Politics of Absence: The Conflicting Positions and Gender
Hierarchy in The Tempest
V. S. Sujitha
Assistant Professor
St.Joseph’s College, Thrissur, Kerala
India
Abstract
Feminism has always concentrated on how the patriarchal structures are sustained
within the society and how women unconsciously absorb, follow and propagate this ideology.
Stories and different narrative structures which appear in various literary works have helped
these phallocentric ideologies to instill themselves deep in the minds of the readers.
Shakespeare’s plays strongly promote and perpetuate these ideologies. This paper is an
attempt to uncover how gender and the position in the hierarchies of power structures are
related; and how the absence of strong female characters in his plays are a way to establish
the supremacy of patriarchy. This paper deals with his last play The Tempest.
Keywords: Power, gender, hierarchy, absence, social value, virginity, commodity
William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, considered by the critics to be the last play
written by him has invited many criticism and has undergone different kinds of analysis with
respect to characterization. Though only a few characters are present in the play, they
represent different hierarchal structures and roles.
The play is set on a remote island which is now under the mighty sorcerer Prospero,
the former and rightful Duke of Milan. He lives there with his daughter Miranda and is
served by a native islander Caliban and a spirit Ariel. As the story unfolds through the
narration of Prospero, the readers come to know how his brother Antonio deceived and
usurped his position with the help received from Alonso, the King of Naples. Prospero and
his three year old daughter Miranda were cast out into the sea to be perished but somehow
they survived and reached this island. The play begins with a storm scene- a storm created by
the powerful Prospero to bring Antonio and Alonso along with others to the island. They
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happened to be passing by the island after attending the marriage of Alonso’s daughter
Claribel to the King of Tunis.
The opening scene shows a ship being tossed in the sea by a tempest. Within the ship
is a total chaotic scene- the boatswain , captain and other sailors trying to hold the ship
together whereas the gentry within it are panic stricken and clueless about how to save
themselves. They feel that they are powerless and prepare themselves to succumb before the
dreadful end waiting for them.
The second scene introduces the perpetrator behind the storm- the mighty sorcerer
Prospero. It opens with Miranda’s dialogues where she is begging her father to stop the storm
which is destroying the ‘vessel’: “If by your art, my dearest father, you have/ put the wild
waters in this roar, allay them” (1.2.1-2). This opening presents and establishes Prospero as
the most powerful person in the hierarchal structure which involves his brother, another king,
his men and his daughter Miranda. They seem to be at the mercy of Prospero. This position
might evoke fear and a repulsion towards the character but Shakespeare turns it into
admiration by making Prospero reveal his past. The readers feel privileged because even
Miranda herself is unaware of it. So they share an equal footing. Thus the revelation is not
merely for Miranda but for the readers/ spectators too. This automatically makes us
associated with the character of Prospero and we begin sympathizing with him for the
hardships he went through.
The first lines uttered by the main character Prospero are to his dismayed daughter
Miranda: “Be collected; / No more amazement: tell your piteous heart/ There’s no harm
done” (I.2.14-16). These lines portray a collected and self- assured character who is not
affected by external conditions- a strong and stable ‘father’ who further tells his daughter that
whatever was done, was done for her benefit. These lines introduce the common structures
and stereotypes that underlie a patriarchal society- a strong and emotionally stable father who
has the responsibility to protect his children especially the daughters. The readers who are
familiar with this structure immediately identify with Prospero. This revelation gives a gap
for the character which he utilizes to justify his decisions.
After creating a space for himself, Prospero starts narrating the incidents of his life.
He tells Miranda how when he was absorbed in his studies
…,in my false brother
Awak’d an evil nature; and my trust,
Like a good parent, did beget of him
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A falsehood, in its contrary as great
As my trust was; which had indeed no limit,
A confidence sans bound. (1.2.92-97)
Prospero continues by telling her that while his brother was after his dukedom, for him “Me,
poor man, my library/ Was dukedom large enough:” (1.2.109-110). This dialogue with
Prospero as the narrator and Miranda/ readers as the receptors, constructs the identity of
Prospero and his brother Antonio. Prospero seems to be the naïve character who trusts
everyone and Antonio, the deceitful brother who makes use of this opportunity. Along with
sympathy, an admiration for the undefeated Prospero is generated here. This identification
with Prospero generates the ‘meaning’ of other characters in relation to Prospero. He is at the
center disseminating meaning. The whole narration revolves around Prospero- how he loses
his rightful place and how he attains it back. The basic notion on which this entire play is
based is that Prospero is ‘right’ and hence all his actions justified. It is interesting to note that
a person who valued his books more than the dukedom, spent his entire time in “bettering his
mind”, and made Antonio do all the duties of a duke, accuses his brother of usurping his
position.
