Mark but the badges of these men, my lords
Then say if they be true. This mis-shapen knave,
His mother was a witch, and one so strong
That could control the moon, make flows and ebbs,
And deal in her command without her power.
These three have robb’d me; and this demi-devil –
For he’s a bastard one – had plotted with them
To take my life. Two of these fellows you
Must know and own; this thing of darkness!
Acknowledge mine.
– William Shakespeare
The Tempest, Act 5, Scene 1. Prospero tells Alonso to take note of the stolen apparel of the two drunks Stephano and Trinculo who have stumbled in with Caliban, and then say if they are honest. The pair are lackeys of their master Antonio and with them Caliban has plotted to murder Prospero. When speaking of Caliban, Prospero dehumanizes him and adds to his monster image by referring to his deformed physical appearance and the fact that he is the bastard offspring of a devil and a witch. He also describes him as a "thing of darkness." But he does acknowledge Caliban as his. And in a sense Caliban’s monster is Prospero’s creation for he has treated Caliban monstrously. There are clear parallels here between Prospero and Caliban, and Victor Frankstein and his monster.