Hello, everyone.

It's lovely to see you today.

My name's Dr.

Clayton, and I'm here to guide you through a learning journey today.

So grab your pen, laptop, or whatever you're using for this lesson, and let's get started.

Welcome to today's lesson.

The lesson's called Prospero's Power Over Miranda.

So today, we're gonna be thinking about the power dynamics between the characters of Prospero and Miranda.

Now some of you may know that Prospero is Miranda's father in "The Tempest." So when we're thinking about these characters, we're also thinking about the power dynamics between fathers and daughters in a patriarchal society.

Because that's what she experienced society was, a patriarchal society.

Now power itself is a key theme of "The Tempest." And what we're gonna do specifically is try to focus on what it means to have power over somebody.

And really try to grapple with these ideas of free will and power, and how those two relate.

So we have four words today we're gonna focus on as our keywords.

Now our first keyword is power.

As I said, this is a key concept of "The Tempest" as a whole, and absolutely essential for our lesson today as we're looking at power dynamics.

So having power means having the ability to influence people or events.

Our second keyword is obedient, which means doing or being willing to do what someone tells you to do.

Now this is intertwined with ideas of power, because you have power over someone.

They're going to obey you.

And this is something we're gonna consider in this lesson.

Does Miranda obey Prospero? Our third keyword is subversive.

If you're subversive, that means actively going against an established system.

So for example, if we decide Miranda does not obey Prospero, we might say she's being subversive, because daughters were supposed to obey their fathers.

This leads us onto a final keyword, which is patriarchal.

Now patriarchal society is where men hold positions of authority and women are seen as inferior.

Now she experienced society was a patriarchal society, which means that daughters were supposed to obey their fathers.

So I'll just give you a few minutes to jot down those keywords.

So pause the video and jot them down now.

Amazing, everyone.

Let's get started with the lesson.

So we have two learning cycles in our lesson today.

For the first learning cycle, we're going to consider the power that Prospero holds over Miranda's identity, and a story as a whole.

And consider what that power means for how he sees Miranda.

For our second learning cycle, we're going to consider the power that Prospero holds over her relationship.

Now some of you may know that Miranda and Ferdinand meet during "The Tempest," they fall in love and they get married.

What we are going to think about is how much of that relationship is actually something they control, and how much of it is Prospero pulling the strings from the sidelines? As I said earlier, throughout the lesson we're going to combine looking at the play itself with thinking about bigger picture ideas, but what it means to have power over someone.

So let's begin with a little bit of context as this will really help us understand the dynamics of play in society, which will influence how we see the characters of Prospero and Miranda.

So in Shakespeare's time, England was a patriarchal society, which means that men held positions of power and were thought of as superior to women.

A man had complete control over his family and daughters, and they're expected to be obedient to their father.

And that this is one of our key keywords means the daughters are expected to do what their father's told them to do.

Marriage was primarily based on power and social climate, and the father would choose a husband for his daughter.

For the most part, the daughter's feelings wouldn't be taken into account when the father was choosing a husband.

It was all about what was best for the father and the family as a whole.

So let's begin by looking at Prospero's power over Miranda's identity and her story.

In Act 1, Scene 2, we learn that Propero and Miranda have been on the island for 12 years since Prospero's brother usurped the dukedom of Milan from him.

Now this means that Prospero's brother took the dukedom of Milan by force, and Prospero was forced to flee with Miranda, who was only three years old at the time and they ended up on the island.

Now, in those 12 years, Prospero has not told Miranda anything about where she comes from.

So take a moment and consider how you'd feel if you and Miranda, and your father kept your real identity secret from you for 12 years.

I think we can imagine, she'd probably feel a little bit upset about this, because it means he's withholding information from her that's vital to who she is.

So let's go to the text itself and see what the interaction between the characters about this are.

So Miranda says, "You've often begun to tell me what I am, but stopped and left me to a bootless inquisition, concluding, 'Stay, not yet.

'" And Prospero response.

"The hour's now come.

The very minute bids thee ope thine ear.

Obey and be attentive." So here, Miranda says that over the years, Prospero have begun to tell her her story, but always stopped.

So let's unpack the implications of that.

What I'd like you to do is discuss what this tells us.

So pause the video and take a few moments to think about it.

Amazing, some great ideas there.

It was lovely to hear people talking about how they would feel if they were Miranda in that situation.

As putting yourself in the character shoes really helped you develop a personal response to the text.

Now, you might have thought it tells that Miranda was aware there were things she needed to know as she knew her father was keeping that knowledge from her.

