Quotes Mod A Flashcards
Miranda (T) Idealized Renaissance Woman
Her virtuous and naive nature is seen when she “[has] suffered/With those that [she] saw suffer!”
anguished tone
–> feelings of empathy defining her character as being innocent and pure
Miranda (T) No character arc
In Act 5 of the play, Miranda marvels at “How beauteous mankind is!”, one of her only lines in the scene.
No character arc/not changed or developed
–> lack of need by the Jacobean audience for her character to grow throughout the play
Miranda (H) Strong and powerful
Standing up for herself and pushing back against Felix’s attempts to be an overprotective father figure, she facetiously says “Don’t blame me, blame my f**king hormones.”
Challenging and dominant tone
–> defining her as a strong and powerful woman, exhibiting traite=s often thought of as masculine
Miranda (H) Felix relies on her
Felix’s motivation was fueled by his desire to bring his own Miranda back to life. “Felix glances anxiously around the dark space: Where is his own Miranda?”.
Focalised narrative voice
–> Felix intensely relies on Miranda, demonstrating the power that Miranda had over Felix
Caliban (T) As a savage
Shakespeare’s character of Caliban adheres to the eurocentric notions of the ‘savage’, capable of expressing extreme brutality as he is viewed as “A freckled whelp, hag-born - not honoured with/A human shape.”
Shakespeare positioning
–> Jacobean audience to see him as an object of scorn
Caliban (T) As multifaceited
Caliban delivers some of the most beautiful poetry within the Shakespearean canon, describing the island as “full of noises,/sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.”
Eloquence and tenderness of these lines
–> Shakespeare isn’t allowing the audience to see Caliban as fitting neatly into the box of ‘savage’, instead, he is providing a sense of power to Caliban
Caliban (T) Seeking forgiveness
Further emphasising Shakespeare’s intentions, he allows Caliban to seek forgiveness: “I’ll be wise hereafter And seek for grace”.
Compared to Antonio and Alonso
–> can be viewed with some sense of worth and dignity from Shakespeare’s Jacobean audience
Caliban (H) Prisoners vs Actors
Atwood’s secular humanism leads her to construct the prisoners in more of a sympathetic light. She does so y having Felix refer to the prisoners only as “the actors” as her “refuses to call them inmates” or “prisoners”.
Focalisation of Felix
–> positioned to see the goodness and morality of the prisoners, writing them in a favourable light
Caliban (H) Worth in themselves
As the narrative arc of the novel progresses, the prisoners become capable of perceiving themselves as valuable, as “For once in their lives, they loved themselves”.
Narrative voice
–> recognise their own worth, the audience has no choice but to view the character of Caliban with sympathy
