Many critics state that Miranda and Ferdinand are merely stereotypical characters. How far do you agree with this opinion and how important are the characters to what you feel are the central concerns of The Tempest?
...hung, not drowned. Miranda and Ferdinand, who create the romantic side of the play, can be seen to be stereotypical young romantics. Their main role within the play is perhaps to be seen as a parody of a fairytale romance. This idea is started by them falling in love at first sight; Miranda – I might call him a thing divine, for nothing natural I ever saw so noble. Act I, Scene II, Line 421. And, Ferdinand – O, if a virgin, and your affection not gone forth, I’ll make you the Queen of Naples. Miranda has never seen a man other than her father and arguably Caliban before. She seems instantly bewitched by the King’s son. Ferdinand feeling much the same almost instantly suggests they marry. From this, their first meeting, it becomes clear that their love will become central to the overall plot of the play. At this point, Shakespeare cleverly uses Prospero to exploit the naïve pair and the romance they have created, thus turning the fairytale into a parody. One way he does this is by making Ferdinand carry thousands of logs for him, to try and win Miranda’s hand; Ferdinand – I must remove some thousands of these logs, and pile them up… Act III, Scene, I, Line 71. This trial of Ferdinand’s love seems nothing more than a ploy to make him work for Prospero, especially when considering Prospero’s soliloquies, which suggest he already approves of the love between them. Ferdinand carrying out this task seems to mimic more traditional fairytale hero tasks such as fighting dragons for his love’s hand. It seems clear that Ferdinand is bitter towards the nobles from the start, particularly his brother Antonio, who usurped him as Duke of Milan; Prospero – I pray thee, mark me, that a brother should be so perfidious! Act I, Scene II, Line 67. It also becomes clear that Prospero wants to be reinstated as the Duke. This leads to another reason for him controlling the young lovers and intends them to be together. He not only wants his Dukedom back but also hopes for his daughter to wed Ferdinand, the son of King Alonso, which would give him a grip over Naples. If you look at Prospero’s action from the point of view that he solely wants power, than Miranda and Ferdinand’s sub storyline makes them extremely central to the overall plot of The Tempest. Whilst their presence is not vital to the Milan scenario, it is needed for one of the unofficial themes of the play, which is the rise of the original members of the island to a new power. Prospero is exiled from Milan but eventually returns to be a Duke again. Ariel is a servant of Prospero but ultimately wins...