Caliban and where all my research is starting...

Blog #5 – Research Project Source

            My research paper is on how the character of Caliban from The Tempest has been portrayed in different cultures over the years.  I chose this topic because while reading Takaki’s text for this class, there have been several moments that have jumped out at me that reference Caliban and how he was first introduced into the audiences.  I want to take a deeper look at this character by starting with the text and working out from there.

            The biggest source I am using for my research paper is the text for The Tempest by William Shakespeare.  I decided to use the Arden Shakespeare version because through the years of studying Shakespeare, this has been the best edition to use and learn from.  On every page there is a half a page of text and a half a page describing what is being said in the text.  It is very helpful when you are looking at the text and trying to figure out what Shakespeare was saying. 

            The Arden Shakespeare defines words, sentences, and phrases for you, and it also gives you references to what some of those things meant during that time period.  That is another big reason as to why this edition is helpful.  If there is a section of the text that isn’t completely described in the Arden edition, I have been using other versions of the text to see if it is better defined there.  I am also using the Lexicon Dictionaries which define every word Shakespeare ever used in his works.  They have been more than helpful for this research project.  I can only hope that I am on the right track with this paper and that it will be as interesting to others as it is to me.