ariel was in the tree before prospero set him free.
ariel was in the tree before prospero set him free.
where was ariel before prospero set him free?
the tree
prospero uses magic grounded in science and reality — the kind that was studied by agrippa and dee. prospero studied and gradually was able to develop the kind of power represented by ariel, which extended his abilities. sycorax’s magic was not capable of something like ariel: "ariel is a spirit too delicate to act her earthy and abhored commands." prospero's rational goodness enables him to control ariel, where sycorax can only trap him in a tree. sycorax's magic is described as destructive and terrible, where prospero's is said to be wondrous and beautiful. prospero seeks to set things right in his world through his magic, and once that is done, he renounces it, setting ariel free.
the tempest
ariel first appears in the second scene of the play to report to prospero on his success in carrying out his command to shipwreck the king of naples and his crew in a violent tempest. ariel adds that, as commanded, he saw that none of the group were harmed, but that all landed safely on the island, scattered and separated along the coast. after being praised by prospero, ariel pleads for his freedom from the magician's service in return. prospero declines, reminding him of the state he was in before prospero rescued him: ariel had been trapped by the witch sycorax in a "cloven pine" as a punishment for resisting her commands. after 12 years of pain (and the death of sycorax), ariel was released from his prison by prospero, who pressed the spirit into his service. the magician denies ariel's request for freedom at this time, but promises that on the condition he follows the rest of his commands, he will grant his wish in two days. for the rest of the play, ariel is prospero's eyes and ears—spying on the shipwrecked sailors in invisible form, but only prospero can see ariel.
ariel (the tempest)