Hello, everyone, it's lovely to see you here today.

My name's Dr.

Clayton, and I'm here to guide you through your 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 "Understanding Miranda." Now, Miranda may seem like an inconsequential character in "The Tempest" because she doesn't really affect the overall plot too much, but the more I return to the play and read it again, the more I find myself really intrigued by Miranda in light of how she, as a woman, is speaking to her father and her soon-to-be husband, Ferdinand, and that's exactly what we're gonna focus on in today's lesson.

We're going to think about the extent to which we can say that Miranda meets the expectations of a patriarchal society.

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

Our first word is patriarchal.

Now, that forms the backbone of our lesson today, as we're going to be considering to what extent we can see Miranda as meeting patriarchal expectations.

Now, Shakespearean society was a patriarchal society, and that means men held positions of control and considered more important than women.

Our second key word is subvert.

Again, it's essential to this lesson, as subvert means to undermine the power or authority of an established system by going against the rules, so you're not acting in the way you're expected to act.

Our third key word is stereotype.

Now, a stereotype is a set idea that people have about what someone or something is like.

So we're going to consider what the stereotype of a woman would've been in patriarchal society and whether Miranda fits that set idea or not.

Our final key word is subservient.

Now, being subservient means you're willing to do what other people want, and you consider your own wishes as less important.

So I'll just give you a moment to jot down those keywords and their definitions.

So pause the video and take a few minutes to jot those down.

Amazing, now let's get started with the lesson.

So we have three learning cycles in our lesson today.

Essentially, we're going to track Miranda's character through the play and think about how Shakespeare presents her at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end.

At each point, we're going to think about the language she uses, and the actions she performs, and whether or not we can see her as conforming to what we would expect from a woman in Shakespeare's time.

So let's get started with our first learning cycle and think about how we see Miranda at the beginning of the play.

So in order to consider whether Miranda meets the stereotype, we first need to establish and understand what that stereotype was.

So in Shakespeare's time, there were legal restrictions and social pressures which attempted to force women into subservient roles since it was a patriarchal society.

So because it was society where men held positions of power, women were considered less important, were expected to obey the men in their lives.

Now, let's just take a moment to unpack that a little bit because sometimes what can happen is that students take this concept of a patriarchal society and think it means that all women were slaves and they had no power at all.

Now, while it's true that women in general didn't have as much power as men, that's not to say that all women were powerless.

England had just been ruled by a formidable female monarch in Elizabeth I, and there were several wealthy female landowners, such as Lady Elizabeth Russell and Bess of Hardwick.

So try to remember to avoid generalisations when you're talking about the context.

Instead, talk about it in terms of what we might stereotypically expect and then whether the characters are meeting those stereotypes or challenging those stereotypes.

Now, for a quick check for understanding, what I'd like you to do is complete the following sentences.

So in Shakespeare's time, women were expected to have subservient roles because it was a society.

Now, subservient is one of our keywords, and it means to be obedient and consider your own wishes as less important.

Sentence number two, however, that did not mean that all women were as some subverted this expectation.

Subvert is another one of our keywords.

It means to go against the established authority and ideas.

So pause the video and complete the sentences now.

Amazing, everyone.

Now you might have said, in Shakespeare's time, women were expected to have subservient roles because it was a patriarchal society, so men were in control.

However, that did not mean that all women were powerless, as some subverted expectation.

So very well done if you got those right.

So the focus of today's lesson is Miranda.

We're going to examine Miranda in "The Tempest" and consider what we think of her as a female character.

Does she act in a way we would expect a Shakespearean woman to act? So to start off with, I'd like you to discuss what you can remember about Miranda in "The Tempest." So pause the video and take a few moments to think about it.

Amazing, some great discussions there.

It was great to see people looking back at their notes to remind themselves of Miranda as a character.

Now, like Sam, you might remember that Miranda is Prospero's daughter, and like Sophia, you might remember she meets Ferdinand in the play.

They fall in love and get married at the end.

So here's a quick summary of the plot points around Miranda as a quick recap.

