Shakespeare has made Ariel an Elemental Being of the higher

order, identified with the upward-tending elements of Air and Fire,

and with the higher nature of man; and he has made Caliban an
Elemental Being of the lower order, identified with the downwardtending elements of Earth and Water, and the lower nature of
man.
The identification is too detailed to be fanciful. The very name of
Ariel is borrowed from air, and he is directly addressed: "Thou,
which art but air." The identification with fire is not less complete:
when describing the lightning Ariel does not say that he set the
ship a-fire, but that the ship was "all a-fire with me":
Now in the waist, the deck, in every cabin,
I flamed amazement: sometime I'ld divide
And burn in many places.
Ariel is Prospero's "tricksy" spirit servant and attends to
Prospero's every need. Unlike Caliban, Ariel has a (mostly) warm
and loving relationship with Prospero, who saved Ariel when he
arrived on the island. (The evil witch Sycorax imprisoned Ariel in a
tree because the "delicate" spirit didn't have the heart to do her
bidding.)
Even though Ariel is affectionate toward Prospero, we learn early
on that Ariel isn't a servant by nature; he primarily wants his
liberty, but, knowing that it will come, serves Prospero
wholeheartedly and happily.
We can see in him just the qualities of air and fire. He is invisible,
but, like the lightning, can take shape as he acts. Like air and fire
he can penetrate everywhere, treading the ooze of the salt deep,
running upon the sharp wings of the north, doing business in the
veins of earth when it is baked with frost. His natural speech is
music, or waves of air. His ideas are the ideas associated with the
atmosphere liberty and omnipresence: to be "free as mountain
winds," to fly on the bat's back merrily, couch in the cowslip's bell,
live under the blossom that hangs on the bough. Like the
atmosphere he reflects human emotions without feeling them.

The analogy extends to character. Even a character can be found

for the atmosphere: in place of our motive and passion it
substitutes caprice "the wind bloweth where it listeth." So Ariel
is "moody" or full of moods : and one of the most difficult
incidents of the play the quarrel between Prospero and Ariel
takes coherency, if we see in it Prospero governing this
incarnation of caprice by outcapricing him; there is an absence of
moral seriousness throughout, and a curious irony, by which
Prospero, under the guise of invective, is bringing out Ariel's
brave endurance and delicate refinement, and in the form of
threats gives his rebellious subject more than he had asked for.
Finally, a single passage is sufficient to connect Ariel with the
upward tendencies of human nature. We hear the reason of his
cruel sufferings at the hands of Sycorax.
Ariel is notable for his use of white magic in the play, but also for
his empathy and goodness. These traits are lacking in some of the
play's human characters, and Ariel's feelings only make that fact
more conspicuous. Most telling is his report on the three traitors:
Antonio, Sebastian, and Alonso. He claims that their state is so
pathetic, if Prospero saw them he would be moved to mercy and
sympathy. Ariel thinks he himself would have that same
tenderness, were he human. While we are reminded that this is a
spirit of a not-human nature, he seems filled with angelic grace
even about human matters.
Ariel performs all of his services with great skill and presentation.
From showing up as fire on the ship to his appearance as a great
harpy to the three traitors, Ariel treasures the aesthetic. He tends
to speak in beautifully poetic verse, even about the silliest things,
without ever seeming foolish. Even as he pulls on Prospero's
robes, he sings a beautiful little song. Ariel stands in for all that is
delightful and good in the world.
Ariel willingly carries out Prospero's wishes because he is eager to
be free. Although he wants his freedom in exchange, Ariel
approaches his tasks with enthusiasm, quickly doing what is
asked and promptly reporting any activities that he observes.

Early in the play, Ariel reports the plot to murder Prospero, and
later, he assists in punishing Prospero's enemies. Ariel's
obedience is an important symbol of Prospero's humanity,
because he ameliorates Prospero's role on the island and
humanizes the action that Prospero takes against his old
adversaries. Finally, Ariel's willing obedience of Prospero's wishes
stands in stark contrast to Caliban's cursing and plotting against
the same master.