Now in the text, Miranda says this treatment made her feel bootless.

Now what I'd like to do is think about what connotations, and by that I mean what emotions or feelings do you associate with the word bootless? How do you think Miranda felt if she's using that word? So pause the video to give few moments to consider.

Amazing, there's some great discussions there.

I really liked how people were saying that perhaps it shows she feels uncomfortable, because the idea of walking around without shoes is perhaps a bit uncomfortable.

Potentially, you might also have thought that bootless could also signify something that is incomplete.

And therefore perhaps suggests Miranda felt incomplete, because she didn't know anything about her story and where she came from.

Now Miranda tells that Prospero always began telling her about her past, but then always stopped and told her not yet.

He's now saying "The hour's now come." Now, what I'd like to do is think about what does this tell us about Prospero and Miranda's relationship? So pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Amazing, some great ideas there.

You might have thought.

It tells us that Prospero has complete control over when Miranda gains this knowledge.

We know she wants to know because she's been asking, and yet he's keeping it from her.

Now here, Prospero saying obey and be attentive.

What I'd like to think about is why do you think Prospero begins to tell him around her story by saying the word obey? So pause the video to give a few moments to think about it.

Amazing, some great discussions there.

You might have thought, potentially this is Prospero's way of ensuring that everything about how Miranda hears her own story is on his terms. He's reminding her of his power.

So he's reminding her he has the ability to influence her life and control her life.

Now for a quick check for understanding, what I'd like to do is select which two of the following statements are true.

So is it A, men hold positions of power in a patriarchal society.

B, women hold positions of power in a patriarchal society.

C, Prospero controls how and when Miranda hears her story.

Or D, Miranda controls how and when she hears her story.

So pause the video and make your selections now.

The correct answers are A, men hold positions of power in a patriarchal society, and C, Prospero controls how and when Miranda hears his story.

So very well done if you've got those right.

Amazing work, everyone.

We're now good to combine the ideas we just had in those discussions, as well as what we know about the context to consider another quotation from the text, and what it tells us about the power dynamics between Prospero and Miranda.

Now it's justification for keeping Miranda's story from her.

Prospero says, "I have done nothing but in care of thee, of thee, my dear one, thee, my daughter." Now what I'd like to do is think about how we can see this as Prospero exerting his power over Miranda and adhering to patriarchal ideas.

So remember that in a patriarchal society, men were in control and women considered less important.

Specifically, fathers were considered as in complete control of their daughters.

So think about Prospero repeating the word my.

What might that signify? So pause the video, take a few minutes to discuss.

Fantastic work, everyone.

It was great to see people looking back at their notes from our discussions to really see how we can see the dynamics of this relationship developing.

They might have said, suggesting he has done everything in care of Miranda implies that he knows what's best for her.

It fits with a patriarchal idea that men, and by extension fathers, were superior.

By repeating my, Prospero emphasised that Miranda is his was just a sense of ownership.

And that fits with the patriarchal notion that men were in complete control of their household and their daughters.

Fantastic work, everyone.

We're now into our second learning cycle where we're going to think about how much we can see Prospero as in control of Miranda and Ferdinand's relationship.

And then we're gonna finish off the lesson by thinking more generally about power and obedience, and how important your perception of these concepts are.

So let's just recap the key information about the relationship between Miranda and Ferdinand before we look at the text itself.

Now, "During the course of 'The Tempest,' Miranda and Ferdinand meet fall in love and get married.

However, unbeknownst to her, Prospero have been trying to control the relationship between them from the very beginning." So we're gonna look at this in more detail in a minute.

But essentially, Prospero engineered their meeting and then manipulates them throughout.

Now, "Prospero's desire to control the relationship conforms the expectations," which means it meets the expectations, "Of a patriarchal society.

Since fathers would've decided who their daughters married." And Prospero essentially decided, he wants Miranda to marry Ferdinand, and then he manipulates the situation to make it happen.

So in order to think about how Prospero engineers their relationship, we need to go back to the beginning of "The Tempest." Now at the start of "The Tempest," we learned that Prospero instructed Ariel to create the storm that shipwrecked the boat.

"As well as shipwrecking the boat, Prospero also directed Ariel to disperse the passengers about the island." So he wanted all of the people on the boat in specific locations on the island that he picked himself.

"Of Ferdinand, Ariel says, 'The king's son have I landed by himself.

'" Now what I'd like to think about is what does this quotation tell us? So pause the video and take a few moments to think about it.

Amazing, some great ideas there.

