In Shakespeare’s play, Miranda is described as an innocent and empathetic girl. She is a relatively passive character and the only female character in The Tempest. She may seem quite naïve and helpless to the audience, but a few scenes can prove them wrong. She transcends her traditional gender role by proposing to Ferdinand. The latter describes her as perfect.
Prospero’s daughter, Miranda, was a little child when they arrived on the island. It contributed to her being quite ignorant about the usual way of life and people’s behavior. At the same time, growing up in isolation perhaps helped her remain innocent and gentle. From the very first scene, Miranda’s nature is portrayed as quite emotional and empathetical. When she sees the suffering of the ship’s passengers, she begs her father to stop the storm. However, Prospero has her under control all the time. He even arranges everything for Miranda to meet and fall in love with Ferdinand. It all goes according to his plan.
The accepted ways of flirting and talking to the person of interest are unknown to the girl, so her conversations with Ferdinand may seem somewhat awkward to the audience. At the same time, Miranda’s proposal to him may appear to be shocking. No one would expect such a bold move from an innocent and shy girl. However, there have been other times when she proved to be anything but helpless. For example, when Prospero reminds Caliban of his attempt to rape Miranda, the islander simply agrees with irritation. Yet, Miranda stands up to protect her dignity and tells Caliban off with all the rage. After all, no wonder Ferdinand describes her as perfect and peerless.
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