The Tempest The love between Miranda and Ferdinand By William Shakespeare William Shakespeare was an English poet

and playwright, best known as the greatest and influential writer in the English language. Ill start by presenting Prospero the main character of the play and the father of Miranda. We discover in the play that twelve years ago he was the duke of Milan, his brother Antonio and Alonso the king of Naples forced him to flee with his daughter in a boat. They managed to escape with the help of the honest lord Gonzalo. In the next twelve years Prospero has enough time to learn the arts of magic and use them when needed. Prospero is a very odd character, in the beginning he is a shown to us as a powerful wizard, a bitter tyrant, a avenger using the magic to destroy a ship on sea. He takes the island from Caliban and makes it his own, he manipulates his daughter, he is cruel to Ferdinand and Caliban and kind with Ariel only when the spirit is doing his saying. But as bad as it looks in the first half of the play, he only wants to teach a lesson the persons who in the past made some bad things to him. Prospero ultimately discovers that the capacity for mercy and forgiveness is what makes us human. Ferdinand and Mirandas type of relationship shows Shakespeares ideas about true love, recognizing not just the emotional side of love, but the physical nature too. Miranda promises Ferdinand The jewel in my dower which is her virginity, a prized thing in Jacobean times. This knowledge would have been known by Shakespeares audience and knowing this helps us to understand Prosperos protection of his daughter from Caliban. Ferdinand is asked not to have lustful thoughts about Miranda as Sour-eyed disdain and discord shall bestrew the union of your bed with weeds so loathly that you shall hate it both meaning that sex before marriage will poison the lovers marriage bed so that they will both grow to loathe it. So they have to be careful, and make sure they respect the holy institution of marriage and the lifelong vows that it entails. In direct translation, the metaphorical weeds that would be strewn across their bed if they had sexual intercourse before marriage, as opposed to the well-known phrase a bed of roses that they would have if they waited until after their wedding. Shakespeare has used the word weeds to show that nothing good can come from the union of the lovers bodies, weeds are unwanted and disliked by any gardener, whereas roses are beautiful and symbolic of all that is pure. We already know that Miranda and Ferdinand make small mistakes about each other and each others lives sweet lord you play me false and this back up Shakespeares reasoning for Prosperos warning against breaking his daughters virgin-knot. Prosperos suggestion that they need to sort out these mistakes before committing themselves to each other, physically, are not only welcomed by the couple and Alonso and the other courtly characters, but also a reflection of Shakespeares own beliefs about sex before marriage. After all, the society that Shakespeare lived and wrote in disapproved of the idea of a couple having a child out of wedlock. We are made to believe that Ferdinand thinks honorably of Miranda and, as he is assumed to be a member of the nobility, the audience would expect the character to be wellmannered and follow the strict rules of the more civilized in society. The mistress which I serve quickens whats dead, and makes my labors pleasures Ferdinand expresses his love for Miranda directly out to the audience in a soliloquy, which encourages us to believe him, for a soliloquy is a direct transfer of the characters feelings with no lies.

Later, Ferdinand and Miranda appear to have some alone time together. Prospero has made Ferdinand toil at pulling logs from one place to another, a job similar to that of the slave, Calibans usual tasks. To Miranda this seems like enslavement, Ferdinand thinks her fathers crabbed meaning that Prospero is harsh and irritable, but I however see that Shakespeare has brought this noble and high-ranking character down to the level of that of a lowly foul-mouthed slave. This helps the audience to understand how strength of character and personality differs allowing them to see that the situation shows Ferdinand in a favourable light, we think him worthy of Miranda. The way he reacts to the situation he has been placed in, makes us sure that Shakespeare is suggesting that the suffering or labor undertaken creates an everlasting and enduring love between the two characters. Miranda has said to Ferdinand such baseness had never like such an executer complaining about her father forcing her one true love to do such menial tasks, the jobs that Caliban was usually ordered to do. I see this as Prosperos test of Ferdinands love. Ferdinand and Miranda, I think, are a lot like the Romeo and Juliet. They are both very young and aren't really caught up in all the adult matters that everyone else seems concerned with. Neither of them hate anyone nor have any axe to grind. I think he is a little naive because totally operates off his emotions, so he seems a little two-dimensional. He doesn't really mourn the fact that he's been separated from his father and family forever. He essentially quickly accepts that his past life is over and now hes in love and will just live on this island with Miranda. And he doesn't really care about gaining the respect of the father-in-law. There's not a whole lot of depth when it comes to Ferdinand, and yet, he's one of the few people in the play who are morally good. Miranda she is the daughter of Prospero, she was brought on the island at an early age and she didnt saw any men beside his father and Caliban. Because she didnt interact with people too much she tends to be nave, compassionate and loyal to her father. She is a passive character with not a strong influence on the play. There are two moments when she speaks up her mind: the first moment is when she and Prospero pays a visit to Caliban. Caliban once tried to rape her and when reminded about this he rudely agree that he had the intention to rape her. Miranda responds with impressive vehemence, clearly appalled at Calibans light attitude toward his attempted rape. She goes on to scold him for being ungrateful for her attempts to educate him. The second moment is when she proposes Ferdinand: I am your wife, if you will marry me; / If not, Ill die your maid (III.i.8384) Shakespeare gives Miranda one of the most hopeful (and famous) lines in the play. Miranda says when she spots the shipwreck victims at the end of the play: O, wonder! How many goodly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world, That has such people in't! (5.1.3) Here, Miranda is the mouthpiece through which Shakespeare expresses the idea that human beings (and life in general) are pretty marvelous, despite the fact that we are all flawed creatures. (P.S. Aldous Huxley liked this passage so much that he made the phrase "brave new world" the title of his famous book.)

