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• The Tempest is a play by English playwright William Shakespeare. It was first performed in 1611.

• Miranda is Prospero’s teenage daughter. She has lived on an island with him since the age of three.

• At the start of the play, Miranda and Prospero have lived on the island for 12 years.

• Miranda falls in love with Ferdinand, the son of King Alonso, and their engagement helps to bring peace at the end of the play.

In Shakespeare’s lifetime, women were not allowed to act on the stage, so Miranda would have been played by a male actor.

Click through the slideshow to see Miranda’s key moments

Kind

When Miranda sees the ship in the storm she is worried about the people on board, showing the kindness and empathy of her character. When Prospero tests Ferdinand, by making him do physical tasks, she offers to do some of the work herself.

Innocent

Miranda doesn’t have much experience of the wider world and is amazed when new people arrive on the island. When she meets Ferdinand, she falls instantly in love. She describes herself as “naive” for proposing to him so quickly.

Strong-willed

Although Miranda generally does what her father tells her to, she can also be quite bold. She tells her father to calm the seas at the start of the play during the storm, she speaks to Ferdinand when her father tells her not to and she even proposes marriage to Ferdinand.

During Shakespeare’s lifetime, women did not have the same rights as men. It was believed that women were the property of their fathers or their husbands. Women were expected to be kind and gentle. Strength, power and ambition were considered male characteristics.

In some ways, Miranda matches these expectations. She is kind and generally does what her father tells her to do. When Prospero doesn’t want Miranda to see or hear something, he simply uses his magic powers to send her to sleep.

On the other hand, Miranda is intelligent and strong-willed. She stands up for herself against Caliban and is not afraid to disagree with her father. She also proposes marriage to Ferdinand, which was uncommon in Shakespeare’s time.

Caliban

Miranda has a difficult relationship with Caliban. When she and Prospero first came to the island, she taught Caliban to speak and was kind to him. Then he attacked her, and Miranda stopped trusting him. She describes him as a “villain”.

Ferdinand

Miranda falls in love with Ferdinand, who she calls “a thing divine”. At first, she thinks Ferdinand is a spirit. In her relationship with Ferdinand, Miranda shows some of her more independent characteristics. She proposes marriage to him, she offers to help carry logs for him and disobeys her father when he tells her not to speak to Ferdinand.

Prospero

Miranda has a close relationship with her father, although they do sometimes disagree and Miranda does disobey him at times. Their isolation on the island means that her father has a strong influence over her life as both her parent and her teacher.

Prospero is protective of his daughter, and wants Ferdinand to prove himself before approving of him as a match for his daughter. When Miranda and Ferdinand tell Prospero that they are engaged, Prospero is delighted.

In Act 3, scene 1, Miranda asks Ferdinand to be her husband. Listen to this audio clip: