Comment on Trinculo's first impression of Caliban in The Tempest.

Trinculo's first impression of Caliban is that he is another spirit sent to "torment" him. He decides to lay low, hoping to escape notice. As Caliban actually comes into view, however, Trinculo can't decide if he is a man or a fish. He says he smells like a fish. He states that in England, this "monster" (Caliban) would pass for a man. Trinculo is amazed that Caliban has legs like a human but arms like fish fins. Trinculo finally decides that Cailban is a native islander, not a fish, but one that was struck by a thunderbolt, which would account for his strange appearance. This episode, played for laughs, is meant to be funny.
It's hard to get a clear mental image of Caliban from this description, but Trinculo manages to communicate that in the encounter with natives from other parts of the world, Europeans were sometimes unsure if they were dealing with humans or animals/monsters. However, Caliban must be more strange than frightening and more human than monster, as Trinculo is not afraid to crawl under his cloak to escape the storm.