Now, after watching the shipwreck with Prospero, she learns he used to be the Duke of Milan, but they were banished when she was three years old.

Miranda doesn't remember any of this and knows nothing about her history before the island.

She's been on the island for 12 years with no contact from anyone but Prospero and Caliban.

So she's been isolated from human society and therefore perhaps isn't as aware of the expectations of how she should behave, especially as there are no other women on the island or in the play in general.

When she first meets Caliban, she taught him her language, but then he tries to hurt her.

Then she meets Ferdinand, who is shipwrecked on the island.

They fall in love and get married at the end of the play.

So let's begin by looking at some of Miranda's language in the play.

When watching the shipwreck, she says, "If by your art, my dearest father, you've put the wild waters in this roar, allay them," and then, "Had I been a God of any power, I would've sunk the sea within the earth." So let's focus on the first quotation first.

Here she's asking Prospero to stop the storm if he's the one causing it with his magic.

Now, what I'd like to do is discuss what this tells us about Miranda, as she's desperately trying to help people she's never met.

So pause the video and take a few moments to consider.

Amazing, some great discussions there.

You might have thought it shows that she's compassionate.

She instinctively cares about people she's never met.

What's important to note as well is that she's willing to disagree with her father's actions.

If she's asking him to stop the storm, then she's implying she thinks it's a mistake to cause the storm in the first place.

Now, let's think about the second quotation.

Here, Miranda is saying, if she had power, then she would've removed the sea to save the boat and the people on it.

So what I'd like you to do is discuss what this tells us about Miranda.

So pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Amazing, some great ideas there.

You might have said that, again, it shows her compassionate nature because she's saying she would've saved the people if she could.

However, you might also notice it reveals her understanding that she isn't powerful like her father.

She's lamenting the fact she does not have the power to save the boat by herself.

It acknowledges that she cannot perform magic as he can.

So, so far we've said that Miranda is compassionate, she's not afraid to disagree with her father, and she's aware she has less power.

Now, let's think about what else we learn about Miranda at the beginning.

So when Ferdinand first sees Miranda, he calls her a goddess.

What I'd like to think about is, what does this suggest about Miranda? So pause the video.

Take a few moments to consider.

Amazing, some great ideas there.

You might have thought it could suggest that not only is she beautiful but that there's something about her that suggests she's not an ordinary woman.

Now, for a quick check for understanding, what I'd like to do is select which one of the following does Ferdinand call Miranda when he first sees her? Is it A, a witch, B, a goddess, or C, a nymph? So pause the video and make a selection now.

The correct answer is B, a goddess.

So very well done if you got that right.

Amazing, everyone, you're on to your first task of the lesson.

What I'd like to do is take everything we've talked about so far and think about what your first impressions of Miranda are.

Is she how you might expect a Shakespearean woman to be? You might consider the following, that Shakespearean women were expected to be subservient and obedient, especially to their fathers and husbands.

In a patriarchal society, women were seen as lesser than men.

And finally, women were mainly praised for their looks in Shakespearean times.

So pause the video.

Take a few minutes to consider.

Amazing, some great discussions there.

It was great to see people looking back at their definition of a patriarchal society to really understand whether Miranda is what we expect or not.

Now, like Aisha, you might have thought your first impression that she's beautiful and cares for other people and that you might have thought this does fit with the stereotype of how women were supposed to be.

Remember that stereotype is one of our keywords.

It means a set idea of how you're expected to be and act, and certainly, we stereotypically expect that women should care about how they look, and they should try and be beautiful at all times.

We also stereotypically see women as caring because of their role as mothers.

Like Alex, you actually might have thought she's not as subservient as you would expect, so she's not as obedient as you would expect her to be.

While she admits she doesn't have power, she does challenge Prospero on his decision to create the storm to shipwreck the boat.

Amazing work, everyone.

Now, we're going to consider Miranda in the middle of the play and think about whether our opinion of her changes as the play progresses or whether it stays the same.

So in this learning cycle, we're going to analyse act three, scene one, and consider what we think of her as a female character.

