Questions of Character

Prospero: God-Like Figure or Egomaniacal Dictator?

Caliban: Evil By Nature or Victim of a Crappy Childhood?

Ariel: Holy Spirit or Indentured Servant? 

I'm not 100% sure why Satan is the Predalien.

The answer to all of these is the same, I think. It depends on whether we're viewing the play as a metaphor or whether we're viewing these characters as real people. I would never give an actual human being God-like power and expect him to make the choices that are legitimately best for the masses. I would expect that human being to do things that are best for himself. I would, however, be comfortable with an all-powerful, benevolent God.

Further, I don't believe that anyone is born evil. I think that people are born selfish, and we have to learn how to be honest and selfless, but I don't think that anyone is born purely evil. I have a hard time buying into movies like The Omen or Rosemary's Baby for that reason. For the metaphor in the play to work, however, there needs to be a Satan figure.

I don't know if anyone has read Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's Good Omens. It's one of my favorite books, and it deals with the end of the world. One of the primary characters is called Adam, and he is the antichrist. He was supposed to be raised by Satan's minions, but due to an accidental mix-up at the hospital, he ends up in a completely normal human family. Because of his up-bringing, he ends up as a completely normal twelve year old boy (who happens to have the powers of Hell at his disposal, but he doesn't know that).

My point is that I sincerely doubt that Caliban would have been evil, no matter what his inherent nature, if he had experienced a semi-normal upbringing.

I don't fully understand what's going on with Ariel. I don't fully understand why he's hanging out with Prospero and doing his bidding. Again, if we're looking at the metaphor, it makes perfect sense that the God character would have a Holy Spirit character as a companion. If we're looking it like these are real people, I think it's kind of questionable for Prospero to be keeping Ariel hostage.