Discuss the following passage, exploring Shakespeare's use of language and its dramatic effects.
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Starting with this conversation, discuss how far Shakespeare presents Miranda as loving and compassionate.
Shakespeare's presentation of Miranda ranges from the surface portrayal which shows her as a loving and compassionate individual who respects and admires her father, Prospero, whereas beneath the surface there is a more strong and defiant individual who creates a false persona to deceive her father. This extract is the first time the audience are able to make a judgement of Miranda's character and arguably this extract shows her as a loving and compassionate character as opposed to the latter, which is seen as her character develops throughout the play.
Miranda's use of language in this extract presents her as a loving daughter with respect for her father as she refers to his magical abilities as his 'art', which reflects the admiration she has for his talent and reluctance to disrespect him. The fact that she uses the word 'art' is almost a euphemism for the storm which he has just created and reflects how she doesn't want to anger or upset her father; she is aware of his powers. As the extract continues her respect is reflected further when she refers to Prospero as her 'dearest father', again connoting Miranda's love and compassion of which she feels towards him. Arguably this is Shakespeare's way of revealing to the audience that Miranda is inferior to Prospero and she doesn't try to challenge his power in any way.
Miranda's love and compassion is further reflected through her obvious concern for the people who were involved in the storm and these are characters of which she doesn't even know, which clearly shows the fact she is a kind-hearted character. Miranda speaks of those whom she 'saw suffer' and how it made her 'suffer('d)' too; this is symbolising the empathy Miranda felt for the people who were on the boat, again reinforcing the ideology that is Miranda's compassionate personality. Further depiction of this notion is seen through her diction that 'the cry did nock against (her) very heart' which entirely reveals how she is severely concerned about the pain of others and wants to make sure they aren't hurt. The fact she is begging her father to make sure of this reveals how she cares for others deeply, validating the above statement.
Additionally, the belief that the character of Miranda is loving and compassionate is seen further as the play progresses, and is seen when she meets Ferdinand for the first time. Her capability of love is clearly seen through her fondness of him and how she believes he is a 'spirit'; the fact she is so indulged in Ferdinand's appearance shows the audience how Miranda is a character who feels deep love and emotion very easily, and this is emphasised through the clear contrast with her father, Prospero's arguable lack of love and compassion. She reveals how she has 'no ambition to seek a goodlier man', which again reinforces the idea that Miranda's character is solely one of loving able ness.
Alternatively, one can argue that Miranda is in fact a character which is yes, loving and compassionate, but only to a limited extent. Her faux-naivity can also be argued as one of her deliberate character traits. Arguably, Miranda is aware of her fathers powers and what he is capable of if she was to challenge him and so she uses her unspoken knowledge to her advantage by being faux-naive and pretending to respect him, knowing she is more likely to get what she wants from her father. For example, her emotional outpour to her father here in this extract could be personally exaggerated when referring to his 'art' and how he is her 'dearest father' as she knows he will listen to her cries as opposed to her actual opinion. This is seen further on in the play when Miranda tells Prospero exactly what she believes he would want to hear with diction of 'Alack what trouble I was to you then'; this quit obvious sarcasm and faux-naivity clearly shows an element to Miranda's character which would suggest against the statement that she is entirely loving and compassionate. Miranda is also deceiving towards her father and she is fully aware of it.
Additionally, the ideology that Miranda is entirely compassionate and loving is challenged by the clear element of strength depicted in her language when she uses the imperative of 'allay them'. She doesn't ask her father to stop yet clearly demands this through her language used and this is hidden by her surrounding language which would suggest her lack of power. The utilisation of imperatives by Miranda are clear pictures of strength and defiance which are a part of Miranda's persona and this is definitely developed as the play progresses. Again, with her meeting with Ferdinand, although her one and compassion is shown with Ferdinand, her strength is also shown when she challenges her fathers authority further. She tells her father to 'have pity' and further connotes her defiance through declaring to 'beseech' her father; these imperatives and commands are clear reflection of her alternate persona and how she defends herself in the most impalpable of ways.
One can conclude that Miranda, although a loving and compassionate character, is arguably much more deceiving than what is seen on the surface. Her ways in which she fools the authority around her suggest her character is more so one of strength and hidden power as opposed to the typical 'damsel in distress' trope of which would typically be portrayed in a Shakespearian play, which is why Miranda's character is conclusively so complex and subjective.
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