There are many criticisms against Shakespeare when it comes to the portrayal of
female characters within the play. Throughout the play only one female character- Mirandaappears on stage. Though there are occasional allusions to three other women charactersMiranda’s mother, Sycorax and Claribel- they never appear on the stage. The audience comes
to know about them through Prospero and other male characters. Miranda’s mother is
casually mentioned by Prospero while answering a query raised by Miranda regarding
whether Prospero is her father or not. For this he replies:
Thy mother was a piece of virtue and
She said thou wast my daughter; and thy father
Was Duke of Milan; and his only heir
And princess: no worse issued. (1.2. 55-58)
Stephen Orgel in his essay “Prospero’s Wife” comments on this and says that
Prospero’s wife is identified as Miranda’s mother, in a context implying that
though she was virtuous, women as a class are not…. The legitimacy of
Prospero’s heir, that is, derives from her word. But that word is all that is
required of her in the play. (1)
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He further notes that though Miranda remembers many women attending on her, she doesn’t
remember her mother at all: “Except for this moment, Prospero’s wife is absent from his
memory. She is wholly absent from her daughter’s memory….” (1). This proposition doesn’t
seem realistic. It is difficult to believe that a person, whether it is a son or daughter, would
not enquire about her/his existence. Prospero himself declares that it was him who tutored
Miranda:
Here in this island we arriv’d; and here
Have I, thy schoolmaster, made thee more profit
Than other princess’ can, that have more time
For vainer hours, and tutors not so careful. (I.2.171-174)
This raises the question regarding what kind of tutoring was given by Prospero as Miranda
has not even thought about her mother. She identifies herself only in relation to her father and
never her mother. Susan Hayward in her work Film Studies: Key Concepts mentions Lacan’s
theory of symbolic order. She says that father
represents to the child the authoritative figure in the family. So the child
imagines what the authoritative figurehead would say- the father, is therefore,
a symbolic father….Because it is based in language, patriarchal law is a
Symbolic Order…. The male child enters into language and becomes subject
to it. (198)
This Symbolic Order is difficult for the girl child.
On the one hand, she is prelinguistic: because she can never be the subject of
patriarchal language she is always outside it. On the other hand, she is also in
the Symbolic Order. Eventhough she is not the subject of the language but
object of Symbolic Order, she must be there in the patriarchal constructs of
sexual identity: her reflection as (m)other must be in the mirror for the male to
recognize his difference. (198)
Prospero has combined within himself the roles of father and mother to such an extent that
has made Miranda totally oblivious of her ‘other’ parent. Miranda tells Prospero: “More to
know/ Did never meddle with my thoughts” (1.2.22-23). It seems that she has been
conditioned to comply with her object position. She is at the receiving end and does not dare
to question the realities that have been constructed by her father. Helene Cixous comments on
this neglected mother in her work “Sorties.” She says that Women are generally considered
passive. And when the question is about her identity, it directly leads to father.
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It is even possible not to notice that there is no place whatsoever for woman in
the calculations. Ultimately the world of “being” can function while
precluding the mother. No need for a mother as long as there is some
motherliness: and it is the father, then, who acts the part, who is the mother.
Either woman is passive or she does not exist. (Sellers, 39)
For Prospero, Miranda’s mother had only one purpose and that is to deliver his
legitimate heir. With this function being over, she is of no significance to him and can be
easily forgotten. Ann Thompson comments on how the mother’s identity has been restricted
to a line which still projects two major aspects associated with a woman- her virtue and her
reproductive ability.
This is apparently all that needs to be said about her. Some fifty lines later,
Miranda demonstrates that she has fully internalized the patriarchal
assumption that a woman’s main function is to provide a legitimate succession
when asked to comment on the wickedness of Prospero’s brother: “I should
sin/ To think but nobly of my grandmother: / Good wombs have borne bad
sons”. (156)
Miranda’s reply shows that she “takes the question to be a charge of adultery against
Prospero’s mother. She immediately translates Prospero’s attack on his brother into an attack
on his mother” (Orgel, 2). She tries to defend her grandmother by saying “Good wombs have
borne bad sons”. Prospero never objects or corrects her which may mean that he too has same
thoughts in his mind. This again is the only reference to Prospero’s mother and again this too
is related to her “womb” and virtue.