You might have thought, but firstly, it tells us the most important thing about Ferdinand to Prospero is that he's King Alonso's son since that's how he's introduced.

Secondly, it tells that Prospero's engineered for Ferdinand to be alone on the island.

Now, "After ensuring that Ferdinand is alone, Prospero instructs Ariel to play magical music to lead him to them." So he's creating a situation where Ferdinand will happen to stumble across Prospero and Miranda.

Prospero then says to Miranda, "The fringed curtains of thine eye advance and say what thou seest yond." Now what I'd like you to think about is what does this quotation tell us? So pause the video and take a few moments to think about it.

Amazing, some great ideas there.

You might have thought, it tells that Prospero specifically directing Miranda's gaze towards Ferdinand.

Now since he arranged for Ferdinand to be there, it implies he wants Miranda and Ferdinand to meet.

Now I'd like to think back the previous slide.

What do we know about Ferdinand? Why might Prospero specifically want Miranda and Ferdinand to meet? So pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Amazing, some great ideas there.

You might have said that we know Ferdinand is King Alonso's son and he's the king of Naples.

Since marriage in Shakespeare's time was predominantly for power or social climbing, we might think that Prospero wants the marriage in order for him to gain more power.

Now Prospero is originally a duke and the duke of Milan, and a duke is not as powerful as the king.

So we might think that Prospero is manipulating the situation, because he wants his daughter to be the queen of Naples.

And given that we know already how much control Prospero likes to have over his daughter, we might imagine he thinks he'll be able to control the throne of Naples from the background like a puppet master.

Now for a quick check for understanding, what I'd like to do is select which two of the following statements are true.

Is it A, Prospero arranges Miranda's meeting with Ferdinand? B, Prospero's unaware that Ferdinand was King Alonso's son.

C, Prospero was aware that Ferdinand King Alonso's son.

Or D, Ferdinand arranges with Prospero to meet Miranda.

So pause the video and make your selections now.

Correct answers are A, Prospero arranges Miranda's meeting with Ferdinand, and C, Prospero was aware that Ferdinand was King Alonso's son.

So very well done if you've got those right.

So we know that Prospero has manipulated the situation so that Miranda and Ferdinand will meet.

And when they do meet, they're instantly drawn to each other.

Miranda calls Ferdinand divine and he calls her a goddess.

Now, watching this happen, Prospero says, as an aside, "It goes on, I see, as my soul prompts it." And later, "I must uneasy make, lest too light winning make the prize light." Now an aside means that Prospero is speaking to the audience and none of the other characters can hear him.

What I'd like to think about is what does this quotation confirm to the audience? So pause the video and take a few moments to think about it.

Amazing, some great ideas there.

You might have thought, it confirms the audience that Prospero wants Miranda and Ferdinand to meet and fall in love.

Now what Prospero says, "I must uneasy make, lest too light winning make the prize light." He is saying he's going to try and cause an argument, because otherwise their love will feel too easy.

Now what I'd like to think about is what overall impression do we get of Prospero here? So pause the video and take a few moments to think about it.

Amazing, some great ideas there.

We might think, although Prospero isn't demanding that Miranda marry Ferdinand, which he could do as her father, he is manipulating the situation and controlling them in order to make the relationship happen.

Now you might see that as potentially of him implicitly acknowledging that perhaps Miranda wouldn't obey him if he simply ordered her to marry Ferdinand.

Or maybe, some of you might see that as him wanting to make sure the two of them actually like each other rather than simply ordering them to get married.

I think it's hard to ignore the fact though that he is manipulating them through the situation.

As throughout the play, we can't get away from the fact that Prospero likes to operate from the sidelines and in the background to get what he wants.

So potentially this is just part of him as a character.

He likes to be underhand in his control.

Now as part of his plan to make their relationship uneasy, Prospero pretends to instantly dislike Ferdinand.

Now this plays into a stereotype that still exists today.

If a parent tells a child not to do something, they instantly want to do it more, and that's what Prospero is playing into here.

So he accuses Ferdinand of being upon this island as a spy.

In response, Miranda says, "There's nothing ill can dwell in such a temple." So here, what she's saying is there could be nothing bad in such a good looking person.

Now what I'd like you to think about is why is this exchange between Prospero and Miranda significant? So pause the video and take a few moments to think about it.

Amazing, some great discussion there.

Here, as with earlier, Miranda is disagreeing with her father and telling him he's wrong about Ferdinand.

Now that would've been considered subversive as daughters were meant to obey their fathers in everything.

