Ariel (The Tempest)
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Ariel is a spirit who appears in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest. Ariel is bound to serve the magician Prospero, who rescued him from the tree in which he was imprisoned by Sycorax, the witch who previously inhabited the island. Prospero greets disobedience with a reminder that he saved Ariel from Sycorax's spells, and with promises to grant Ariel his freedom. Ariel is Prospero's eyes and ears throughout the play, using his magical abilities to cause the tempest in Act One which gives the play its name, and to foil other characters' plots to bring down their master.
Priscilla Horton as Ariel, 1838. The part was played by women from the mid-1600s to about 1930. From that time, both men and women played the role.
Ferdinand Lured by Ariel, by John Everett Millais, 1850
Ariel taking on an illusionary form, at Prospero's command, depicted by William Hamilton