Caliban and Smerdyakov

First things first. When I was a child my family had a bay Hanoverian by the name of Caliban. He was beautiful, but until I read the tempest I had absolutely no idea were the name came from. Honestly I thought my mother made it up (LOL).


Caliban



In a piece entitled "Philosophical Anthropology and Dostoevsky's 'Legend of the Grand Inquisitor" author Ellis Sandoz refers to Smerdyakov from The Brother Karamozov as a, "moral Caliban and biological half brother and son of Ivan" (Sandoz).

Smerdyakov





Both Smerdyakov and Caliban have interesting features make them similar. In the case of physical appearances both characters lack a certain verisimilitude. Meaning both are of them by all intensive purposes are described as human. The use of the term human is more loosely used in the case of Caliban because he is described as have attributes of a fish. Along those same lines both characters are described as having a peculiar odor. They are both stinky individuals, and like the old saying goes, "cleanliness is close to godliness" which in some ways may have implications the odor that they both emit lend to there less than human nature, since man was after all created in the image of the creator. In relation to Smerdyakov it seems his fishy looking exterior is manifested in his greased hair and oddly immaculate exterior. His clothes are out of fashion but sharp, and his boots are well polished. It could also be mentioned that Smerdyakov is also a epileptic which also removes him just a little more from the norm, even though this is not a physical deformity it is non the less a handicap of sorts.

In terms of there roles in thee perspective stories both also fill a similar role. Not only are they both outsiders because of physical attributes they are both disenfranchised heirs. In the case of Caliban he and his mother ruled the island until Prospero came to town. Caliban's mother Sycorax is offed by Prospero and now the heir to the rule of the island becomes slave to Prospero. In much the same way this is the plight of Smerdyakov. He is presumeably the son of Fyodor Karamozov just like the other three brothers, however Smerdyakov is denied any entitlement to the family estate and is resigned to be nothing more but Karamozov's epileptic cook.

This all seems pretty straight forward and where the confusion comes in is Smerdyakov as a "moral Caliban." I don't necessarilly find one more moral than the other in terms of their actions. However it may be reference to Smerdyakov plight being similar to the moral of Caliban. Or it could be that Smerdyakov story is a moral version of Calibans story. In my opinion Smerdyakov is the moral Caliban because he was for all intensive purposes trying to do the right thing. The guy had a fucked up child hood followed by a even more awkward adult life, where he was osstrisized and neglegted by his family, and when they did have any connection with him is was either to use or abuse him. Unlike Caliban Smerdyakov gives what he received, place in there a moral, "Treat those as you woulde have done unto yourself. Otherwise you are either going to have your head bashed in with an iron paper weight, framed for murder, or driven insane by the truth." The moral Caliban.