INT. THERAPIST’S OFFICE - DAY
A homely sort of office: floral wallpaper, cushioned seats, dimmed lights. On the left, FERDINAND, 22, sporting an expensive business suit and a long-suffering look. On the right, his wife MIRANDA, 20, looking as though she had just attended an edgy rock n’ roll concert. Across from the couple, a vaguely disheveled THERAPIST, scribbling notes on a clipboard.
THERAPIST
Let’s go over this again. Ferdinand, Miranda, why are we here?
Both Ferdinand and Miranda move to speak.
THERAPIST
Ah, how about ladies first?
Ferdinand spares a stiff nod toward his wife, who responds in turn with a withering glare.
MIRANDA
We are here, against my better judgment, to see if we can salvage what remains of this poor, pathetic relationship. In fact, if it weren’t for him dragging me out here, I wouldn’t have bothered.
THERAPIST
Now, there’s no need to get accusing. I daresay we’ll have plenty of time for that later. Ferdinand, why don’t you explain your reasoning for, ah, ‘dragging’ Miranda out here?
FERDINAND
I’m not going to apologize for trying to make her see that I’m the best man she’s ever met--
MIRANDA
The only man I’ve ever met, other than my father, you mean?
FERDINAND
(to THERAPIST)
There she goes again, blaming everything on her oh-so-sheltered childhood.
MIRANDA
If I had a normal childhood, I wouldn’t have jumped into the arms of the first brawny, witless guy who told me he loved me.
THERAPIST
Miranda, there’s no need to get insulting. I’m sure you and Ferdinand both are here to work out your differences in a civil manner.
FERDINAND
(under his breath)
I wouldn’t be so sure.
THERAPIST
What’s that, Ferdinand?
FERDINAND
(louder)
I said I wouldn’t be so sure. Her dad is a manipulative psychopath, you know.
MIRANDA
He is not!
FERDINAND
You know it’s true.
(to THERAPIST)
D’you know how we met in the first place?
The therapist shakes his head.
FERDINAND
(con’t.)
In a ruddy car crash. We were coming back from my sister’s wedding, driving through some abandoned countryside who-knows-where, when Bosen--that’s our chauffeur--lost control of the car. And you wouldn’t believe what happened when I woke up. Most traumatic few days of my life, I swear.
MIRANDA
(scoffing)
Oh no, the pampered prince of Italy got a few scratches and scrapes. Whatever shall we do?
FERDINAND
First of all, I’m not a prince. My family’s just...well-off, that’s all.
MIRANDA
(to THERAPIST)
By ‘well-off,’ he means ‘the owners of a multi-billion pound company.’
FERDINAND
Secondly, the crash wasn’t traumatic. It was your damn lunatic father. I wake up in some rotten barn--on a hard, uncomfortable haystack, might I add--and some nutter’s telling me my pop’s died. Then, when I open my eyes, there’s this lady in a blasted seventeenth-century gown.
MIRANDA
(to THERAPIST)
My fashion sense has changed slightly since then.
FERDINAND
If that’s not enough, five minutes into our conversation her psychotic father comes barging in, accusing me of being a spy! Raving about plots to take over his land, as if I would ever have use of some musty farmland belonging to a family of nutcases!
THERAPIST
We want to stay respectful, remember...
FERDINAND
And that’s not all! He threatens to kill me, forces me to do all the hard labor around the farm, carrying logs, feeding the chickens--
MIRANDA
(sotto)
First time he’s ever done some good, honest work in his life.
FERDINAND
And I must have lost my mind because I proposed to the lunatic’s daughter right there. Must’ve been Stockholm syndrome or whatever they call it.
MIRANDA
Excuse me, you fell in love with me at first sight! Blathering about all your ex-girlfriends and being my slave. Freaked me out.
FERDINAND
Freaked you out? I thought my father and friends had just died and I was being held hostage by a wild hermit, his guileless daughter, and his two slaves!
MIRANDA
(hastily to THERAPIST)
He means servants. Paid servants.
FERDINAND
No, I don’t! Cal-something and the Disney princess. They were definitely not there by their own free will, I can tell you that much. I’m not surprised, either. Your father’s an evil, conniving bastard. He was manipulating us the whole time so we’d get married and he’d be free to mooch off the family fortune as he pleases. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if he caused the crash in the first place. You’re lucky the first thing I did when we got out of there wasn’t reporting him to the authorities.
MIRANDA
Maybe I should’ve let my father have his way with you.
FERDINAND
I could take on Prospero any time of the day. In my sleep.
MIRANDA
In your dreams, more like.
THERAPIST
May I ask what happened after you left the farm? Why did you not report this...what sounds like illegal behavior?
