![]() Shakespeare uses Miranda to moralize the act of colonization, i.e., Caliban was the only native on the island. Shakespeare then uses Miranda as a victim of an attack from Caliban’s brute nature when he attempts to rape her, forcing her father to protect her and turn the brute into a slave (Woolf 1241). Therefore, Miranda’s submissive nature only helps Prospero reach his goals and communicate his ideas to the audience.ĭuring the Elizabethan era, colonialism was also an important topic in society. Shakespeare’s presentation of Miranda in this way may be an attempt to bring forth Prospero’s part in the play.Ĭritics have argued that Prospero is the only dominant character dominating both the narratives and the characters in the play (Thomson 53). She views herself as totally subordinate to Prospero, accepting his views as the only correct views. Thompson (168) argues that Miranda, in a manner typical to the Elizabethan era, has fully internalized the patriarchal order of society. The only duty given to her is to remain chaste. In the play, she is deprived of freedom by Prospero. Miranda is a sweet, well-spoken character. This can also be confirmed when Prospero narrates the crimes committed by Antonio, to whom Miranda answers: This also shows the attitudes of the time in which women were required to give birth to children, and for those in nobility, children had little contact with their parents as they engaged with other social issues leaving their children under the care of servants. Miranda can recall being attended by several women but not her mother. It is her world that Prospero accepts, and once assured, he turns his attention to himself and his succession.Īpart from this instance, Miranda’s mother is absent throughout the play from the memories of Prospero and Miranda (Orgel 8). In the play, Shakespeare uses Prospero’s wife to legitimize Miranda as Prospero’s heir. ![]() If a husband doubted his wife’s virtue, her children’s legitimacy would be in problem, and she may find herself and her children cast away. Infidelity was highly frowned upon and was very dangerous for married women. In the Elizabethan era, women were supposed to follow several social rules and be submissive to their husbands. The wording used by Prospero indicates that although his wife was virtuous, women as a class have no virtue. Accordingly, Prospero tells Miranda that her mother was a woman of virtue who told him that Miranda was his daughter and his only heir (Shakespeare 112). Miranda’s mother is only mentioned once in the play when Miranda questions Prospero whether he is her father. The other women are only mentioned and include Miranda’s mother, Caliban’s mother, Sycorax, and Alonso’s daughter Claribel (Chedgzoy 42). The Tempest has only one main female character, Miranda. To understand gender roles in The Tempest, one should look at how Shakespeare presented his characters. The Tempest gender roles reflect beliefs in the Elizabethan era and help build the platform for the plot. The main characters in the play have been developed with remarkable strength. The shipwrecked individuals move freely about the island, the assassination attempts of Antonio and Sebastian, and the plot of Caliban against Prospero are nothing but a ruse as the magical skills of Prospero will outmaneuver them. ![]() Prospero throws constant obstacles in their way. The union of Miranda and Ferdinand is settled at their first interview. The Tempest has little progressive action throughout the plot. Although some feminist critics have labeled Shakespeare’s presentation as misogynistic and sexist, it can be seen that the gender roles in The Tempest present a platform for the author’s plot. At times, Shakespeare develops his women characters as vicious, evil, and spiteful. Throughout his plays, Shakespeare uses strong-willed women with certain weaknesses that mirror Victorian era society. One issue that has always been of interest to scholars was his portrayal of women in his work. The play was written during the Elizabethan era and was thus influenced by some social beliefs. The Tempest has been widely accepted as Shakespeare’s most mature comedy (Faucet 17). Scholars have endorsed that the source of the play was the 1609 shipwreck of an English ship in Bermuda and the various reports of the island by survivors. The Tempest was first performed before King James I and again during the marriage festivities of the king’s daughter, Elizabeth.
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