How Does Prospero Take My Daughter

In the reader's first encounter with Miranda and Prospero, it is clear that she suspects he's caused this tempest to occur. (1.2.1) Miranda is displeased because she thinks Prospero has used his magic to stir up the seas. Prospero never denies he caused the tempest, but he never openly admits it either. Instead, he offers the conventional response of Shakespearean love: "I did it for you." (1.2.16) Typically, such a response would not take place in the vertical parental relationship, but rather between lovers or potential lovers. (see Richard III : 1.2.138) Shakespeare's use of this response from a father to a daughter alludes to a break in the traditional make-up of the father-daughter relationship. And thus, it is important to examine.

Yet her compassion, as real as it is, also has a certain element of shallowness, or at least inexperience about it. She has lived the majority of her life in isolation, on an island known with her only companionship being that of her father. Growing up on this deserted island, Miranda learns to live and abide by the example set by Prospero. He is her only contact with the humanity and therefore he is her only friend and teacher. She knows no other woman and therefore had no female figure to aid the process of raising her. She is naïve and unaware of life's experiences, having been shielded from the rest of the world.      

 In Act I of the play, Prospero finally tells Miranda the woeful story of how she and he arrived on the island.  From the

"From the moment they arrive on the island to the time of their release and pardon, they are almost continually guided, prompted, and motivated by visions that Ariel, acting for Prospero, weaves before them and by the spells he casts upon them". Prospero's motivation behind all this manipulating is to provide the group of nobles, mainly Alonso and Antonio, to become of aware of their wrongdoings, repent for stripping away his dukedom and casting him out to isolation. The first illusion that Prospero casts is planting the idea that Ferdinand has drowned during the shipwreck firmly within the mind of his father Alonso. It doesn't take much for Alonso to be thoroughly convinced that his son is head, batting away any words that offer any hope. "No, no, he's gone" At this point in the play, Alonso has not associated the drowning and loss of his son with Prospero. He believes that this is the result of marrying off his daughter Claribel to an African prince. Losing both his children and heirs to the throne, he feels as though he cannot go on "O thou mine heir/Of Naples and of Milan, what strange fish/Hath made his meal on thee?"

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But Prospero (through Ariel) has done more than simply arrange for Miranda and Ferdinand to meet. He has cast a glamour on Ferdinand ("our garments . . . drenched in the sea, hold . . . their freshness" (II.1 60-61)), which leads Miranda to "call him a thing divine" (I.2 418). Miranda herself has been groomed by Prospero to be what men desire (pure, virtuous, beautiful), even men as unmanlike as Caliban. The question of whether or not Gonzalo, in his benevolence, thought to pack along with the books and food and the clothes that fit yet more clothes, for Miranda when grown, raises the question of whether or not a glamour might have been cast on her as well. (It is safe to say that Ferdinand's mistaking a child who has been raised immersed in magic a goddess is not as far off base as it may at first seem.) Ferdinand and Miranda experience a "love at first sight"; their affections are based solely off physical attraction. If a glamour has been cast upon Miranda, then the girl Ferdinand is falling for does not exist outside of Prospero's allowing her to exist (i.e., outside of the spell which has been cast upon her). If one has not

As a Renaissance woman protagonist, she acts within an completely male world: "I do not know/ One of my sex; no woman's face remember" (3.1.48-49).  While no other women appear in the play, references are made to other women, but the count here is still minimal and sums up to three.  Miranda speaks of the lack of female companionship around her because of her location, but simultaneously the audience sees that the references to women that do occur within the play often have a sinister purpose for appearing within the lines.  The other women mentioned in the play seem to provide a sort of dark cloak over the proceedings of the play, even if they are completely absent.  Regardless, Miranda, as the only physical woman in the play the audience actually sees and hears, is described by Prospero with kind words, and few, if any, negative imagery revolves around the appearance of the innocent Miranda.  For example, Prospero informs Miranda that this "Art" is prompted by his concern for her; "I have done nothing but in care of thee" (1.2.16).  Prospero also tells Miranda that his mistreatment and harshness toward Caliban stems from the fact that Caliban attempted to rape Miranda and Prospero wants to protect her from any harm that could come about from Caliban.(1.2.347-51).  Prospero also indicates that Miranda, to him, is "a third of mine own life,/ Or that for which I live" (4.1.3-4); therefore after she is

The role of motherhood in the movie is powerful than the play, which we can see in Act 4, Scene 1 when Prospero approves the love Miranda and Ferdinand declares, however points out a harsh warning to Ferdinand. In the movie, because of the female character, it is easier to make the connection of mother and daughter. By switching the gender in this movie, it lead women characters have a sexual power and empowerment, which was none in the play caused by the pressure made in the Elizabethan Era. Taymor, director of “The Tempest” adds; “I didn't really have a male actor that excited me in mind, and yet there had been a couple of phenomenal females—Helen Mirren being one of them—who [made me think]: 'My God, does this play change? What happens if you make that role into a female role?” (Roger) By casting Prospera, instead of Prospero changed the main themes such as power and sexual empowerment, also the voice of Shakespeare in Prospero, whom he is sometimes occurred as.

