Prospero’s Purpose of Giving Laborious Work to Ferdinand and Miranda’s Sympathetic Nature:
Question : what purpose has Prospero in giving laborious work to Ferdinand ? How does Miranda show her Sympathetic nature ? What does it bring out in Ferdinand ?
Answer :
Real Cause behind the laborious task given to Ferdinand:
The real cause of the laborious task given to Ferdinand was to test constancy and sincerity of his love towards Miranda.
It was Prospero who plotted the meeting of Ferdinand and Miranda and used his magic to bring them together but his magic has little to do with the spring of love between the two. The love between the two lover was not prompted by mere magic but by their mutual admiration, by the romantic circumstances of their meeting and by their inner desire.
It is the wish of Prospero’s heart that they should fall in love but Prospero finds that they are too quick, and that as soon as they are in love, they seem to be getting free of Prospero’ s influence and interference. Prospero is quite happy at the result but is afraid that too easy winning may make the prize cheap.
Therefore Prospero wants to test the constancy and sincerity of Ferdinand’s love. Hence, Prospero imposes on Ferdinand 5he task of bearing logs.
Miranda’s Showing Sympathy for Ferdinand’s Distress :
The task of bearing the logs brings Ferdinand and Miranda more closely together. Taking advantage of the hours that Prospero spends on study, Miranda steals to Ferdinand while he is engages in carrying logs. Miranda can not help observing that Ferdinand is straining himself. The task would have been most unpleasant to him but for the sake of Miranda he gets ready to do such a menial task.
The thought of Miranda seems to relieve his fatigue. Miranda herself comes to him and her personal company is more encouraging to him. When Miranda sees him, he seems to be quite exhausted by the task, she offers to carry the logs for him.
Her sympathy is quite touching and robs the task of all its unpleasantness. Apart from love her sympathy is prompted by Ferdinand’s distress. With her womanly instinct she sees at once that Ferdinand is not used to do this thing. So she says:
“It would become me
As well as it does you; and I should do it
With much more ease; for my good will is to it,
And yours it is against. “
The Rise of True Manhood in Ferdinand through Miranda’s Sympathy :
Ferdinand on being asked to fetch wood from different places, resists in the beginning but then accepts the necessity of his toil as a way to prove his love for Miranda. He accepts Prospero’s advice that sacrifice, discipline and hard – work are necessary to win the hand of Miranda in marriage.
Miranda’s sympathy brings out true manhood in Ferdinand. It does not simply encourage him to confess his love; it makes a man of him. If there is something of the lover’s exaggeration in the sentiments he utters, yet they have the very breath of sincerity, passion and nobility.
“Hear my soul speak;
The very instant that I saw you, did
My heart fly to your service; there resides,
To make me do slave to it; and for your sake
Am I this patient log man.”
Miranda’s love transforms him from his butterfly existence at his father’s court into a serious – minded youth, who has now purpose in life.