Miranda Essay

Submitted By spleepy
Words: 1108
Pages: 5
Open Document
What do you find interesting about Shakespeare’s presentation of Miranda in The Tempest? You may confine yourself to two episodes of the play or range more widely if you prefer.
Shakespeare’s presentation of Miranda is very different from that of the other characters in the play, particularly due to her being the only female character appearing in the story of The Tempest. This immediately makes her an individual character not similar to anybody else, and a huge contrast to the power-hungry male characters surrounding her.
From her first appearance in the play, Miranda is shown to be a sympathetic and caring character by her shock and concern about the storm which her father has caused. She claims to “have suffered with those that [she] saw suffer” – people who she has never met before and believes she will never meet, showing how she really wishes them to be safe and happy. Sympathy and nurturing are typical traits of women in the world, even in Elizabethan England where Shakespeare wrote The Tempest. However, it was not a typical trait of females to go against the wishes of their father – as Miranda does when she criticises his use of power by referring to what she would have done if she were “any God of power”. This criticism of her father draws Miranda away from being stereotyped as a typical woman of the Elizabethan period, as she defies the standards of the patriarchal world. This disobedience to her father’s wishes is also evident when she asks her father to “show pity” to Ferdinand, showing again her conforming to the sympathetic role, but also trying to control her father which would never have been the case in such a society, as the Divine Chain of Being where men are placed higher than women in the scale of authority and divinity. Although Miranda shows her father the respect that a patriarchal male would demand at that time by constantly referring to him as “Sir”, she also understands that not all that he does is acceptable in her eyes, and tries to make him change his ways in order to become for emotion-fuelled as she is. However, try as she might to influence her father’s reactions, he rejects her wishes and demands for her “silence”, showing how he himself knows that he has control over her and rejects her non-conformity to the social roles of the time. As a male in that era, it would not be usual for Prospero to consider Miranda’s views as being right, as his daughter should be obedient, polite, and respectful of his decisions.
As the only female character in the play and on the island, is the main focus of the male character’s desires and lust, besides power. In Act 1, Scene 2, we learn that Caliban attempted to rape Miranda and regrets that Prospero “didst prevent [him]”. However, this act is not one of lust, it is in fact one to gain power. Caliban tried to objectify Miranda’s body in order to populate “the isle with Calibans”. As the only female on the island, Miranda is Caliban’s only chance to gain power, so although he tried to abuse her sexually, it was not to harm her, but to get his revenge on Prospero and to gain back the power and control of his island. This shows how, by some, women are used just as objects and not as people, which is similar to the view that women should be seen and not heard – meaning that women are allowed to be controlled and abused because they aren’t equal to men. Miranda retaliates to Caliban by calling him an “abhorrèd slave” who is “capable of all ill”, which shows a contrast in power. Despite Miranda being the female and therefore Caliban being the dominant male, Caliban is from a “vile race” and is feared as a foreigner by Miranda and Prospero, so they see him as an inferior. Although Miranda is the only character in the play who does not actively search for power, she still seems to be competing with Caliban for dominance.
Ferdinand’s views on Miranda differ very much from both Prospero and Caliban. From the first moment he saw
Show More

Related Documents: Miranda Essay

Miranda: Miranda V. Arizona and Case Miranda Vs Essay

Miranda v. Arizona What is Miranda and how has it strengthened or weakened the ability of the police to solve crimes? I will answer this question by first looking at Miranda and what it means and who it applies to. Next we will look at the case Miranda vs. Arizona and how this ruling effect our justice system. Finally was this case and ruling important to our justice system and the way police are able to solve crimes today. To begin what is Miranda? Who does Miranda apply to? When an officer of…

Words 561 - Pages 3

Miranda Rights Essay

Miranda Rights Everyone has heard the term Miranda Rights, whether that be when taking a law class, during the course of a television show, or perhaps through personal experience with their use, but what do these two words really mean, where did they come from and how to they apply to an individual's everyday life? The answers to this question are neither simple nor fully answered today, as challenges to Miranda Rights appear in courtrooms routinely. However, the basis for Miranda Rights can…

