The abandoned damsel, the lonely girl, the beautiful virgin… In The Tempest, Shakespeare depicts all of these ideal constructions of femininity in his character Miranda. However, a close examination of the text reveals that Shakespeare had a subtle but clear message to send to his early 17th-century royal audience. By allowing Miranda to defy the patriarchal traditions of her time in the way she addresses her father, in her defiance of him, and in her impulsive decision to marry Ferdinand, Shakespeare develops his message of frustration with the absolutism of the monarchy. to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Out of all the main characters in The Tempest, Miranda seems to be a standout to say the least. While her limited amount of speech might present a weakness in her character, Miranda's sparse but skillful word choices appear to be a strategy on Shakespeare's part. By presenting her as a quiet and humble girl, Shakespeare reveals to his audience a naive construction of femininity that would prevent them from hearing Shakespeare's later thematics. To discover the meaning and significance of Shakespeare's underlying message, one must return to the period in which The Tempest was written. The respected reign of Elizabeth I had just ended. His successor, James I, began to govern in a manner very different from that of Elizabeth; Elizabeth recognized the power of her subjects, James' ideas of absolute power placed him in the highest classes and allowed him to do whatever he wanted. This made his rule very controversial and led to him being hated by many religious groups. When James came to the throne, his family financially supported the theaters of London, notably the Shakespeare company. Shakespeare actors regularly performed for the royal family, and this is where the subtlety of Miranda's character becomes so vital. Clearly, Shakespeare did not agree with the way James ruled post-Elizabethian England. The fact that Miranda is a lone female character in a play in which she challenges a level of patriarchy similar to the way the current king rules his country is no coincidence. William Shakespeare sends a direct message to the King of England: he does not agree with the way he governs. Basically, Shakespeare wrote the character of Miranda to parallel Elizabeth's reign and conflict with James' reign. Most audiences would never hear this message, which would of course benefit Shakespeare because any playwright who offended the crown could be sent to prison. Shakespeare, in his own way, outwitted the man who had the most power in England, second only to God. Shakespeare begins this thematic protest at the very beginning of the play. He stages Miranda's limited and sympathetic life at the beginning of the first scene, and quickly contrasts it with his response to the storm brewing on the sea: "If by your art, my dearest father, you have put the wild waters in this roar, still them” (Shakespeare 6). Because The Tempest was written in 1610, the image of women it presents is very different from the average 21st century woman. Around the same time, essayist Richard Steele described women as “…daughters, sisters, wives, and mothers, mere appendages of the human race” (Davis 15). Clearly, individuality was frowned upon, as was denouncing one's father or husband. In this first scene, even though Prospero holds the ultimate power to control the island and the, 1965.