Miranda

Miranda Character Summary

Miranda is Prospero's daughter. She has pretty much grown up on the isolated island and has little understanding of the outside world.

Angelic

At the start of the play, it is quite clear that Miranda's father is dutiful and admires his sweet 'cherubin'. He claims that all 'I have done nothing but in care of thee.'
The metaphor 'cherubin' compares Miranda to an angel. This is a religious idea that is reinforced when Prospero says she is 'infused with a fortitude from heaven.'
Religion was of great importance in Jacobean England. So these compliments are of the highest value and present Miranda as pure and blessed.

Compassionate woman

From our first introduction to her, Miranda is the embodiment of a compassionate and gentle woman who cares for others.
- While watching the ship struggle to sail on the 'wild waters' caused by her father, Miranda begs her father to 'allay them' because 'O, I have suffered / With those that I saw suffer!'

Educated Jacobean woman

The patriarchal society of Jacobean England believed that a woman’s function was to serve her father until married. Then, she would serve her husband and have children.
- Miranda, a woman in Jacobean England, is lucky to have had the education she has had from her 'schoolmaster' (Prospero).
Unlike Caliban, who curses the language he has been taught, Prospero says that Miranda’s excellent education has 'made thee more profit / Than other princes can.'

Symbol of order

Miranda symbolises order in an otherwise quite chaotic play.
Through marrying Ferdinand, Prospero’s heirs will be born into positions of great power.
She does not appear to change through the play. She makes sure that Prospero remains grounded rather than getting lost in the power his magic provides him.
Many read her as quite a simple character. This could be because of her role as the passive daughter in the world of the play, or typical Jacobean womanhood.

Miranda a 'goddess'?

Much like Prospero, Ferdinand also admires Miranda: 'Most sure the goddess / On whom these airs attend!'
To Ferdinand, Miranda is like no other woman he has met (which the audience may appreciate is because she can't access the civilisation he is used to).
But whether or not she, as a human, can achieve the status of a 'goddess' is debatable. This is why many do not find her the most endearing or exciting of all Shakespearean women.

Miranda Character Summary

Miranda is both a conventional and unconventional Jacobean woman when it comes to love.

Conventional female lover

Miranda falls deeply in love with the first non-related, civilised man she sees. By doing this, she is upholding expectations of Jacobean women.
- The only challenge to this is Caliban's attempted 'violat[ion]' of her 'honour'. But because this is unsuccessful, she has remained pure and holy.
Miranda has had a restricted experience with society and men. So she views Ferdinand as a 'temple,' promising to worship him for ever more.

Unconventional traits

Quite unconventionally, Miranda is eager to share Ferdinand’s burden of carrying the logs in Act 3, Scene 1: 'If you’ll sit down, / I’ll bear your logs the while: pray give me that; / I’ll carry it to the pile.'

Key Quotations for Miranda

Here are three key quotations that highlight aspects of Miranda's character:

'I might call him'

'I might call him / A thing divine, for nothing natural / I ever saw so noble.'
- Miranda has only ever seen Caliban and Prospero. Ferdinand is the first young man she has seen and so he seems unnatural and amazing.

'O, I have suffered'

'O, I have suffered / With those that I saw suffer! A brave vessel, / Who had, no doubt, some noble creature in her, / Dash'd all to pieces.'
- Miranda is very empathetic. She mourns for the men who she thinks have died in the storm. She pleads with her father to stop it.

'I am your wife'

'I am your wife, if you will marry me. / If not, I’ll die your maid. To be your fellow / You may deny me, but I’ll be your servant / Whether you will or no'
- Miranda delivers an impassioned speech to Ferdinand. She is essentially insisting that they get married - this shows that she is not as demure (reserved) or meek (she) as she seems at first.

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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