Now subversive is one of our keywords.

It means to go against the established authority.

So Miranda here is going against the established authority of her father, because she's disagreeing with him.

Now, some of you may already be thinking for although she's disagreeing with him, she's actually falling into the trap of doing what Prospero wants to happen for her and Ferdinand to grow closer.

Now I want you to hold that thought in your head for the rest of the lesson, and we're gonna return to it in the final task.

Now as Act 1, Scene 2 continues, the uneasy feeling that Prospero is trying to create continues.

Miranda says, "Sir, have pity, I'll be his surety." And Prospero says, "Silence.

One word more shall make me chide thee, if not hate thee." Now here, when Miranda says she'll be his surety, she's saying she will take responsibility for Ferdinand.

And while Prospero tells her not to speak anymore, she continues to talk.

So what I'd like to think about is what does this show us? So pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Amazing, some great ideas there.

You might have thought that it tells that Miranda is willing to risk her father chiding and hating her in her defence of Ferdinand.

She's putting her relationship with Ferdinand above her relationship with Prospero, her father.

So thinking about what you know about the context, how do you think the idea of her putting Ferdinand above her father would've been seen in Shakespeare's time? So pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Amazing, some great ideas there.

You might have thought that it would've been seen as subversive because women were supposed to obey their fathers, especially matters of marriage.

So she's going against what the expectations would've been.

Now for a quick check for understanding, what I'd like to do is look at this statement and tell me whether it's true or false.

So is it true or false that Prospero wants to test Miranda and Ferdinand's relationship? Pause the video and make a selection now.

Correct answer is true.

He does want to test it.

Now I'd like to justify that.

So does it A, want to test it by pretending to dislike Ferdinand? Or B, want to test it by forbidding Miranda and Ferdinand to get married? So pause the video and make a selection now.

The correct answer is A, he pretends to dislike Ferdinand.

So very well done if you got that right.

Amazing work, everyone.

On our final task of the lesson where we're going to draw together all of these ideas about power and obedience.

Now at the end of Act 1, Scene 2, "After seeing Miranda fight for Ferdinand, Prospero declares, as an aside, it works." So remember an asides for the character speaking and the audience can hear them, but none of the other characters hear what they're saying.

Now this leads us onto our bigger picture Question.

Do you think Prospero has power over Miranda in this scene or not? Remember that power means the ability to influence people or events.

So is Prospero able to do this to Miranda? Now, you might consider the fact that Miranda disobeys her father when she continues to fight for Ferdinand.

So she's expected to do what her father tells her to, but she doesn't.

So do you think she considers Prospero to have power over her? However, you might also think about the fact that ultimately Prospero does want her and Ferdinand to be together.

So pause the video, take a few minutes to discuss this.

Amazing work, everyone.

It was really great to see some debates emerging about this question.

Because remember, there are no right or wrong answers.

It's a very tricky question to consider.

And even having these debates allows you to enhance your knowledge of these characters and the power dynamics between them.

Now, perhaps you might have agreed with Lucas when he said, "I think ultimately Prospero does have power over Miranda in this scene as he's manipulating everyone involved and he's getting the outcome he desires, for Miranda and Ferdinand to fall in love." So remember the power is the ability to influence people or events, we can certainly see Prospero influencing their relationship since he orchestrated their meeting and he manipulated them to believe they were going against his wishes by falling in love.

Or you might have agreed with Alex when he said, "I see your point, but I think that actually the fact that Miranda believes she's disobeying him shows that he doesn't actually have power since although the outcome might be what he wants, Miranda is choosing not to follow his orders.

So while Prospero's manipulating things from behind the scenes outwardly, Miranda believes she's disobeying him.

And therefore what's to stop her from disobeying him again in a different situation where perhaps he won't get the outcome he desires.

She now knows she can disobey him and nothing bad will happen, which sets a precedent for it happening again.

And therefore perhaps Prospero has in fact just lost his power over her.

As I said, these are some big ideas here and it was really great to hear people grappling with them, and really developing a personal response to the power dynamics between Prospero and Miranda.

You all did amazingly well today, everyone.

Here's the summary of what we covered.

So in Shakespeare's time, daughters were expected to obey their fathers.

Prospero hides Miranda's backstory from her, which shows how controlling he is.

Prospero intends for Ferdinand and Miranda to fall in love.

And while Miranda seems to disobey Prospero to fight for Ferdinand, she's actually unwittingly following Prospero's plan.

Really hope you enjoyed the lesson today, everyone.

Goodbye.