This identification with father also upholds the patriarchal principle that father is more
important when it comes to the identity of a child. Whether a child is legitimate or
illegitimate depends on what kind of relationship the father has with the child’s mother. If the
father figure is absent then automatically the child is rejected by the society and given
different labels to establish his/her ignoble position. Miranda’s legitimacy stands in direct
contrast to Caliban’s illegitimacy. The identity of Sycorax, Caliban’s mother, is again
constructed through Prospero’s words.
This damn’s witch Sycorax
For mischiefs manifold and sorceries terrible
To enter human hearing, from Argier
Thou know’st, was banished: for one thing she did
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They would not take her life. (1.2.263-266)
Prospero introduces Caliban as the ‘demi-devil’ and ‘bastard’ before the royal folk towards
the last part of last act. These utterances show Prospero’s utter contempt towards Sycorax and
her illegitimate son Caliban.
Through the words of Prospero, a negative image is created for Sycorax. This helps to
instill the ‘positive’ values of patriarchal society into Miranda. Sycorax being banished for
her magic makes her look guilty and evil; and her being with a child without father classifies
her as a lusty woman according to patriarchal norms. She is a woman who crossed the
boundaries of womanhood as described by the society and hence becomes the outcast.
Naturally, a son born to such a woman- a product of sin - can never be a part of the
mainstream society. This puts him below Miranda in the hierarchal structure. She becomes
something which he desires but cannot achieve.
For any structure to be created and sustained, it is necessary to have an ‘other’ on the
other side. For Prospero to become the ruler, other characters including his daughter need to
occupy their object/ subject (of a ruler) position. For the patriarchal structure to be
established, Prospero needs to establish the female characters present and absent as his
‘others’. Thus we see Prospero continuously fluctuating between the roles of a
father/patriarch and that of a ruler. He maintains his position by creating the ‘other.’
Both Prospero and Sycorax practice magic but Prospero makes sure that there is a
distinction between the two. Whereas his is an art, he labels that of Sycorax as evil magic.
While reminding Ariel the hardships he went through under Sycorax, Prospero says “the foul
witch Sycorax, who with age and envy/ Was grown into a hoop? hast thou forgot her?”
(1.2.255-256). He further adds that this “damn’d witch” was banished from Argier for the
black- magic practiced by her. On one side we have Prospero who gained knowledge for the
“bettering” (1.2.90) of his mind and to fight against the injustice meted out on him; and on
the other side we have the evil Sycorax who practiced magic to harm others as she did with
Ariel. The former is using magic for the ‘right’ cause and the latter for the ‘wrong’. This
sharp contrasts elevates the position of Prospero and debases Sycorax. Shakespeare has
cleverly avoided any extra information about Sycorax. Though Ariel served her for a long
period, he is still unaware of the probable injustice with which she had to deal with. Only a
part of her life is shown and through which a particular identity has been bestowed upon her
by the author.
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Prospero feels that Sycorax, though is absent, is a threat to his position. He himself
acknowledges her power when in the last act, in front of his guests he introduces Caliban by
saying that
This mis-shapen knave,
His mother was a witch, and one so strong
That could control the moon, make flows and ebbs,
And deal in her command, without her power. (5.1.269-271)
Evil nature of Sycorax and Caliban is also established through their physical deformities – the
external manifestations of the evil within them. Whereas Sycorax develops a ‘hoop’ due to
age and envy, Caliban is already ‘mis- shapen’. Caliban obeys Prospero because he thinks
Prospero is more powerful than even the God that his mother worshipped: “I must obey: his
art is of such power, / It would control my dam’s god, Setebos, / And make a vassal of him”
(1.2.366-368). Prospero assumes the role of a judge and condemns this mother and son as
guilty. This strategy clearly depicts how Prospero is trying to establish his position.
