What is servitude? What is power? Are these things sought by all humans or is it something that is forced upon us? Servitude is a slavery or bondage of any type. Power is strength in ability to do. The fact about humanity remains that we are all influenced in all lifestyles by these two simple words. Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” focuses on these themes of power and servitude and presents them to us in a manner that shows the true egotistical side of humanity and the lengths that we will go to get what we want. Here the question is posed: Who is the slave and what is to gain? It is true that many of the characters show aspects of slavery, making “each character” the answer; but individually, each character still gives its own representation to the topic. A relationship that breaks the mold and does not fit with all the other human struggles for power on the island is the one between Miranda and Ferdinand. Their struggle does not match all the others and they have different gains in mind from everyone else.
Miranda just under fifteen years old is gentle and compassionate to say the least and is very passive. She is born with “a knowledge of the common humanity in which all men participate” (Douglas 233,236). You can easily see her emotional state and compassion in her very first lines: “O, I have suffered / With those that I saw suffer!” she says of the shipwreck (1.2.5–6), and hearing Prospero’s tale of their narrow escape from Milan, she says “I, not rememb’ring how I cried out then, / Will cry it o’er again” (1.2.158-160). However, even though Miranda is very passive in some ways, she has a few moments where she demonstrates strength and power that further complicates how we view this naïve girl. This first moment captures the s...
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... there are here! / How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world / That has such people in 't". (5.1.215-218) Through this passage, and many of her others, Miranda shows a positive attitude which is almost strange when compared to the other characters. He could have easily agreed and receieved help from her but he affirms the honor of his intentions. However, until those intentions are tested not even he can be sure of them. “His only weakness seems to be an inclination to sit and admire her when he should be using time to complete work the point is made in terms of remembering and forgetting.” (Douglas 233,236) This weakness is made very clear when he states:
My sweet mistress
Weeps when she seems me work, and says such baseness
Had never like executor. I forget;
But these sweet thoughts do even refresh my labours,
Most busy least when I do it. (3.1.11-15)
Prior to the meteor, Pfeffer initially characterizes Miranda as an average teenager that embodies selfishness and apathy, but later reveals that these attributes do change. Before life becomes utter chaos, Miranda spends her time worrying about the things in her life like having “enough money for…skating lessons” (8) or “spen[ding] the weekend working on an english paper” (10). When Miranda is of...
By describing Miranda’s reaction to the old women’s’ questioning, Porter conveys the sense of embarrassment Miranda felt. She describes Miranda’s reaction by using a simile: “with her powerful social sense, which was like a fine set of antennae radiating from every pore of her skin . . . “ Miranda is ashamed because she knew it was rude and ill-bred to shock anyone although she had faith in her father’s judgment and was perfectly comfortable in the clothes.
Miranda, the female protagonist of Pale Horse, Pale Riders rebels her traditions and culture at the beginning of the story. Everyone looks down at her when she refuses to buy Liberty Bond because she does not believe on war. Although she is forced to serve men and injuries of the war as a women duty during the wartime in the past, her attitudes towards soldiers reveal her objection to the traditional values. “During the war, women in particular must be controlled , for with a large portion of the male absent, female independence become increasingly possible …although cututal historian have argued that the war years allowed women a wider variety of public and professional opportunities, porters stories argues otherwise (162 Titus).
Prospero’s words could be viewed simply as a confirmation of Miranda’s lack of knowledge, an expression of concern in regards to the noblemen or a hopeful wish for his daughter’s future. No matter the interpretation, it is proven to be more complex than just a sharp remark.
The Tempest by William Shakespeare is one of the most relevant and studied plays of the Elizabethan period among scholars, from both, ancient and actual times. One of the many readings that have prevailed suggests that the play’s protagonist, Prospero, and his two su-pernatural servants, Ariel and Caliban, can work as a single psychological unit is constantly discussed by the academics. This reading is not new; it has been considered for longer than the idea of The Tempest as an autobiographical allegory, being first proposed by Thomas Campbell in 1838 (Yachnin).
The American Revolution, as a hostile to duty development, focused to Americans' right side to control their own property. In the eighteenth century "property" included other people.
In Shakespeare's The Tempest, Ariel is a good spirit who is enslaved by Prospero and is constantly striving for freedom. This struggle is comparable to that of American women for recognition and respect in the 1960s. "Ariel" illustrates ...
I also love how Ferdinand sees Miranda, walks up to her, and says, “Hey baby, you single? A virgin? Attached? Wanna be a queen?” and that’s all he has to do. Besides Prospero’s fake-objections and all the wood-hauling, Miranda is as good as won. They have some really great lines between them—it’s one of my favorite love-dialogues. It probably helped that he thought he was gonna die and she had only seen two other men in her entire life. But love’s love. My favorite part was how he, a prince, stooped to a “patient log-man” level to prove his love for her, and how she offered to help while he rested!
