards the end of the movie, I saw another scene that looked like the painting, The Birth of Venus. Based on how I thought of the painting from Caliban’s posture and the background, I believe that I recognized the painting because I think the scene was meant as an allusion to the painting.
Venus is the Roman goddess of love, sex, beauty, and fertility, appropriated from the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite. The story of The Birth of Venus is that Uranus, the god of the sky, was castrated by his son, Saturn, who was a leader of the Titans. The genitalia was thrown into the ocean and the blood (or in some versions, the semen) mixed with the sea foam from which Venus was born out of a seashell.
The story of Venus’s birth correlates with The Tempest since it was at the end of play. From the beginning of the play, Caliban plans on revenge against Prospero, who has enslaved Caliban. Caliban is representative of Venus because he is “reborn” at the end of the play when he forgives Prospero. By forgiving Prospero, Caliban is “reborn” as more human. The water itself is a symbol too since water symbolizes change.
You must have a very keen eye to notice such staging choices and camera work that bear resemblances to a a painting from the late 1480s. It seems a bit of a stretch to suggest that the director had intended for that scene to resemble the painting, but it does seem like it could be a possibility given their meanings and significance. Caliban does represent Venus in that they do both get "reborn" thanks to water, the element of transformation, since Prospera uses water in discarding of her staff and power, thus allowing Caliban to be "reborn" to begin with. But why would the director want Caliban to represent Venus? I did some research on Venus, and it appears that is a goddess of prosperity and victory, among other things. So, it could be the intent of the director that Caliban had attained victory and will soon be able to indulge in future prosperity since he was reborn.
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