Discuss Ferdinand’s character.

What is the nature of his love for

Miranda? Is he a likable character? What is the nature of his
relationship to other characters?

Ferdinand is very formal. Upon first seeing Miranda, he assumes that

she is a goddess, and he addresses her as such. His language is that of
courtly love, of knights who fight for fair ladies. Ferdinand idealizes both
Miranda and love itself. From the moment he sees her, he is intent upon
finding himself in a heaven of love.
While Ferdinand’s formality is in some ways endearing, it is also in some
ways disturbingly reminiscent of Prospero. Some of Ferdinand’s long
speeches, especially the speech about Miranda’s virginity in Act IV,
scene i, sound quite similar to the way Prospero speaks. Ferdinand is a
sympathetic character, and his love for Miranda seems most genuine
when he suddenly is able to break out of his verbose formality and show
a strikingly simple interest in Miranda. The reader can see this when he
asks Miranda, “What is your name?” (III.i.36). The reader notices it again
in Act V, scene i when he jests with her over a game of chess, and when
he tells his father, who asks whether Miranda is “the goddess that hath
severed us, / And brought us together,” that “she is mortal” (V.i.190–
191). Ferdinand agrees to marry Miranda in a scene in which he has
been, like Caliban, hauling logs for Prospero. Unlike Caliban, however,
Ferdinand has been carrying wood gladly, believing that he serves
Miranda. The sweet humbleness implicit in this belief seems to shine
through best at the times when Ferdinand lets go of his romantic
language.

Prospero is pleased that his daughter and Ferdinand have fallen for
each other, he don’t want their blossoming love to fade too quickly .So
he puts another of his crafty little tricks into effect.
He accuses Ferdinand of being an imposter and has come to this island
as a spy to take it from him. He calls him a traitor and threatens to
imprison him.

In act 2 scene 1, we witness a crucial part of the play. The king Alonso
and his courtyards have mysteriously fallen asleep. Strangely, only
Sebastian, the king’s brother and the treacherous Antonio are left
awake. This is where Antonio begins his persuasion of Sebastian.

Antonio begins with a very subtle attempt to persuade Sebastian,

“Worthy Sebastian?

Using the word “Worthy” in his sentence is the first step in Antonio’s
persuasion of Sebastian. This word is used to make Sebastian feel
comfortable and also special.

“My strong imagination sees a crown

Dropping upon thy head.”

In this statement Antonio is almost saying he wants Sebastian to be

king. What this line suggests, is that Antonio is supportive of Sebastian.
When he says “strong imagination”, it is like he is foretelling the future.

“Though let’st thy fortune sleep – die rather;”

Antonio also hints at the importance of Sebastian’s actions, “Die rather;”

What this implies is that Antonio wants Sebastian to rather die than
loose his opportunity.

Sebastian begins to understand Antonio, and agrees to follow him,

“Well I am standing water.”

He is saying that like standing water he has no direction, and therefore

needs Antonio to show him the right way to go. Antonio replies like this,
“I’ll teach you how to flow”

From this we can gather that Antonio wants to establish a teacher

student relationship with Sebastian. This way Antonio can get a lot more
control over Sebastian.

Antonio continues his persuasion of Sebastian by mentally eliminating

the obstacles that would stop Sebastian from being king. He tries to
ensure with Sebastian that Ferdinand is dead by saying,

“Will you grant with me

That Ferdinand is drowned?”

by saying this Antonio is trying to eliminate any of Sebastian’s hope of

Ferdinand being alive. Next, Antonio starts eliminating Claribel as a
possible threat to Sebastian’s chances.

“She that dwells

Ten leagues beyond man’s life;”

Antonio again tries to distance Sebastian and Claribel, this time by

emphasising the physical gap between them.

By saying she is beyond mans life; Antonio is saying there is now way
she can do anything about it even if she knew.

“till new-born chins

Be rough and razorable;”

Sebastian begins to fully understand Antonio’s plot.

“Say this were death

That now hath seize them, why, they were no worse than now they are.”

In this quote, Antonio is talking about Alonso and the courtyards. Antonio
is insinuating that Alonso and the courtyards are as good as dead, and it
would just feel as if they sleeping. Antonio probably says this to ease
Sebastian into killing Alonso.

“My brothers servants

Were then my fellows, now they are my men.”

What Antonio is trying to tell Sebastian, is that he has prospered from

his duplicity.

He tells him that the people that were once his equals are now his
inferiors.

Telling Sebastian something like this would encourage Sebastian to

desire Alonso’s crown more.

Further along the scene Antonio attempts to remove Sebastian’s respect

for Alonso by insulting him. When talking about Alonso, Antonio states,

“No better than the earth he lies upon,”(Line 274).

This statement is designed to eradicate Sebastian’s respect and

sympathy for Alonso.

Antonio compares Alonso to dirt, and ranks them the same.

Over the course of the scene Alonso’s persuasion sinks through to

Sebastian and they both agree to kill Alonso and Gonzalo.

Contrast Prospero's attitude towards Ariel and

Caiban

Prospero uses his magic to control both Ariel and Caliban, albeit in
different ways. In that sense his attitude towards them is inherently
exploitative. Ariel and Caliban exist to serve him, and how they
perform their duties will largely determine how they are treated.
Caliban, for instance, is treated by Prospero in a malicious, vengeful
manner. Prospero's magic is used to control Caliban, to keep him in a
permanent state of subjugation. It's no wonder that Caliban is so surly
and resentful towards his master. But ultimately he has no choice;
through the exercise of his magic powers Prospero has a hold on him:
I must obey. His art is of such pow’r It would control my dam’s god,
Setebos, And make a vassal of him (Act I Scene ii).
It's different with Ariel. Whereas Prospero uses his magic to subjugate
Caliban, he uses it to set Ariel free from the curse of Sycorax, the evil
witch. Because of this, Ariel adopts a submissive posture towards
Prospero; he feels forever in his debt. Even so, Ariel makes so bold as
to ask his master if he might one day be released from his authority:

Is there more toil? Since thou dost give me pains, Let me remember
thee what thou hast promised, Which is not yet performed me . . . My
liberty (Act I Scene ii).
Yet Prospero immediately puts Ariel back in his box. He threatens to
imprison him in an oak tree for twelve years. Wisely, Ariel reverts to
his supine attitude:

Pardon, master. I will be correspondent to command And do my

spiriting gently (Act I Scene ii).
So even though Prospero has a more benevolent attitude towards
Ariel, he still makes it abundantly clear that he is firmly in charge.
Until he's finally granted his liberty, Ariel's relationship to Prospero is
characterized by domination and control no less than Caliban's.