Caliban

[kal-uh-ban]

noun

1. a character in Shakespeare's The Tempest, described as the half-human native inhabitant of the island, who is enslaved by the character Prospero.

Caliban

/ ˈkælɪˌbæn /

noun

1. a brutish or brutalized man

Word History and Origins

Origin of Caliban¹

First recorded in 1610–15; probably a variant of cannibal ( def. ) or Carib ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of Caliban¹

C19: after a character in Shakespeare's The Tempest (1611)

Example Sentences

But Prospero is jolted into an awareness that Caliban and his confederates are plotting “a foul conspiracy” against his life, and he abruptly ends the show.

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“The isle is full of noises,” sings Caliban, and on Tuesday night it certainly was.

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Characterizing Jones’ place in the theater world, the Times labeled him in 2012 “a stalwart New York actor” equally comfortable playing Othello or Caliban as he was playing a serial killer in a contemporary drama set on Rikers Island.

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In the Act New Directions: 64 pages, $19 Binstead’s Safari New Directions: 224 pages, $16 Mrs. Caliban New Direction: 128 pages, $14 If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookstores.

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In addition to “Caliban” and “Safari,” this month New Directions rereleased her 1987 short novel, “In the Act,” as part of its Storybook series.

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