Ferdinand He is the son of Alonso, he seems to be as nave as Mirada and as pure as she. The couple fell in love at first sight and he is happy to complete any job to please her father. Compared with Shakespeares other young lovers like Romeo and Juliet they are a pretty uninspiring pair. Its sometimes suggested that as the play isnt really about them as people they can be seen as symbols, whose union is a plot device to cement the reconciliation of the plays final moments. This always seems rather an unfair judgment on a couple who can have a real impact on this complex play. Miranda has no real life experience to speak of (hello, she's been on the isle since she was a baby), so her judgment is questionable at best. I admit that Miranda is pretty naive, but that's part of what makes such an endearing figure. In the play, she represents the guileless innocence of youth and, when she falls in love Ferdinand, her romantic union is the thing that will bring together Prospero and his former enemy, the King of Naples. Although some study guides might tell you that Miranda's a wimp who lets her dad use her as a pawn, we think she's got a lot of nerve. (That said, it's true that her dad is pretty manipulative.) When she has the chance, Miranda takes her fate into her own hands. She declares her love to Ferdinand, thinking her father still hates him. She doesn't know that Prospero secretly helped the situation along, but she's willing to do what she wants, even though it could get her into trouble with Daddy. When Prospero pretends to be mad that Miranda has fallen for Ferdinand, she totally stands up for herself: "My affections/ Are then most humble. I have no ambition to / To see a see a goodlier man" (1.2.28). The girl isn't wise in the ways of the world, but she has a brave heart and a spirit to follow it. Miranda's most important personal qualities might be her ability to feel empathy and amazement. When we first meet her, she's frantically begging her father to have pity on the passengers of the storm-tossed ship, which is more than we can say for Prospero (1.1.1). In fact, she's so worked up that Prospero assures her "Be collected. / No more amazement. Tell your piteous heart / There's no harm done" (1.1.1). To be amazed in Shakespeare's day literally meant to be taken with terror the word comes from how one would feel when facing a labyrinth, a literal maze. You'd be a bit scared, but maybe you'd be taken over by the wonder of this unknown thing, and brave enough to go into it anyway. Amazement might be the most fitting word for this girl as she faces the unknown bravely, armed with her good courage and big heart, she finds innocent wonder and delight. Miranda's name literally means "that which must be admired" (from mirari to admire). She looks on the world with a childlike wonder, which is more than navet and might actually just be the eyes of an artist, able to see the beauty in everything. Admiration is an important word for Miranda from the other side too, as she isn't the only one doing all the looking: she is much admired by those who look upon her. Ferdinand and Miranda are virtually required by plot conventions to fall in love. Although their coming together is not surprising to Prospero, he seeks to cool their passions by forcing Ferdinand to labour for him, asserting his power in order to ensure Miranda's purity. Nevertheless, the enforced labours of Ferdinand are far from herculean and serve, in relationship to the plot, to delay the lovers' happiness until its appropriate moment at the play's end. The happy ending for the two lovers also has larger consequences: as they are the offspring of Prospero and Alonso, their states -Milan and Naples -- will be unified under Ferdinand's eventual rule, thus completing the reconciliation between the older generations.