So for some context, Miranda and Ferdinand meet in act one, scene two, and they instantly fall in love, but Prospero decides to test their love by pretending to disapprove, and he forces Ferdinand to complete tasks.

In act three, scene one, Miranda visits Ferdinand while Prospero observes them unseen.

So Miranda begins act three, scene one by saying, "If you'll sit down, I'll bear your logs the while.

Pray give me that.

I'll carry it to the pile." And Ferdinand responds, "No, precious creature, I had rather crack my sinews, break my back than you should such dishonour undergo while I sit lazy by." And then Miranda says, "It would become me as well as it does you." Now, here, Miranda's offering to take on the physical labour of Ferdinand's task while he rests.

What I'd like to do is look at Ferdinand's reaction.

Do you think this was something women would be expected to do? So pause the video.

Take a few moments to consider.

Amazing, some great discussions there about how this speaks to stereotypes around men just as much as it speaks to stereotypes around women.

Now, Ferdinand is horrified by Miranda's suggestion and strongly refutes it.

He suggests he would rather suffer physical pain than allow her to help.

The reference to dishonour suggests that, in a patriarchal society, men were supposed to be the strong ones, and this is a stereotype that still exists for men today.

They're expected to be strong, and stable, and be able to take care of themselves without anyone's help.

However, when Miranda says it would become her just as much as it becomes him, what she's implying is that she can be strong just as much as he can.

And what I'd like you to think about is, do you think Miranda is being an independent female character here? So pause the video and take a few moments to consider.

Amazing, some great ideas there.

You might have thought it suggests that she thinks women are equal to men, which does suggest a strong female character.

Arguably, she hasn't grown up in a human society and therefore hasn't adopted patriarchal ideas about how women should be.

Now, this is an incredibly important point because we can perhaps see it implying that women are not naturally subservient to men, but the society teaches them to act in a way that makes them seem subservient to men.

Now, for a quick check for understanding, what I'd like you to do is tell me whether the following statement is true or false.

So is it true or false that, at the start of act three, scene one, Miranda implies she thinks women are equal to men? So pause the video and make a selection now.

The correct answer is true.

She does imply she thinks women are equal to men.

Now, what I'd like you to do is justify that.

So does she think that women are equal because women are just as intelligent as men? Or does she think that women are just as strong as men? So pause the video and select the answer now.

The correct answer is B, to suggest that women can be just as strong as men.

So very well done if you got that right.

As the scene continues, Miranda and Ferdinand are falling in love, and Miranda declares, "I am your wife if you will marry me.

If not, I'll die your maid.

To be your fellow, you may deny me, but I'll be your servant whether you will or no." She then continues, "My husband then?" And Ferdinand responds, "Ay, with a heart as willing." Now, here, Miranda is saying she'll be Ferdinand's wife if he will marry her.

And she says, if he refuses, she'll be his servant instead.

What I'd like to think about is, do you think Miranda is being a strong female character here? So pause the video.

Take a few moments to consider.

Amazing, some great ideas there.

Now, arguably, because Miranda is the first one to mention marriage, that suggests she is being a strong female character.

However, she also says she'll be his servant if he refuses marriage.

And that suggests she can't now be without him.

And that feeds into the stereotypical idea that women are somehow incomplete if they don't have a man in their lives.

Now, after Miranda declares she'll be his wife, Ferdinand simply says she's humbled him.

So Miranda presses him further and asks if he will be her husband, to which he responds yes.

Now, what I'd like you to think about is, do you think she's being a strong female character here? Pause the video and take a few moments to consider.

Amazing, some great ideas there.

Now, stereotypically women did not ask men to be their husband's in Shakespeare's time.

So we would not expect women to be the ones asking.

So here, we could argue that Miranda is being a strong female character by going after what she wants.

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

Is it A, Miranda implies she can't be without Ferdinand, B, Miranda implies she'll be fine without Ferdinand, C, Miranda proposes to Ferdinand, or D, Ferdinand proposes to Miranda? So pause the video and make your selections now.

The correct answers are A, Miranda implies she can't be without Ferdinand, and C, Miranda proposes to Ferdinand.