But Sycorax is also Prospero’s ‘other’; his repeated comparisons between their
magics and their respective reigns of the island are used by him to claim a
superior morality, a greater strength and a greater humanity, and hence
legitimize his takeover of the island and its inhabitants; but they also betray an
anxiety that Sycorax’s power has not been fully exorcised. (Loomba, 152)
Though Sycorax practiced magic, hers was evil whereas the one practiced by
Prospero is ‘good’ and more powerful. This puts him at the top of power structure. By
denigrating Caliban through his association with an evil mother and illegitimacy, Prospero
establishes himself as the rightful owner/ ruler of the island. For Caliban it is an inheritance
passed down to him by his mother but Prospero gains control over it through his knowledge.
Thus he displaces both the mother and the son. Caliban complaints how Prospero took over
his island.
This island’s mine, by Sycorax my mother,
Which thou takest from me. When thou camest first,
Thou strok’dst me, and mad’st much of me; wouldst give me
Water with berries in’t; and teach me how
To name the bigger light, and how the less,
That burn by day and night; and then I lov’d thee,
And show’d thee all the qualities o’ the isle,
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…For I am all the subjects that you have,
Which first was mine own king…. (1.2.331-341)
These lines by Caliban remind the readers of the colonial venture. Prospero came with his
knowledge but that was not sufficient to have a control over the island. He lures in the native
who has the knowledge about the island by pretending to be a well – wisher and once the
knowledge is gained Caliban is transformed into his slave. Though Caliban protests against
this usurpation, he has internalized the fact that he is a slave- powerless. Prospero through his
‘education’ has made this internalization possible. Caliban understands that there is a
difference between him and Prospero but instead of succumbing to it like Miranda, he
protests. His desire to rape Miranda is in part his desire to overcome his usurper and regain
the power. This can also be part of the Oedipal desire latent in Caliban. If Prospero, Caliban
and Miranda are placed within a family structure, then Caliban becomes the son who desires
his father’s position. According to Freud, in the development of a child after the mirror phase
comes the oedipal phase.
Sensing his difference from his mother, but still desiring unity with her, to
assert his identity, the male child now wants to sexually bond with his mother.
According to Freud, the father must impose the sexual taboo - forbidding
intercourse with the mother. The male child must seek to bond with a female
who is not his mother. (Hayward, 197)
The male child follows the law of father and is forced to repress his desires but in return
becomes a part of the Symbolic Order, perpetuates Law of father and attains ‘subject’
position. In this play Miranda occupies the position of both the absent mother and the other
female. This leads to a power struggle between Prospero and Caliban. There is continuous
effort from the side of Caliban to defy Prospero and from the side of Prospero to keep
Caliban under control. He knows that he needs Caliban to survive on this island. As he tells
Miranda: “We cannot miss him: he does make our fire, / Fetch in our wood, and serves in
offices/ That profit us” (1.2.311-313). It seems that Prospero does have a fear regarding
Caliban who can overthrow him if he gets the right opportunity. With the help of magic,
Prospero maintains his precarious position.
According to some feminists, Sycorax is presented as a contrast to Miranda. As Ania
Loomba presents this argument by saying that Sycorax “stands in complete contrast to the
white, virginal and obedient Miranda. Between them they split the patriarchal stereotype of
woman as the white, devil-virgin and whore goddess (Miranda is mistaken by Ferdinand for
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one) and witch” (151). Sycorax defies the patriarchal norms, creates a world of her own and
rules it. Her desire for power and independence makes her an outcast. She uses her
knowledge to sustain herself. On the other hand, though Miranda has been tutored by her
father, she has been conditioned in such a way that nothing evokes questions within her. She
passively absorbs in whatever is presented to her. She is a true child of the patriarchal system.