Marriage was a religious, economic, and practical necessity. In the nobility, it was a major means of increasing capital*; and in the middle class, each partner contributed significantly to the household economy. The ceremony itself was not so different from today, except that the bride promised to obey* her husband, and did not usually wear white. Rings* were exchanged. The bride was sometimes decked with ears of wheat to symbolize Ceres, goddess of fertility. At the end of the wedding there was a toast in sweet wine-or ale for the less wealthy. Even in the idyllic forest world of As You Like It, the technicalities* involved in the marriage ceremony could be a touchy subject. In common with most early modern societies, the virginity of the bride was of paramount importance. How else could the family of the husband be sure that the blood line was being continued? Sometimes, however, marriage was delayed to make sure the bride was fertile. In Measure for Measure, the Friar/Duke justifies Mariana's sleeping with Angelo because she was formally betrothed to him beforehand; on the other hand, Prospero is adamant that Miranda and Ferdinand remain chaste before marriage: If thou [Ferdinand] dost break her virgin-knot before All sanctimonious ceremonies may With full and holy rite be minist'red, No sweet aspersion shall the heavens let fall To make this contract grow; but barren hate, Sour-eyed disdain, and discord shall bestrew The union of your bed with weeds so loathly That you shall hate it both. (The Tempest, 4.1.15-22) Nonetheless, "handfast" marriages* were common, and the ecclesiastical courts were often busy with cases involving premarital sex and adultery. Within the bounds of marriage, sexuality was accepted by the Church -- and more openly celebrated in the literature. Homosexual acts were considered "abominations," and, at least in theory, were more severely punished. The love story between Miranda and Ferdinand happens very fast. The moment they see each other they fall in love. This love cannot be true because Miranda only remembers one other man in her life, her father. Miranda has been so sheltered and secluded that she doesnt know what men are like. Miranda hasnt had the experience or exposure to the opposite sex to form her opinions of what she likes or what she is looking for in a husband. I do not know/ One of my sex; no womans face remember,/ Save, from my glass, mine own; nor have I seen/ More that I may call men than you, good friend,/ And my dear father(3.2.49-52). She explains that she has no memory of another female or male other than her father. Mirandas seclusion

from the rest of mankind has inhibited her ability to figure out what she wants in a husband and therefore her love for Ferdinand is not true. Ferdinand on the other hand has been out in the world and knows what he is looking for in a wife. He explains that he has met many women in his life time. Full many a lady/ I have eyd with best regard (3.2.39-40). Even though he has this idea of a future wife, he does not know Miranda at all. Although he knows is that she is beautiful and therefore what he feels for her is not love, but in fact lust. It is hard to know if one has found true love. It takes a lot of time and looking. One must meet people to decide if they have the traits they find attractive or important in a spouse. Miranda has not had the time or exposure to determine her wants or needs from a future spouse. Ferdinand has had the exposure but has not had the time to get to know Miranda, therefore this relationship is not based on true love. Reference List: Anonymous.2010. A critical analysis of Shakespeare's The Tempest. Available at http://teacherlet.blogspot.com/2010/11/critical-analysis-of-shakespeares.html Alexander Michael. 2007. A History of English Literature. New York .N. Y.: McMillan, 133-4. http://www.stevementz.com/blog/ferdinand-and-miranda/ http://findingshakespeare.co.uk/ferdinand-and-miranda http://www.shmoop.com/tempest/miranda.html http://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/SLT/plays/the%20tempest/tempestlovers.html http://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/SLT/society/family/ceremony.html Blanuta Iulia, Athes Haralambie, Cmeciu Camelia. 2004. c. Iasi: Tehnopress, 258- 267. Carter Ronald & McRae John. 2001. The Penguin Guide to Literature in English. Britain and Ireland. London: Penguin English, 32-33. Graff, Gerald, and James Phelan, eds. The Tempest: A Case study in Critical Controversy. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2000. Rogers Pat. 1987. The Illustrated History of English Literature. London: Oxford University Press, 155- 159. Sanders Andrew. 2000. The Short Oxford History of English Literature. London: Oxford University Press, 165. Sitwell Edith. 1961. A Notebook on William Shakespeare. London: Beacon Press, 212-220. Trevor.2007. Literary analysis: The Tempest, by William Shakespeare. Available at http://www.helium.com/items/736082-literary-analysis-the-tempest-by-william-shakespeare SITAR MARIAN IONUT LMAII UNIVERSITATEA TEHNICA DIN CLUJ NAPOCA CENTRUL UNIVERSITAR NORD BAIA MARE