The Tempest
Miranda's monologue
Shakespeare's Original Text
The Tempest
Miranda
3.1.59-70, 87-88, 96(p)-103
I do not know
One of my sex, no woman's face remember,
Save, from my glass, mine own. Nor have I seen
More that I may call men than you, good friend,
And my dear father. How features are abroad
I am skilless of, but by my modesty,
The jewel in my dower, I would not wish
Any companion in the world but you,
Nor can imagination form a shape
Besides yourself to like of. But I prattle
Something too wildly, and my father's precepts
I therein do forget.
I am a fool
To weep at what I am glad of.
But this is trifling,
And all the more it seeks to hide itself.
The bigger bulk it shows. Hence, bashful cunning,
And prompt me, plain and holy innocence.
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.
Monologue Introduction
This speech, spoken by Miranda takes place in Act 3, Scene 1 of Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Having been on the island her whole life, Miranda knows no men. She has only been around her father, Prospero, and Caliban, Prospero’s slave. When the ship is seemingly wrecked and the passengers are is washed up on the island, Miranda immediately takes an interest in Ferdinand, falling completely in love. Being overtaken by this new feeling, Miranda professes her love to Ferdinand. She tells him how she fell in love with him at first sight. Ferdinand responds by telling Miranda how much he loves her. Prospero blesses their love leaving Miranda weeping with happiness. At the end of the speech, Miranda is left telling Ferdinand how she is to be his wife, and if he does marry her, she will die as his maid. Miranda has a feeling of excitement and desperation throughout this speech which is shown through her language.
Monologue recitation
Analysis
Miranda gives a heartfelt and passionate in Act 3, scene I of Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Miranda opens up to Ferdinand about how she is the only woman on this island, and she longs for another man to love. “I do not know one of mine sex, no woman’s face remember” (3.1. 1-2). Being on the island her whole life, Miranda talks about how she knows nothing about the world and its “Features abroad [she] is skilless of” (3.1. 5-6). This leads Miranda to be very naïve, letting her feelings overtake her words. Miranda says, “Nor can imagination form a shape besides yourself to like of” (3.1. 9-10). Miranda uses this imagery, or lack thereof, to convey how she is so blown away by Ferdinand that she cannot even imagine any other man but him. This speech revolves around Miranda’s desperation, she is desperate for not just the love of Ferdinand but the future she imagines with him “ I am your wife if you will marry me…I’ll die your maid to be your fellow you may deny me … I’ll be your servant “ (3.1. 19-22). Miranda’s repetition of “you” and “your” shows how Miranda is ready to be Ferdinand. By repeating those words so much, Miranda shows the passionate love she feels for Ferdinand. This idea of ownership is also reflecting in her and Prospero’s relationship. Prospero and Miranda’s relationship is reliant on how Miranda obeys Prospero. This is very apparent in the way Miranda views her relationship with Ferdinand.
Sonnet 12
Sonnet 12 Original Text
When I do count the clock that tells the time,
And see the brave day sunk in hideous night;
When I behold the violet past prime,
And sable curls all silver’d o’er with white;
When lofty trees I see barren of leaves
Which erst from heat did canopy the herd,
And summer’s green all girded up in sheaves
Borne on the bier with white and bristly beard,
Then of thy beauty do I question make,
That thou among the wastes of time must go,
Since sweets and beauties do themselves forsake
And die as fast as they see others grow;
And nothing ‘gainst Time’s scythe can make defence
Save breed, to brave him when he takes thee hence.
Sonnet Introduction
Shakespeare’s sonnet 12 appeals to me because it talks about the passing of time and how to be content with your aging you have to leave something on this earth that can live on when you pass on. Shakespeare quickly grabbed my attention when he speaks of, “see[ing] the brave day sunk into hideous night”. This line surprised me because I view growing old as a beautiful thing; it shows someone has lived a long life full of experiences. Later in the sonnet, Shakespeare goes on to say “nothing ‘gainst Time’s scythe can make defense Save breed, to brave him when he takes thee hence.” I related to this by thinking about the things my mom has passed down to me and things I hope to pass down one day. My Mom has passed down recipes that my grandma passed down to her, although this isn’t exactly what Shakespeare was thinking when he wrote about leaving something that will outlive you, these recipes are something that I hope outlives me and carries on through generations.
Analysis of Quatrain 2
Shakespeare’s second quatrain of sonnet 12 is full of imagery, antithesis, and metaphors to help bring to life the idea of aging and the decaying of living things. In the first line of the second quatrain, the speaker refers to the passing of time and the aging of young “strong” beauty. The speaker uses the imagery of a “lofty tree” to represent a young and beautiful human flourishing. The speaker then goes on to say how it turns to be “barren of leaves” as if this “tree” has shed its beauty and gone into the cold decaying depths of winter, aging just as fast as the seasons change. The imagery is extended to the following line when the speaker says how the “lofty tree” could once provide shade for the “herd.” The speaker uses this metaphor to portray children being taken care of like a canopy “watches” over the herd. When “summer’s green” decays and is “girded up in sheaves,” it clearly shows the idea of once alive, bright nature dies and is rolled and stacked into “sheaves” just like dead bodies all crumpled and old. A metaphor in line eight compares the “girded” summer green to a “white and bristly beard,” creating an image of an old, bearded man who used to be as beautiful as “summer’s green”. The speaker uses the “summer” as a representation of fertility, as summer is the prime time for harvesting calling attention to the prime time to produce children. The contrast and opposition between summer and winter create a perfect antithesis and imagery, leaving this sonnet very colorful and vivid. The idea of reproduction and young beauty continues to be shown through a wide variety of figures of speech as the sonnet continues.
Sonnet recitation
citations
“The Tempest.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Apr. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tempest.
“London, UK - June 10, 2015: The Shakespeare Globe Theatre in Black and White.” 123RF, https://www.123rf.com/photo_42364179_london-uk-june-10-2015-the-shakespeare-globe-theatre-in-black-and-white.html.
Limited, Alamy. “William Shakespeare 's Play 'the Tempest' - Act V. Miranda and Ferdinand. ' m: Sweet Lord, You Play Me False./ F: No, My Stock Photo.” Alamy, https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-william-shakespeare-s-play-the-tempest-act-v-miranda-and-ferdinand-83356935.html.
Turebylu, Akshaj “Tempestuous Virtue: On Miranda and Ferdinand.” The Wellian Magazine, https://sites.duke.edu/thewellianmag/2021/11/08/tempestuous-virtue-on-miranda-and-ferdinand/.
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“Miranda (the Tempest).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Mar. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miranda_(The_Tempest).
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File:Sir-Joseph-Noel-Paton-Prospero-and-Miranda,-the ... https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sir-joseph-noel-paton-prospero-and-miranda,-the-tempest.jpg.
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Emma Smith Professor of Shakespeare Studies. “How to Read Shakespeare for Pleasure.” The Conversation, 23 Oct. 2020, https://theconversation.com/how-to-read-shakespeare-for-pleasure-136409.
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Shakespeare, William. The Tempest, edited by Linzy Brady and David James, Cambridge UP,
2014.
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