(Poem is in the description as well)
Poem: My Safety versus Hungry Eyes
I saw the way
He looks at me
With hungry eyes
Enough to murder me.
I want to hide
Even with Prospero by my side
I...
Nevermind.
It has almost happened once before
Once…
Before...
I shivered in fright
On that dreadful night
Helpless
Lost
Confused
Prospero has plans for me
That I am oblivious, too
But I am sure
Caliban is and was… not of their invention
I saw Caliban as a brother
Once
That is
When I was naive
Illogical
Innocent
And I was so close to letting my innocence go
Not by my fault
I never should have let him close
Taught him the language
Allowed him to curse
A part of me feels…
Grave and I
Unfortunately
I
Lie awake
Terrified
What is to come of tomorrow?
If he peoples Prospero’s island with Calibans?
If he succeeds
It is my fault
If he peoples Prospero’s island with Calibans,
I will...
Die
Of shame
Of embarrassment
Of ignorance
And labor
I wouldn’t be able to bear it.
At least Prospero
Sees. Protects. Plans.
And now,
Caliban is
Done. Doomed. Destroyed.
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Analysis: (There are so many things I can talk about for meaning and such so I apologize if not all is covered and it was hard to choose what to talk about)
My poem is mainly inspired by from lines 1.2.412-46 from The Tempest where Prospero and Caliban are bickering and Miranda joins to show her anger at Caliban. I chose to write my poem from Miranda’s point of view because I wanted to create a better insight into her true inner fears and emotions that hide behind her seeming strength in lines 1.2.422-36, where Miranda is undeniably angry and bitter about Caliban’s attempt at raping her and his current verbiage/stance. Most importantly, she is able to express those feelings/lash out at Caliban because Prospero is right by her and Miranda knows he has power over Caliban (Thus, he is “Done. Doomed. Destroyed” in the end because he is controlled by Prospero).
However, being almost raped has its consequences and Miranda was not always so powerful and brave after it. She is is still emotionally distraught on the inside. In my poem, she questions her feelings. When I write, “Grave and I / Unfortunately / I / Lie awake / Terrified”, not only does she feel those feelings but, the first letter of every first line spells out guilt and she cannot escape it. Although she subconsciously knows it isn’t her fault, “Not by my fault”, for the most part, she is afraid that seeing Caliban as a brother, treating him well, and teaching him language at a certain point, lead her to be vulnerable and enabled Caliban to act the way he did. As such, she is confused, terrified of Caliban, and in a way, feels regretful of her previous interactions, believing that it is somehow her fault that she almost lost her innocence. She is somehow afraid that Caliban will overpower Prospero or that Prospero will falter (peoples Prospero’s island with Calibans), because it has almost happened once before, and worries about the future, even though she knows that Prospero does have complete control over the entirety of the island, hence “Prospero’s island” and “Prospero has plans for me / That I am oblivious too”. The “too” is also not a grammar mistake. It represents that neither she nor anyone else (like Caliban) knows of Prospero’s plans yet, she feels comfort in them, while Caliban does not.
My dance is actually, mostly an improv (few moments were thought out) and it just happened that that was the way my emotions flowed to the poem. I think part of letting it be an improv with parts being thought about ‘in the moment’ really corresponds with and reflects the poem as Miranda doesn’t plan her emotional reactions. And, parts of the dance aren’t perfected and clean, just like Miranda’s situation which adds a dimension of reality. There were parts of the dance where it looked like I was thinking and I feel that it actually contributes to the dance and is meant to show Miranda thinking and contemplating her situation. I must admit that several of the movements corresponded quite well and were obvious to the poem, like the “I saw the way he looks at me” and “ I want to hide / even with Prospero by my side” because I did a hand motions that resembled watching, hiding, and then someone by my side. When I said that I “almost let my innocence go”, I added an action that opened me up and made me seem vulnerable until I hugged myself, which showed an effort to preserve the innocence and the fight to keep it. A less obvious hand motion is when I move my hand up and down to represent tiny Calibans all around me given that the fear or rape came true and Caliban succeeded and a less obvious idea is that I kept going onto the floor to show vulnerability.
I also tried to keep a worried face that was often intermixed with a childish like innocence when Miranda is reminiscing about the good in her life, while still being tense and perplexed about her emotional state. The one thing that I think has a great effect is the ending, “Done. / Doomed. / Destroyed,” because Miranda (whom I play) makes a cross with her arms that not only shows that she rejects and despises Caliban, but it also shows her empowerment that she was able to stand up to him (with Prospero’s help). Though she is still iffy with her inner emotions, she is able to show strength in regards to Caliban and connects back to the original lines of The Tempest where she is angry and ‘powerful’ in her lines. It is the conclusion-al uprising.
Though Miranda lost some of her confidence and power throughout most of my interpretation, Miranda gains a new dimension of reality and contemplative emotion full of worry that exposes her personal thoughts and feelings that were not so explored in The Tempest. I learned that there is so much more going on internally for Miranda than the play lead on and it is important to read into the scenarios of the character in any situation.