Shakespeare shows the conflict between Prospero and Caliban by letting both characters tell very different stories about the island. Prospero says he was kind to Caliban at first and tried to educate him by teaching him language and treating him like a human. From Prospero’s point of view, his control over Caliban is fair because Caliban later behaved badly and could not be trusted.

Caliban, however, sees the situation very differently. He believes the island belonged to him before Prospero arrived and that Prospero took it away by force. To Caliban, Prospero is not a rightful ruler but someone who stole his land and now controls him using magic. This early exchange shows that their fight is really about power and who has the right to rule the island. Prospero’s power comes from his knowledge and magic, while Caliban’s claim comes from being there first. Shakespeare suggests that their relationship is unequal and tense, and he introduces ideas about control, authority, and whose version of the truth is believed