Initially, the audience is startled and disturbed by Caliban's grotesque appearance and perceives him as a callous monster, who is undoubtedly the offspring of an evil witch. However, Caliban is articulate and his moving speeches about the magical island are aesthetically pleasing and rather surprising coming from such a bizarre monster. The audience also sympathizes with Caliban's difficult situation when he blames Prospero for usurping power and stealing his island. Ironically, Caliban's situation is similar to Prospero's, whose brother usurped his dukedom. Despite Caliban's eloquent speech and sympathetic situation, the audience views him as a wicked antagonist after discovering that he unapologetically attempted to rape Miranda.

As the play progresses, the audience witnesses Caliban's naive, ignorant personality when he praises Stephano and promises to show him the entire island like he did when Prospero first arrived. Tragically, Caliban is a parody of himself and his repeated mistakes result in his treatment as a slave after his plan is foiled. Caliban's vengeful, malevolent personality is also displayed by his plot to kill Prospero and rape Miranda. However, his ridiculous actions and drunken stupor are depicted as humorous. Audiences can also interpret Caliban's character to represent suppressed native inhabitants, who became victims of imperialist European nations. Overall, Caliban is perceived as an extremely complex character, who is both despicable and sympathetic.

The first element of the audience reaction is to his physical presence. He is usually portrayed as awkward, uncouth, and savage. Thus he is not a sympathetic character. His admission that he tried to rape Miranda and his getting drunk are also less than admirable.

On the other hand, one can also see him as innocent and victimized, too readily trusting of outsiders to the island. There is also the issue that he is the rightful ruler of the island whose place has been usurped by Prospero, a point he makes in the lines:

This island's mine, by Sycorax my mother,
Which thou tak'st from me....

...I am all the subjects that you have,
Which first was mine own king...

In many ways we can sympathize with him as we do with other indigenous peoples displaced and oppressed by colonial powers.

How do members of the audience react to Caliban in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest?

Audience members and critics, as well as Shakespeare scholars, have likely been debating the character of Caliban for as long as the play has been staged. Caliban is a monstrosity that inspires pity in some circles, and in others, he is a rapist who inspires rage and disgust—so it is up to each individual to decide for him or herself how to react to Caliban.

Caliban is a native of the island on which Prospero and Miranda find themselves. Post-colonialist readings of the play are often sympathetic to Caliban, as he has been misplaced and maligned by a usurper. Here, his bad behavior and his attack on Miranda are read as natural expressions of his rage at having his home stolen from him and his status reduced to that of a servant in his own country. Other readings of Caliban discuss him as a slave figure who refuses to abide by Prospero's rules, in addition to being a victim of oppression. As well, close analysis of Caliban's deformed appearance reveals a parallel with his deformed and misshapen new existence under Prospero.

How do members of the audience react to Caliban in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest?

Members of the audience vary in how they react to Caliban in William Shakespeare's play, The Tempest. In many ways, he can be a reviled figure, brutish, awkward, and resentful and probably originally meant to be despised as a "savage." More recent readings of Caliban though, approach him through a more sympathetic lens. Increasingly popular are post-colonial approaches to Caliban, which see him as a metaphor for indigenous peoples displaced from their birthright by western colonial powers.  The key lines supporting this are:

This island's mine, by Sycorax my mother,
Which thou tak'st from me....

...I am all the subjects that you have,
Which first was mine own king;

The island does rightfully belong to Caliban, and it is, on a certain level, unjust that he, as legitimate heir to the island, be forced to act as Prospero's servant.