If this were true, however, Shakespeare would have portrayed Caliban, symbol of the repressed native, as a much more innocent and sympathetic character. Although Caliban has a special connection to the island, as evidenced by the poetic and heartfelt language he uses to describe it, he is not simply a helpless native oppressed by an unreasonable colonizer. Prospero treats Caliban with kindness and respect at first, until Caliban attempts to "violate the honor" of Miranda, Prospero's daughter and symbol of purity in the play, by attempting to have sex with her. Caliban is also unapologetic about the incident, as shown in Act I scene ii, in which he laughs at the affair and wishes Prospero had not arrested him so he could "populate this island of Calibans. This portrays Caliban as an immoral character who does not deserve the audience's sympathy. When people today look at the colonial period through a postcolonial lens, they find that many things are not morally wrong about the treatment of native people. However, this was not the message Shakespeare was trying to convey in 1611 when he wrote the