So very well done if you got those right.

Amazing, everyone.

We're now gonna take our discussions from this learning cycle as well as our knowledge of the key concepts around gender and use that to complete the following sentences to show your understanding of Miranda in the middle of "The Tempest." So sentence one, arguably, we can see Miranda subverting the stereotype of how women in a patriarchal are meant to be because.

And sentence two, however, we also might see Miranda as considering herself subservient to Ferdinand because.

So pause the video and take a few minutes to complete the sentences.

Amazing work, everyone.

It was great to see people looking back at their definitions of keywords to really make sure they understood how to complete the sentences.

They might have said that, arguably, we see Miranda as subverting the stereotype of how women in a patriarchal were meant to be because she implies she can be just as strong as a man while women were stereotypically seen as weaker.

Furthermore, she proposes marriage to Ferdinand, which would be unusual for women since they were supposed to marry according to their family's wishes and not consider themselves.

However, we also might seem Miranda as considering herself subservient to Ferdinand because she suggests that now she's met him she'll not be able to be without him, and she'll be his servant if she cannot be his wife.

You're all doing fantastically well, everyone.

We're into our final learning cycle of the lesson, but we're going to consider what we think of Miranda at the end of the play.

Now, in the final scene of the play, we see Miranda and Ferdinand playing chess together.

Now, chess is a strategic board game where two players attempt to use their chess pieces to checkmate their opponent's king.

What I'd like to think about is, what does playing this game suggest about Miranda? Remember, this is all a conscious construct by Shakespeare.

So what did he want us to think about her based on this interaction? Pause the video.

Take a few moments to consider.

Amazing everyone, some great discussions there.

You might have thought it suggests that not only is she intelligent but also, importantly, that Ferdinand considers her just as intelligent as him since they're playing together.

Now, for a quick check for understanding, what I'd like you to do is tell me whether the following statement is true or false.

So is it true or false that Shakespeare implies Miranda is intelligent? Pause the video and make a selection now.

The correct answer is true.

He does imply she's intelligent.

Now, I'd like you to justify that answer.

So does he imply she's intelligent because she and Ferdinand play chess? Or does he imply she's intelligent because she and Ferdinand engage in philosophical debates? Pause the video and select your answer now.

The correct answer is A, she and Ferdinand play chess.

So very well done if you got that right.

Amazing work, everyone.

Now, for our final task of the lesson, we're going to think about what Miranda's final lines are in "The Tempest." Now, when you're thinking about a character, it's really important to think about what their last lines in a text are because that will give you an idea of what the writer wanted your lasting impression of the character to be.

So Miranda says, "How many goodly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind is! O, brave new world that has such people in it!" Now, what I'd like you to think about is, what do these lines tell us about Miranda? So she's just met Alonso and the other companions in the boat.

Remember that she has spent the majority of her life on the island with only her father and Caliban for company.

So pause the video and take a few minutes to consider.

Amazing, some great ideas there.

It was great to see some people saying they thought brave new world sounded familiar.

And you're absolutely right to think that because it's the title of a famous dystopian novel by Aldous Huxley.

When you're thinking about literature, it's great to try and see the connections between texts and how writers might have been speaking to one another through their work.

So in response to Miranda's final lines, you might have said that the lines serve to remind us how isolated Miranda has been up until this point.

The numerous exclamation marks show her excitement at the possibilities that are now in front of her.

It also perhaps shows her optimism and naivety that she believes these characters are good when she hasn't met them before.

And the audience knows that most of them are not in fact to be trusted since they've betrayed and plotted against each other.

Amazing work today, everyone.

Here's a summary of what we covered.

Shakespearean society was a patriarchal society.

Women had fewer legal rights than men and faced social pressures to be subservient to men.

Miranda is shown as compassionate, beautiful, intelligent, and optimistic.

Miranda is also shown as questioning her father's decisions.

Miranda could be considered as both subverting and meeting the expectations of a patriarchal society.

Really hope you enjoyed the lesson everyone, goodbye.