Innogen and Miranda question their self-acceptance when they have little control over their life. Both women demonstrate the lack of trust with their actions because their father dictates their behaviour. Initially, Cymbeline and Prospero pin point the wrongdoings of their daughter’s choice in men; Innogen and Miranda, respectively rebel against their actions. In other words, Innogen reflects on her problems to build self-control. Similarly, Miranda develops self-control when she trusts herself to make the right choices without her father’s influence. Innogen and Miranda gain satisfaction when they trust themselves to take
Throughout history, individuals have notoriously been subject to higher powers. This form of ownership of an individual exemplifies itself in slavery, indentured servitude, and even in the governmental systems that hold reign over the general population. The ability of one person to rule over another arises from both moral and physical inequalities. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a prominent Genevan philosopher, attempts to uncover the origin of inequality. In The Second Discourse, Rousseau systematically dissects the movement of humans away from their natural state and attempts to explain how inequality is derived. Shakespeare’s The Tempest tells the tale of a usurped Duke, Prospero, who suffers a life of exile on a mystical island. Overthrown by his own brother Antonio, Prospero seeks revenge. In a series of carefully planned events, Prospero strands a group of European lords on his isle, one of whom is Antonio. Using his knowledge of magic, Prospero succeeds at obtaining control over his kingdom of Milan. On the surface, The Tempest appears unrelated to the work by Rousseau. However, quite the contrary is true. The Tempest is inundated with many similar philosophical ideas discussed in The Second Discourse. When comparing The Tempest and The Second Discourse, the themes of inequality versus equality, nature versus nurture, and savage man versus civilized man prevail.
Miranda’s character in the play represents the ideal woman of Elizabethan era. She is portrayed as a goddess among the men. “Most sure, the goddess/Oh whom these airs attend!”(1.2.425-426). Fer...
In the 1600s, married women were expected to do anything for their husbands. Husbands were urged to be good heads of their families and to treat their wives with kindness and consideration. The woman were considered to be the 'weaker vessel ' and thought to be spiritually weaker than men and in need of masculine guidance. During this time, women were treated as inferior being who were meant to look after the house and were to children . Women were treated with little dignity. In “The Tempest,” William Shakespeare was able to show the oppression of women throughout the play. Scenes with Prospero and Miranda have shown significant hidden evidence to prove that the colonial era was a time of female oppression. Shakespeare uses Prospero as an
Secondly, Miranda also serves as the ultimate fantasy for any male who (like Ferdinand) is a bachelor. She is extremely beautiful, she is intelligent, and she has never been touched (or even seen) by another male. Shakespeare makes Miranda even more desirable by including the fact that she has never seen or even talked to another man (with the obvoius exception of Prospero). Miranda personifies the ultimate source of good in the play, and provides the ultimate foil for the evil character of Caliban. When Ferdinand is forced to chop wood by Prospero, Miranda offers to do it for him. Finding a woman this humble in the world of Shakespeare is almost impossible. One does not have to look farther than her last line in the play to realize her purpose in the plot. Miranda states "O wonder! / How many goodly creatures there are here! / How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world / That has such people in't" (Tempest,5.1,185-7) Through this passage and many of her others Miranda shows a positive attitude which is almost uncanny when compared to the other characters.
William Shakespeare’s The Tempest blends elements of adventure and intellectual inquiry. The plot of Shakespeare’s last work contains comedy, romance, and action enough to sustain the interest of his common audience. However, there lies beneath the eloquent language and exciting plot an intelligent political commentary. Shakespeare uses the setting of a virtually uninhabited island as an experimental testing ground for the institution of slavery. Shakespeare shows through his island experiment that subjugation, once instituted, seems to perpetuate itself. While the most automatic explanation of this cyclical nature of slavery would be to say that this political rule is continued by the subjugators, the surprising reality is that it is the victim of colonialism who continues the cycle of slavery. Caliban, the native "islander"(2.2.36), despises his condition as a slave. However, in his attempt to disrupt and overthrow the political order instituted on the island by Prospero, Caliban actually provides evidence of the power of slavery over both man and mind.
Miranda’s unwitting question provokes a strange response from Prospero. He admits to relying on his wife’s word that Miranda is his daughter. In doing so, he reveals his alienation from Miranda’s birth and the possibility of illegitimacy. Miranda’s mother’s power to bear children exerts a threatening cont...