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| The character of Caleb Morley and any other characters relating to Port Charles are the property of ABC and their creators. This is a fan-run site and is not an offical site, nor is it affiliated in any way with ABC, Port Charles, or the actors portraying any of the Port Charles characters. No copyright infringement is intended. The writings on this site are copyrighted by the author, Alison Armstrong, and may not be reproduced without the author's express permission. |
| Collage created by K. Audrina Starr. Not to be reproduced without permission. |
| Calebs' Inspiration: |
| Michael Easton's Artistry |
| (c) by Alison Armstrong |
| Never has anyone so perfectly embodied a character, infusing it with a living presence, a soul, as Michael Easton has in the role of Caleb. His intensity is overwhelming, even in a still photo; onscreen he is completely overpowering, with the predatory seductiveness and grace of a panther, the burning eyes and power of someone in touch with the animal, the aesthetic, and the poetic aspects of life. The essence of Caleb's sexual allure is his sensuality, his sensitivity to the subtle nuances of touch, taste, and movement, nuances which Michael Easton eloquently portrays in his gestures, body language, facial expressions, and intonations. He enters Caleb's psyche and evokes all the emotions his character feels in addition to those overtly expressed, tapping into the subconscious, subliminal layers. As the following impressions and memories from different Port Charles arcs demonstrate, Michael Easton has given Caleb a depth, complexity, and archetypal resonance that will always inspire and illuminate our imagination. |
| Tainted Love |
| The first glimpse of Caleb sizzles with visceral power and erotic menace. The Freudian symbolism is very evident here, with Caleb locked down in the abyss of the monastery, a creature of the shadows, the inferno, and the id, an embodiment of all the secret, violent, troubling aspects of ourselves that we prefer to shut away. Father Michael, as the priest, the superego, is repressing all that is the fundamental nature of Caleb--his sexuality, his darkness, his anger, his impulses. However, he is not only blocking his dangerous and antisocial qualities, but also much of his capacity for passion, pleasure, spontaneity, and freedom. Caleb appears to us, eyes wild, perhaps even a wolfish red, moving with the stealthy grace of a feral, predatory beast, unburdened by self-consciousness. As we see in Michael Easton's libido-charged depiction, the Caleb aspects of the personality, not the Father Michael qualities, are clearly the vital, energetic, life-giving essence. In his savage, Dionysian energy, Caleb represents the unfettered emotions and impulses, impulses which can be creative as well as destructive. He is like the forces of nature and art described in William Blake's "Marriage of Heaven and Hell," forces which, like "the roaring of lions, the howling of wolves, the raging of the stormy sea, and the destructive sword, are portions of eternity too great for the eye of man." Archetypal and primitive, they exist outside the orderly world of human society. Another powerful scene tingling with Freudian overtones is the one which takes place when Livvie, in bed with her boyfriend Jack, "dreams" that Caleb is lying next to her. As the scene begins, Livvie is in the process of drifting off to sleep. She whispers "I love you so much," but then Caleb, replacing Jack, appears, and replies, "I love you too." As he kisses her, she welcomes him, opening her arms in an amorous embrace, but when she "wakes up" and sees Caleb lingering with a sensual slouch in the doorway, she yells, "No! Stay away! Get away!" After accidentally awakening Jack with her shouts, Livvie tries to persuade him and herself that it all was "just a really bad dream." However, as she says this, her face seems unconvinced that it was an unwanted dream. |
| This scenario is an excellent example of the subconscious/conscious conflict so prevalent in Tainted Love. Jack represents Livvie's conscious feelings here. Although originally depicted as a bit of a rebel, Jack is actually much more of a boy-next-door-type, someone unthreatening and a lot more socially acceptable than Caleb. Caleb represents her subconscious feelings--dark, wild, a menace to the social order. It is clear from this scene that Livvie wants Caleb but has to convince Jack and herself that what took place was a horrible dream. Caleb fulfills her deepest needs, the desires and emotions she represses. He is the ideal lover we've always yearned for, soothing and caressing, instinctively knowing his partner's secret needs, taking time for pleasure in all its aspects, not just concentrating on penetration. Caring yet willful, seductive yet forceful, he brings sensuality, beauty, and soul union as well as self-discovery and self-acceptance, liberating us from inhibitions and self-censoring conventions. He reminds us of the parts of ourselves we've repressed or that have been stamped out of us by conditioning or life experiences--our animal side, our romantic dreams, our physical joy, our childlike need to be loved and accepted for who we are. When these aspects of ourselves are distorted, as they are to some degree with everyone, we become cynical or complacent; we either withdraw into ourselves, becoming embittered or losing touch with "reality," or we try to become "normal" and settle for less, cheating and deluding ourselves, robbing ourselves of self-insight. After being rejected and disillusioned, Caleb ended up choosing the dark, embittered, so-called evil side but still remains true to his heart's desire. He can't and won't compromise or restrain his love. Like Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights, cruel and brutal as he can be at times, he retains his belief in pure, eternal love. It's this belief that he continues to inspire in us. Tainted Love gives us many glimpses of Caleb's primal wildness. For example, in one memorable scene Caleb is sniffing a black lace shawl that he had put on Livvie the first time she visited his cave. He's kissing it, rubbing the scarf over the underside of his open lips. Michael Easton brilliantly conveys here the ultimate sensuality of Caleb, his oral orientation, everything an oral delight, a sensation to be savored. Tainted Love abounds in examples of Caleb's feral nature--his clawing at Livvie's window after finding her handkerchief, his hungry, rapacious slouch as he stands at Lucy's doorway in an attempt to gain access to Livvie, and his many erotic toyings with Gabby. A favorite scene involving Gabby which demonstrates Caleb's mastery of sexual teasing and domination takes place after Gabby unsuccessfully tries to turn Jamal into a vampire. In this scene Caleb, very disappointed that she did not obey his commands, confronts Gabby. Throughout this scene Michael Easton very convincingly and effortlessly conveys Caleb's mercurial emotions--violent anger as he starts to strangle Gabby, calm but menacing seduction, and tenderly manipulative affection. |