Gender Issues In The Tempest

A detailed Summary of Gender Issues In The Tempest

The modern NBC miniseries adaptation of Shakespeare's The Tempest shares many similarities and differences on certain issues. The miniseries is an Americanized version, set during the period of the Civil war. Many issues involving gender were changed in the miniseries to reflect the new setting. The result is a more believable and understandable Tempest to which people can relate. The gender issue changes make the characters reflect modern individuals, and to remove the absurd characters the play forces us to believe in.

First, the characters in The Tempest have some basic differences in gender in the adaptation. In the play, the only beings that Miranda knows are her father, the nonhuman spirit of Ariel, and the half-man-half-monster Caliban. In the miniseries, the only people Miranda knows are her father, a black slave Ariel, and a human variation of Caliban: Gator Man. The miniseries uses male forms of Ariel and Caliban, which does not force the viewer into believing in non-human characters, which makes them easier to understand. In addition, in the miniserie

In the miniseries, Miranda has an active role in survival on the island. She is seen doing chores, such as collecting the traps for food in the swamp. Miranda working is barely seen in the play. In the play, upon seeing Miranda gathering logs, Ferdinand makes the statement "I had rather crack my sinews, break my back, than you should such dishonor undergo while I sit lazy by" 3.1.30-33.) Ferdinand was very upset that Miranda was working, and would rather do the work himself. The fact that Miranda has an active role in their survival in the swamp is more characteristic of a modern society, compared to the belief that woman were not supposed to perform manual labor in the past. When the play was written, it was probably not been acceptable for young woman to work at all, which is why Ferdinand was compelled to say something about Miranda's chores.

Miranda does something in the miniseries that shows courage and strength that she does not display in the play. Miranda attempts to run away from her father with Ferdinand in the miniseries. In the play, Miranda does not exhibit any self-determinat

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Approximate Word count = 741
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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