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This morality in the character of Miranda is used by Shakespeare to introduce Rousseau's theory that all humans are inherently good, and that it is only society which corrupts, and this theory poses a large question throughout the play. Yet, she does use imperative language towards her father, such as 'Sir, have pity', which may suggest that Miranda is not controlled by her father and that she has an innate sense of morality. For example, when she disobeys, unintentionally, her father's demand that she does not tell Ferdinand her name she is dismayed and upset. She is gentle and extremely compassionate - during the storm she tries to convince Prospero not to hurt the men 'I have suffered with those I saw suffer' (Act 1, Scene 1) - and she is devoted to her father.
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Miranda, one of the principal characters in The Tempest, is the daughter of Prospero, who was exiled to the island when she was very young so she cannot remember much about mainstream civilisation and this has allowed her to become extremely pure and innocent as she has no experience with other humans - all she knows she has learnt from her father. This may suggest that humans are in need of rules to govern themselves effectively, yet Prospero abuses these rules, and makes himself superior which may be a comment by Shakespeare to criticise the nature of human beings. Prospero may have left civilisation and surrounded himself with magic and supernatural beings, he has still replicated a hierarchal human system of moral judgments and rules, despite the possibility that he and Miranda, and the spirits already on the island, could live with total freedom. His imperative language towards may suggest that he is patriarchal, and in the time the play was written this would not have been unusual or undesirable.
#The tempest characters full
At the start of the play, when telling Miranda a story, he is eager for her to listen and ensures that her full attention is given to him.
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He is also an autocratic character who demands attention from the other characters. He also treats Caliban harshly, threatening him with painful punishments and threatening Ariel with total imprisonment. Prospero may been seen as representative of British colonialism in foreign countries as he, despite Caliban's claims that the island is his, enslaves the natives of the island to carry out his bidding. For example, in Act 1 he questions whether Miranda is really his daughter. However, the events from his past have cause Prospero to become fearful and bitter and he still has some paranoia regarding civilisation. Shakespeare uses this to create sympathy for Prospero, but his self-importance and control of the other characters make Prospero a character who the audience remain unsure of, as he is manipulative and deceitful, yet it can be argued that he only acts in this way to create positive results - such as Miranda's wedding to Ferdinand which create the play's happy ending. These men put Prospero, and his young daughter, on a boat, with few possessions and this is how Prospero and Miranda come to inhabit the island. He has an extreme interest in magic and the supernatural and because of his studying to learn the art of magic, his brother believed that Prospero would not be an effective Duke of Milan so plotted, with the help of the other members of the royal entourage to banish Prospero. Prospero is the rightful Duke of Milan who was usurped by his brother. There are many different physical representations of Prospero, the protagonist of The Tempest, although the majority of these interpretations present the character as a God-like figure with supreme magical powers who manipulates all other characters. Prospero is Latin for 'I cause to succeed, make happy and fortunate.'