In the same fashion, Prospero had also been told by society that the only way he could live a good and prosperous life was to get his dukedom back. Without this fancy title, society convinced Prospero that he was unimportant. Prospero had the whole island to himself, a slave, a magical spirit, and his daughter, but yet, society tells Prospero that this was not enough. During the play Prospero said, “Now my charms are all o'erthrown, And what strength I have’s mine own, Which is most faint” (Act 4 Scene 1 lines 320-322). This quote shows the incredible heights Prospero went to in order to get his

Prospero uses his status as the father of Miranda to enact his own self-righteous deeds. Furthermore, Prospero uses his position of power within the patriarchal system with leisure. Prospero hides behind a powerful woman and declares all deeds in the name of his daughter. In actuality, all Prospero's actions are to advance his quest. Prospero uses Miranda to regain favor with the king and become Duke of Milan, yet again. Finally, Prospero is a symbol of all that is wrong with the patriarchal system, which is used to legitimate the deeds of evil men. Prospero inflicts great harm upon the female gender, who must live under its immense societal oppressive

Prospero learns the use of books on the island. Through his books he gains the magical knowledge that he needs to teach Caliban and Ariel, and also the knowledge of how to control the island and the visitors on his island. His magical feats not only intimidate his enemies but also let him have his way. Prospero further spreads this authority by marrying his daughter to Ferdinand. When Ferdinand draws his sword to try and resist Prospero, Prospero responds, "My foot my tutor?" (I, ii, 470) This, in a way, sets the hierarchy between the two men. Prospero recognizes himself as a ruler and a teacher. Prospero's magic can control Ferdinand (it makes him to drop his sword the first time they meet) and thereby gaining Ferdinand’s respect. Prospero puts Ferdinand through different tasks to make him value Miranda more. Prospero says, "too light winning / make the prize light." (I, ii, 452-3) Ferdinand takes Caliban's job of carrying wood, thus accepting the role of an apprentice (an important educational practice) to Prospero.

Furthermore, Prospero has no idea of what sort of a person Ferdinand is; for all he knows, Ferdinand could be a psychopathic axe-murderer. However, as Melissa E. Sanchez says in her essay, Miranda did enter the marriage completely willingly, so it is not right to place all the blame on Prospero. Even though it was just what Prospero wanted, Miranda disregarded her father’s orders completely and carried on with the relationship. (Sanchez 66)

Although, he acts like she is an inanimate object that can be just given away. This could demonstrate Prospero and Miranda’s lack of relationship, as he doesn’t treat her like a father should treat his daughter. Nevertheless, when Prospero says, “If thou dost break her virgin-knot… No sweet aspersion shall the heavens let fall to make this contract grow,” it could promote the possibility of Prospero becoming the overprotective father is naturally is.

Miranda's utopia is a very naive one. All her life she has been isolated on the island seeing no-one but her father and Caliban, and therefore upon seeing other beings is amazed and overcome by her new discovery. Her role in the play, along with Ferdinand is to unite enemies (Prospero & Alonso), and this links in to Ferdinand's utopia which represents true love (as it has passed Prospero's tests). Ferdinand therefore finds a utopia on the island, because in marrying Miranda his life changes, for the better. In meeting Miranda he also therefore plays a major role in Miranda's "utopia".

Although the King’s son, Ferdinand loses his luxury life and has to face the test of survival, his determination and valor enables him to live a time of jubilation. Living in Naples, Ferdinand struggled to find his true love, but shortly after he arrives on the island, a spirit named Ariel uses his mellifluous voice to guide Ferdinand towards Prospero’s daughter, Miranda. With one glance, Ferdinand falls for Miranda, who he claims as, the “perfect and… peerless” (III, i, 47) lady he’s been waiting for. In addition to love, Ferdinand is also living every adolescent’s dream; being away from their parents. Without his father next to him on the island, Ferdinand gets to make his own decisions and lives his life without his father’s ruling; obtaining the feeling of independence and discovering what he is capable of doing on his own. Ferdinand finds pleasure with the feeling of freedom, wanting to “live here [forever]”