Ferdinand and Miranda Are Irrelevant to the Play

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“Miranda and Ferdinand are irrelevant to the play” Evaluate the dramatic importance of these characters. The relationship between Miranda and Ferdinand in The Tempest can, on one level, seem irrelevant to the play. The ‘clichéd’ romantic couple have fairly limited interaction in the play and they are both young and naïve- creating a linear plot between them that can seem to deviate from the larger events of the play. However in order to evaluate the importance of the couple, it is necessary to examine the numerous ways in which Shakespeare uses Miranda and Ferdinand as plot devices and thematic components that contribute to underlying themes. The literary period in which The Tempest was written was “the Renaissance” (1500-1660). This was a time when colonialism was prominent and hierarchy was paramount. This is one of the major themes within the play and we can see the characters struggle for power right from the start. Miranda aids this theme as she tells us she is the only female character in the play “I do not know one of my sex.” Elizabethan women scarcely had any power in society. However, being brought up on the island away from the restrictive attitudes of society, Miranda challenges the prejudice of women. This is shown when Miranda calls Caliban an “ahorr’d slave.” Miranda is used here as a device to show that hierarchy means nothing on this desolate island (or as the boatswain says “what cares these roarers for the name of king?”). Despite this, Prospero’s control over Miranda (“What I say./ My foot my tutor?”) Enforces his status and reminds the audience of his power Due to being the only woman on the island, Miranda also becomes an object of male desire. Within the play this serves the purpose of underlining the tempestuous conflict between the men, becoming something of a ‘prize.’ Miranda is heavily romanticised throughout the play, especially
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