Act 3 Quotes

Scene 1

'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.’ (Miranda Lines 83-86)

'Bigger bulk' could show the growth of Miranda's feeling for Ferdinand, yet it also alludes to pregnancy and since she has come an visit him against her fathers wishes, her growth as an independent person.

Shakespeare makes Miranda begin talking in almost riddles, using lots of adjectives to present her confusion in her own feelings and actions. Yet by the end she is very direct 'if you will marry me; if not, I'll die your maid' which tells Ferdinand exactly how she feels.

These lines can be read in a way which accentuates Miranda's innocent and how she has had a sheltered lifestyle, she seems to have no knowledge of courtship, instead given herself to Ferdinand as his wife or as 'his maid' which would of been quite a derogatory position.

They begin to present Miranda as a character becoming independent from her father but also innocently bowled over by the first man she meets and becoming under his power. Therefore you could make the audience both feel respect and pride for her new found independence but also empathy and foolishness for falling for another man so easily.

‘[Miranda] If you’ll sit down I’ll bear your logs the while. Pray give me that; I’ll carry it to the pile.
[Ferdinand] No, precious creature, I’d rather crack my sinews, break my back, than you should such dishonour undergo,’ (Lines 24-28)

Miranda offers to bear Ferdinands logs for him since she cannot bear to see him work, since she feels its partly her fault that he suffers. 'I'll bear your logs' has connotations of bearing his feelings and thoughts forgroudning how they will confess their love for each.

These lines  could be performed to give two impressions of Miranda character, as an innocent maid who feels sympathy for Ferdinand and that its partly her fault her suffers, or as a strong girl who is finding her independence and wanting to impress Ferdinand with her vice and strength.

Shakespeare use hard sounding words like 'crack' and 'break' to make Ferdinand line very masculine and to contrast with Miranda's line before which uses softer sounds like 'bear' and 'pray'.

The line begins very directly with 'no' which sounds very aggressive, which again accentuates Ferdinands masculinity.

There is a half rhyme in both lines of these character, Shakespeare rhymes 'while' and 'pile' on Mirandas line and 'crack' and 'back' in Ferdinands. The rhyme come much quicker in Ferdinands like than Mirandas, which with the hard sounding words creates an almost desperation to seem strong. Whilst Mirandas being further apart and longer sounding make the line more musical and poetic and adding to her beauty.

Shakespeare use stichomythia, where the characters finish each others lines. This suggests and begins to accentuate a unity between them and helps to solidify the idea that they are and should be in love with each other and married.