In The Tempest by Shakespeare, Caliban has a striking penchant for swearing. This comes to be his way of resisting domination, as the servant slave to Prospero. In this sense, swearing becomes a form of power, as well as a way for Caliban to express his fervent frustrations of being exploited by Prospero. Words, particularly curse words, are his only weapons and he is able to use them effectively.
Swearing allows us to explore and convey strong emotions. In some cases, there is nothing more effective to convey emotion than a single swear word. In Caliban's case, they allow him to express his vehemence and desire to be freed from servitude. Using the Prospero's own language against him, Caliban is able to take a stand against his master.
Even more than the transfer of information, swear words contain emotional meaning. They are often more convenient, intuitive and effective than it would be to describe one’s own emotions without them. It doesn't have to be used with ill intent. At the end of the day, it simply emphasizes a point.
The true power of swearing come in the intent. Swearing are extremely versatile in nature, depending on situational context and intonation. They can be used to vent, to insult, and even in a humorous way. Calling someone a "b****", for example, is much different from calling someone a "bad ass b****". The former is derogatory, while the latter is a compliment. Again, context is everything, including who is saying it to who. Swearing also has the ability to communicate effectively and efficiently something that other words just might not be able to capture as well. Another example is the infamous f-bomb. The declaration of a single f-word can convey a wide variety of states as well as their intensity, whether it be anger, fear, sadness, excitement, surprise, or arousal. This is often implied immediately through context, intonation, and body language, showing how a single curse word can hold a lot meaning, and therefore power, than one probably realizes. Used correctly, curse words are empowering. Of course, with great power comes great responsibility, and it's probably not necessary to go full-blown Caliban on a daily basis.
Swearing is often looked down upon as taboo, but it is rarely immoral. As swearing is a form of venting deep seated human emotions, Caliban uses them to demonstrate that he too has human emotions. In his case, he uses them to demonstrate resistance toward his enslavement. To swear is to be human. Perhaps, despite his vulgar inclinations, Caliban is not really the monstrous creature he is made out to be. Maybe he is misunderstood. While Caliban doesn't have magical powers to actually curse people like Prospero does, he still has the power to curse Prospero verbally.
Comments