Scene 1

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Summary of Act 3, Scene 1

Miranda and Ferdinand spend time together and Miranda confesses her feelings. Prospero watches them.

Miranda and Ferdinand are punished

Miranda and Ferdinand are young lovers.
Prospero has punished Ferdinand by making him carry logs.
- Ferdinand doing such a lowly and mundane (boring) task shows his princely status has been been reduced. This disrupts the order of Jacobean society.
Because he refuses to stop and have a rest, Miranda uses the imperative 'rest yourself'.
- Some people could interpret Miranda as acting as a protofeminist (acting like a feminist before the feminist movement) here.
- But the imperative could just show how much she cares.

Prospero opposes the marriage

To keep up the illusion that he holds absolute power over the island and all its inhabitants, Prospero pretends to oppose the union between the two. He forbids Miranda to reveal her name to the young prince.
Although she is a dutiful and obedient daughter, she is overwhelmed by her love for Ferdinand (the only man she has ever met other than her father and Caliban) and genuinely cannot control herself.

Miranda expresses her love

Because of her lack of social interaction, Miranda quickly states: 'I am your wife, if you will marry me: / If not, I'll die your maid.'
Although Ferdinand reveals that he has known many women when at court, Miranda is different to all others. He doesn’t even mind the hard labour he has been reduced to as she 'makes my labours pleasures.'

Prospero watches the scene

Prospero is present on the stage throughout the scene. He is not seen by the two young lovers but is seen by the audience. He seems to control the exchange with his God-like power and eye.
He witnesses the genuine affection his daughter holds for the prince: 'Poor worm, thou art infected!'
- You could interpret this as Shakespeare reminding the audience of a woman’s rightly place lower down on the social hierarchy.
- You could also interpret this as acknowledging the power of love, which can 'infect' and cloud judgement.

A new generation falls in love

Despite this, this scene highlights that reconciliation is possible - Miranda and Ferdinand act responsibly in a way their fathers did not.
As well as this, this scene is sandwiched between two comedic scenes filled with debauchery (wrongdoing) and discussions of treachery.
The contrast really highlights the purity of their relationship.

1Key Words

1.1Key Words

1.1.1Key Words 1

1.1.2Key Words 2

1.1.3Key Words 3

1.1.4Key Words 4

2Context & Overview

2.1Context & Overview

2.1.1Overview

2.1.2Context

3Act 1

3.1Act 1 Analysis

3.1.1Overview

3.1.2Scene 1

3.1.3Scene 2

4Act 2

4.1Act 2 Analysis

4.1.1Overview

4.1.2Scene 1

4.1.3Scene 2

5Act 3

5.1Act 3 Analysis

5.1.1Overview

5.1.2Scene 1

5.1.3Scene 2

5.1.4Scene 3

6Act 4

6.1Act 4 Analysis

6.1.1Overview

6.1.2Scene 1

7Act 5

7.1Act 5 Analysis

7.1.1Overview

7.1.2Scene 1

7.1.3The Epilogue

8Key Characters

8.1Major Characters

8.1.1Prospero

8.1.2Miranda

8.1.3Caliban

8.1.4Ariel

8.1.5Ferdinand

8.1.6Alonso

8.2Minor Characters

8.2.1Antonio

8.2.2Stephano

8.2.3Sebastian

8.2.4Gonzalo

8.2.5Trinculo

9Themes

9.1Major Themes

9.1.1Power

9.1.2Magic

9.1.3Status, Race & Pronouns

9.1.4Comedy

9.1.5Freedom vs Servitude

9.1.6Revenge

10Authorial Method

10.1Authorial Method

10.1.1Genre & Time

10.1.2Music & Illusion

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