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Scene from the Tempest: Caliban, Prospero and Miranda

Etcher Thomas Rowlandson British
Subject William Shakespeare British
1783–87, reissued 1801
Not on view
Prospero here shields Miranda from the malevolant Caliban in an image inspired by act 1, scene 2 of Shakepeare's "Tempest." The text of the play reveals that, when the magician and his daughter exiled to this remote island, they encountered this sub-human offspring of a witch, welcomed him into their cave, and taught him to speak. Later, when the monster attempted to rape Miranda, Prospero devised spells to control him and force him into servitude. Rowlandson based this etching a drawing by Mortimer, a close friend, for a series published between 1784 and 1788.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Scene from the Tempest: Caliban, Prospero and Miranda
  • Series/Portfolio: Imitations of Modern Drawings
  • Etcher: Thomas Rowlandson (British, London 1757–1827 London)
  • Artist: After John Hamilton Mortimer (British, Eastbourne 1740–1779 London)
  • Subject: William Shakespeare (British, Stratford-upon-Avon 1564–1616 Stratford-upon-Avon)
  • Date: 1783–87, reissued 1801
  • Medium: Etching
  • Dimensions: Sheet: 9 5/16 x 12 15/16 in. (23.7 x 32.8 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1953
  • Object Number: 53.638.19
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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