Throughout the play, the love a father has for his daughter is highlighted. In the scene
2 of Act 1, when Miranda asks Prospero to stop the storm, he replies: “I have done nothing
but in care of thee,/ Of thee, my dear one, thee, my daughter” (1.2.19-20). It seems that every
action of his is for the benefit of his daughter- the storm, bringing royal gentry on to the
island, separating Ferdinand from the rest and at last re-uniting with them. As Ania Loomba
opines, “Miranda provides the ideological legitimation of each of Prospero’s action” (330). It
is through her that he justifies his actions -whether it is to control Caliban or encourage
Ferdinand. Prospero claims that
his enslavement of Caliban was prompted by the latter’s attempted rape of
Miranda. Later she is described by him ‘a third of mine life/ or that for which I
live’; therefore after she is married he will ‘retire me to my Milan, where/
Every third thought shall be my grave. (Loomba, 153)
Miranda, for Prospero becomes a medium through which he can achieve his position- not
only the dukedom but a strong relation with the King of Naples which would assure his
safety. As Ann Thompson in her “Miranda, Where’s Your Sister?” comments that
“Miranda’s role as a dependent female is crucial to the play’s dynamics of power” (164). She
is a valuable possession for Prospero. He trains her in a manner that benefits him. He decides
what she should know, when she should know it and what she shouldn’t know. So ultimately
it his decisions that become her decisions. Her naiveness becomes evident when she tells
Prospero that to know more about her past never “meddle” with her thoughts. It is Prospero
who decides that she “must know further” (10) to which Miranda comments
You have often
Begun to tell me what I am, but stopp’d,
And left me to a bootless inquisition
Concluding, “Stay, not yet.” (1.2.35-38)
This innocent remark by Miranda makes it clear that Prospero has absolute control over her
thoughts and actions; and that she is a mere receptive vessel which merely receives in the
meanings generated by the patriarch Prospero and acts accordingly. According to Ania
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Loomba Prospero’s education had two purposes – one, he had “schooled her to obedience”
and second made her a part of his colonial venture. “Miranda is ordered to sleep, awake,
come on, see, speak, be quiet, obey, be silent, hush and be mute” (Loomba, 154).
Women’s body is a valuable commodity in a patriarchal society. Luce Irigaray in her
famous work This Sex Which is Not One talks about how the society is based upon the
principle of exchanging women as a commodity. She is not treated as a human being but just
some product of a certain value which can be circulated amongst men for different kinds of
transaction. Hence virginity is a powerful notion which is associated with women. Her value
is decided based on the fact whether she is a virgin or not.
The society we know, our own culture is based upon the exchange of women.
Without the exchange of women, we are told, we would fall back into the
anarchy (?) of the natural world, the randomness (?) of the animal kingdom.
The passage into the social order, into the symbolic order, into order as such,
is assured by the fact that men, or groups of men, circulate women among
themselves, according to a rule known as the incest taboo. (170)
For Prospero, as a ruler as well as a father, the virginity of Miranda is more important than
her being a human being. He takes great caution in order to preserve it till he achieves what
he wants. More than her honour, it is to preserve her value that Prospero punishes Caliban.
Her virginity, the most important aspect which raises her value has to be maintained till the
ownership is transferred to her husband, who then becomes the ‘rightful’ owner of this
‘property’. Though it was his design to bring Ferdinand closer to Miranda, he always keeps
an eye on the couple lest they indulge in activities which might make him lose his position
and power. He even warns Ferdinand
If thou dost break her virgin-knot before
All sanctimonious ceremonies may
With full and holy rite be minister’d,
No sweet aspersion shall the heavens let fall
To make this contract grow; but baren hate,
Sour-eyed disdain and discord shall brestrew
The union of your bed with weeds so loathly
That you shall hate it both; therefore take the heed,
As Hymen’s lamp shall light you. (4.1.15-23)
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By telling them what would happen if they cross the limits, he is passing on a threat that is
again part of the patriarchal culture. More than a man, this makes a woman be more cautious
of her virginity. Loss of virginity is equated with the loss of her value which would ultimately
lead to loss of her ‘position’. From ‘virgin’, instead of moving into ‘mother’ category, she
would move into the category of ‘prostitute. Prospero is asking them to wait till ‘Hymen’,
God of marriage blesses them and legitimizes their relation.
This concept of virginity runs deep in the patriarchal society. Ferdinand too has
internalized it. The first question that he asks Miranda is whether she is a maid or not. He
promises her that “if a virgin, / And your affection not gone forth, I’ll make you/ The queen
of Naples” (1.2.439-441). Prospero is happy that his plan is working but does not want to
make it easy for Ferdinand, because he believes that “…this swift business/ I must uneasy
make, lest too light winning/ Make the prize light” (1.2.443-445). He very well understands
the terms of business. If you need to increase the value of a commodity, you should make the
buyer feel that the product is of high quality and not easily available. Once Ferdinand has
finished all the ordeals ordered by Prospero, Prospero presents his daughter to Ferdinand in
exchange of what he has done. This again makes Ferdinand feel that he now has the right to
claim Miranda. Even at that point of time, Prospero like a good salesman praises his
‘commodity’:
O Ferdinand,
Do not smile at me that I boast her off,
For thou shalt find she will outstrip all praise,
And make it halt behind her. (4.1.8-11)
The last push and the transaction is done. Happily Prospero gives his daughter to the ‘worthy’
suitor Ferdinand: “Then, as my gift and thine own acquisition/ Worthily purchas’d, take my
daughter” (4.1.14-15). ‘Gift’, ‘acquisition’ and ‘purchased’- all terms related with the process
of transaction. The ‘property’ has been handed over.
