‘The fringed curtains of thine eye advance, and say what thou seest yond.’ As
Prospero planned they do fall in love, ‘At the first sight they have changed eyes.’
Ferdinand loses no time in proposing to Miranda, ‘I’ll make you the Queen of
Naples.’ This is significant because Ferdinand is giving Miranda her rightful position
as royalty back to her without realising who she is. Prospero loves his daughter dearly
as he proves throughout the play ‘I have done nothing but in care of thee- of thee my
dear one, thee my daughter.’ Because of Prospero’s strong love for his daughter and
his desire to make everything perfect for her he decides to make Ferdinand work hard
for her love so that he learns what real love is, and treats Miranda properly, ‘but this
swift business I must uneasy make, lest too light winning make the prize light.’
Ferdinand then shows himself to be worthy of Miranda by working as a slave for
Prospero saying that nothing is a burden to him as long as he can see Miranda, ‘Might
I but through my prison once a day behold this maid.’ Miranda also proves to
Prospero that she deeply loves Ferdinand by arguing even with her for father for him,
‘There’s nothing ill can dwell in such a temple. If the ill spirit have so fair a house,
good things will strive to dwell with’t.’
In this episode between Miranda and Ferdinand, the audience sees both their
characters’ and personalities’ develop as they go through changes when they have
new experiences. Miranda’s wonder at Ferdinand is shown in all her language when
addressing him and talking about him, ‘What is’t? A spirit?’ she does not even know
what he is as she never seen men before, only knowing her father and Caliban on the
island. From the first moment she sees him Miranda’s language shows herself in awe
of Ferdinand as she exclaims, ‘Lord, how it looks about! Believe me, sir, it carries a
brave form.’ Miranda has the simplicity and forthrightness to openly declare her love
for Ferdinand, ‘I might call him a thing divine, for nothing natural I ever saw so
noble.’ This simplicity is because of Miranda’s seclusion; she does not know many
people and has no knowledge of the real world, she is impressed by what she sees and
expects the inside to match the outside not able to see past peoples’ good looks into
their deeper character. This directness is shown again later when she openly admires
the attractive men of the court party, ‘How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world, that has such people in’t!’ Even
when Ferdinand showers Miranda with praise of her beauty she remains modest, ‘No
wonder, sir, but certainly a maid.’ Miranda shows her compassion in every scene that
she appears in from her first words of sympathy for those in the shipwreck, ‘O, I have
suffered with those that I saw suffer!’ She shows sympathy for everyone in pain
except Caliban, ‘Tis a villain, sir I do not love to look on.’ When she sees Ferdinand
carrying logs she is eager to share his labour; she would rather suffer than see him
suffer, ‘If you’ll sit down, I’ll bear your logs the while: pray give me that; I’ll carry it
to the pile.’ Miranda stands up for herself and Ferdinand against Prospero showing
strength of character, ‘O dear father, make not too rash a trial of him, for he’s gentle,
and not fearful.’ Though she does want her father to like Ferdinand so that she can
marry him, ‘Is the third man that e’er I saw; the first that e’er I sighed for. Pity move
my father to be inclined my way.’
Ferdinand when he first sees Miranda responds to her in the same way as she
responded to him, he uses the same wonderous language as she used, ‘My prime
request, which I do last pronounce, is – O you wonder – If you be maid, or no?’ in
Ferdinand’s next speech he is letting her know he is a man of position; at this point in
the play he thinks he is King which is significant because he is not King, which he
will realise later in the play when he realises overjoyed that his father is still alive,
‘Though the seas threaten, they are merciful; I’ve cursed them without cause.’
Ferdinand quickly proposes to Miranda, this is significant because it is exactly what
Prospero wants; it is all part of his plan to create harmony at the end of the play; their
marriage would unite Prospero and Alonso therefore uniting Naples and Milan
returning both Prospero and Miranda to their rightful positions in the kingdom, ‘I’ll
make you the Queen of Naples.’ Though this is what Prospero wants he makes it hard
for the sake of his daughter as a test of Ferdinand’s love, ‘I must uneasy make, lest
too light winning make the prize light.’ Though at the end Prospero succeeds in his
plan and the play ends in harmony with both Miranda and Ferdinand happy after
being made to suffer for their love, ‘I must be here confined by you, or sent to Naples,
let me not. Since I have my dukedom got.’
This episode has great impact on the audience as it is the beginning of
Prospero’s plan to put past wrongs right and the audience can see that in the near
future calm and harmony will be created out of a tempest which has obviously been
going on for many years. The uniting of Miranda and Ferdinand has great significance
in bringing about the final harmony that their marriage will help to keep, and stop
another tempest arising.