Words 1579 - Pages 7

Miranda Rights Essays

Miranda Rights I am going to be discussing the Miranda rights. What they mean to you to me and you, what they entitle you to, and how they came to be implemented in law enforcement today. I am interested in this topic because as a United States citizen like many others, everyone should know their rights and protections of those rights. Miranda can be very difficult to understand to many. It is important to have a general sense of understanding about these rights because if they are not read properly…

Words 1353 - Pages 6

Miranda Vs Arizona Essay

Miranda v. Arizona Another signature case that impacted and transformed police practices nationwide was the case of Miranda v. Arizona seen by the Warren Court. On March 13, 1963 police arrested Ernesto Miranda who was linked to the kidnapping and rape of some 18-year-old woman 10 days earlier. After being identified through a police lineup officers aggressively integrated Mr. Miranda. However, the police officers failed to inform Miranda of his Fifth Amendment right which protects against self-incrimination…

Words 433 - Pages 2

Persuasive Essay On Miranda Rights

Miranda Every American is entitled to the same rights as every other American. This is why they created Miranda rights to give people the right to stay silent and they have a right to an attorney. If Smith was told his Miranda rights his punishment would be more severe. I would consider him guilty of first degree armed robbery, along with second degree attempt at murder charges on the guard he shot, since it does not state in the scenario that the guard was killed. He went to the bank with intent…

Words 1098 - Pages 5

Persuasive Essay On Miranda Rights

and the Supreme Court established Miranda Rights in order to provide “protection which must be given to the privilege against self-incrimination when the individual is first subjected to police interrogation while in custody” (Miranda, 6). While it might seem like the rights established by Miranda were a good thing for all people, as discussed in class, the Miranda rule may have done more harm to American’s “blessings of liberty” than good. Even after the Miranda rule was implemented the rates of…

Words 1831 - Pages 8

Miranda: Want and Body Language Essay

Miranda Bushman Pd. 2A January 31, 2013 How to Flirt You suddenly spotted someone across the crowded room, and you want to know that you’re interested in getting to know them. The question is how to work enough skills and courage to actually flirt with someone without being too obvious. Well here are the steps to help you get your flirt on. The first step is to give an easy and non-risky four-second glance. Which you would hold someone’s gaze for four seconds, look away, and then look back. It…

Words 683 - Pages 3

Essay on Miranda vs Arizona

2013 PLS 135 Miranda vs. Arizona In Miranda v. Arizona, the Supreme Court ruled that detained criminal suspects, prior to police questioning, must be informed of their constitutional right to an attorney and against self-incrimination. Ernesto Miranda was the plaintiff and the state of Arizona was the defendant. Ernesto Miranda was convicted of the March 1963 kidnapping and rape of an eighteen-year-old girl in Phoenix, Arizona. After the crime the police picked up Miranda because he fit the…

Words 577 - Pages 3

In Defense of Miranda in "Old Mortality" Essay

In Defense of Miranda in “Old Mortality” Thomas F. Walsh alleges in his article “Miranda’s Ghost in ‘Old Mortality’ that while Miranda spends her life disgusted by her family and the myths of her lineage she adopts the romantic attitude of her elders later in life and is therefore worthy of criticism. However, it is clear from a thorough analysis of the text that while Miranda and Amy exhibit some similarity, Amy as a character is patently Miranda’s antithesis if only for the fact that their…

Words 1331 - Pages 6

Essay on Student: Supreme Court of the United States and Miranda Vs

Final Essay 1 POLS-210 April 27, 2013 Before the famous case of Miranda vs. Arizona (1967), law enforcement could use many tactics and forces to get someone to answer questions or give information without them know what their rights are under federal law. On March 13, 1963 Ernesto Miranda was arrested for the kidnapping and rape of an eighteen year old girl in Phoenix, Arizona. During his arrest and interrogation Miranda admitted to the crime and even signed it in writing. Miranda was officially…

Words 660 - Pages 3