Miranda is fooled by the thought that Ferdinand is her choice as she went against her
father’s wishes to meet and help him. The truth that she never realizes is that she again has
simply complied with her father’s wishes and did exactly how he wanted it to be done.
Prospero never allows her to disrupt the power structure. When In Act I, Scene 2 Miranda
begs her father not be too rash on Ferdinand, Prospero reprimands her: “My foot my tutor!”
(42). When she continues with her pleading, he says: “Silence! One word more/ Shall make
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me chide thee, if not hate thee” (1.2.461). These instances clearly indicate her position in the
hierarchy. She is a mere “foot” who should speak only when asked to.
The power Prospero holds over Miranda starts declining when she becomes closer to
Ferdinand. Though her father had asked her not to meet Ferdinand, she breaks her vow by
doing the same. Ferdinand showers his praise upon her by saying “O you,/ So perfect and so
peerless, are created/ Of every creature’s best!” (3.1.46-48). He reveals that though he has
met many “Full many a lady” who had different qualities, it is for the first time that he is
meeting a woman who has all the virtues that he desires. This statement gives validity to
Prospero’s earlier statement that he has tutored her and made her “more profit/ Than other
princess’ can” (1.2.172-173). The way in which Prospero has raised her- that is following
patriarchal norms- he has successfully created a ‘woman’ who could win the affections of a
prince. Miranda has been trained in such a manner that she automatically assumes her
position at the lowest level of the patriarchal structure. When Ferdinand praises her she starts
weeping at her own “unworthiness” and tells him
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. (3.1.83-86)
Without even a second thought, she takes up the position that has been meant for her in this
system. This pleases both Ferdinand and Prospero, the propagators of the Law of Father.
This transaction of a woman’s body is considered to be legitimate within a patriarchal
structure. Even before Miranda is handed over to Ferdinand, a similar transaction for political
benefit is mentioned in Act II, scene 1- “the marriage of the King’s (Alonso) fair daughter
Claribel to the King of Tunis” (2.1.70). Sebastian, Alonso’s younger brother chastises him for
giving his fair daughter to an African King. He talks about the predicament faced by Claribel:
“…the fair soul herself/ Weigh’d between loathness and obedience, at/ Which end o’ the
beam should bow” (2.1.129-131). This is the only reference made in the entire play regarding
Claribel but this makes it clear that the alliance was not a happy one for the lady. She did it as
she is taught to simply obey her father without questioning his authority. “Marx’s analysis of
commodities as the elementary form of capitalist wealth can be thus understood as an
interpretation of the status of woman in so- called patriarchal societies” (Irigaray, 172).
Prospero achieves his aim of getting back his dukedom by giving Miranda to
Ferdinand. The play ends on a happy note where the guilty ones are exposed and punished;
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everybody reunited and Alonso accepting Miranda as his daughter-in- law. The ‘commodity’
once transferred restores the ruptured power hierarchies and the representatives of the
patriarchal system are satisfied with the results as it benefits them in various manners. Alonso
gets his son back and the daughter of mighty Prospero as his daughter-in-law and Prospero
gets his dukedom back with strong ties with Naples. The situation of Miranda does not
change as for her it is another form of slavery. She has been handed over by one master to
another.
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References:
1. Hayward, Susan. Cinema Studies: The Key Concepts. 2nd ed. Routledge:
London,2003.Web
2. Loomba, Ania. Gender, Race, Renaissance Drama. Manchester University Press:
Oxford, 1989. Web
3. Orgel, Stephen. “Prospera’s Wife”. Representations.8.1984.1-13.JSTOR.Web.24 June
2016.
4. Sellers, Susan. ed. The Helene Cixous Reader. Routledge: London, 1994.
5. Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. Ed. W. Turner. Chand& Company:New Delhi,
1991.
6. Thompson,Ann. “Miranda, Where’s your sister?: Reading Shakespeare’s The
Tempest.” The Tempest: Contemporary Critical Essays. Ed. R.S. White. London:
Macmillan Press, 1999.
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