Friday, November 18, 2016

What decision do Ferdinand and Miranda make during their conversation?

In Act III, scene i, Ferdinand and Miranda decide to get married. This is exactly what Prospero had planned. Miranda, isolated on a desert island, has never seen a young man. Prospero arranges for Ferdinand to be the first male that his daughter sees, rightly predicting that she will be charmed at first sight.
Miranda, having no idea of the ways of the world, doesn't realize she should hide her feelings, play hard to get, and let the man do the proposing. She simply states plainly what is on her mind, stating to Ferdinand:

I am your wife, if you will marry me.If not, I’ll die your maid. To be your fellowYou may deny me, but I’ll be your servantWhether you will or no.

Luckily for her, Ferdinand, unlike some of the other men shipwrecked on the island, is a man of honorable character. He is honest and good, so he doesn't take advantage of her naive openness about her feelings.


During their conversation in 3.1, Ferdinand and Miranda agree to get married. It actually seems less like a decision and more like an impulsive reaction to discovering the other's love, however. Both of them give their love without restraint basically right upon meeting one another, and when they later find out the other loves them, they have little hesitation about getting together as a couple and even getting married. Miranda briefly delays because she is worried about her father's prohibition of her talking to Ferdinand, but it doesn't stop her from speaking to him for long. Soon, she offers herself as his wife, of course an unusual step at this time. Ferdinand agrees immediately. So, if there is a decision, it is that they get married, but the moments in 1.2 when they see each other are almost more the decision point than their conversation in 3.1 is.

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