FERDINAND
I guess Prospero was...somewhat decent, around the end. Blessed our marriage, prepared our wedding--which I still can’t quite remember for the life of me--and went a bit barmy, talking about spirits and plots and illusions. Turns out my father and his friends were alive and had phoned for help.
THERAPIST
And why did you not report Miranda’s father?
FERDINAND
Well, I didn’t have any evidence, did I? And I didn’t want another scandal in the news. And Miranda has always been annoyingly protective of the old coot. Anyway, it’s been five years; I’m over it. Mostly.
THERAPIST
Let’s go back to why we’re here today. Would you say that the root of the problems in your relationship is Miranda’s father, Ferdinand?
FERDINAND
I guess. I know Miranda’s been locked away from human civilization for a decade or whatever, but it’s been five years since we got married. And she should know by now that normal fathers don’t usually live with their daughters and sons-in-law. Or stalk them. Or listen in on their private conversations. Or--
MIRANDA
I don’t like it, either!
FERDINAND
Well, you have a funny way of showing it. When have you ever told Prospero to bugger off? When have you ever backed me up when I try to kick him out of the house?
MIRANDA
He’s just protective, that’s all. He wants to make sure I’m safe. I think we can afford to give up a bit of privacy if it gives him peace of mind.
FERDINAND
Oh, and I suppose my peace of mind doesn’t matter? For five years, my insomnia has gotten worse, I’m paranoid, I can barely take a shower without seeing him there.
MIRANDA
Don’t blame your not being able to sleep on him! In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve lived with him for twenty years and I turned out perfectly fine.
FERDINAND
I guess we have different definitions of ‘perfectly fine.’ Mind, I’m not the one looking like I just raided the back shelves of a Hot Topic.
MIRANDA
First you’re complaining that I’m too innocent, now you want me to go back to Elizabethan dresses?
FERDINAND
You know that’s not what I meant. You’re expressing your individuality from that horrible excuse of a father, and I’m happy for you.
A poignant pause.
THERAPIST
It seems like we’re at an impasse. Ferdinand, you are understandably upset at your privacy being violated. Miranda, you are naturally loyal to and care for your father. But the fact that both of you were willing to sit down and have a discussion is a very good sign.
MIRANDA
Sign of what?
THERAPIST
Sign that both of you care enough about this relationship to try to fix it. We’ve seen both of your points of view, and hopefully, you can put yourselves in each other’s shoes. Would you agree?
MIRANDA
I suppose...I guess my father can be...difficult to deal with sometimes. He had a difficult time before we moved to the farm. He had to deal with his own family and friends betraying him, and I think that’s part of why he’s so controlling...and invasive. He cares a lot. I wish you’d understand that.
THERAPIST
And you, Ferdinand?
FERDINAND
I guess I’ll never understand the relationship between you and Prospero. But I know how much he means to you and that’s why I never said anything before. If we do end up...separating, it’d only be because I don’t want you to have to choose between your father and me.
MIRANDA
I don’t want to have to choose, either.
FERDINAND
(earnest)
You don’t. We just need a little bit of space from Prospero. We can still visit him; he’s still going to be part of your life. But we’ll get to live our lives, too.
MIRANDA
(doubtful)
I don’t know if he’d want that…
FERDINAND
It doesn’t matter what he wants, though! It matters what you want. Isn’t that right, Doc?
THERAPIST
Quite. If your father truly cares for you, Miranda, which I’m sure he does, he will understand that you need space.
MIRANDA
I suppose...
FERDINAND
I know you want to be independent of him. That’s why we’re here in the first place. Prospero said he hates therapists, but we went anyway.
MIRANDA
He hates everyone.
FERDINAND
Right, he’s a miserable lonely old sod, but we don’t have to be. You can tell him to shove his lies, deceit, and manipulation right up his--
THERAPIST
I’m sure Miranda gets the picture.
MIRANDA
You’re right. You’re right.
FERDINAND
(hopeful)
You’ll talk to him?
MIRANDA
Yes. I value our relationship far more than I value my father’s petty comfort. I’ll have to break the news lightly, but I’ll do it.
THERAPIST
That’s wonderful, Miranda! Our time is nearly up, but I’m glad we got to the bottom of this. Miranda, Ferdinand, any last concerns?
FERDINAND
No, but thank you so much. It’s been an agonizing few years.
MIRANDA
Same here. I can’t thank you enough.
A rather overwhelmed Ferdinand and Miranda walk slowly to the door, hand-in-hand. After the sounds of their footsteps fade, the room goes dark.
A slight pause, then WHOOSH! A bright light illuminates the room. The therapist’s face is contorting and spasming...the light grows until he doubles over with a cry.
Slowly, the therapist rises to his feet, considerably taller than before. We catch a glimpse of his face--it’s PROSPERO!
PROSPERO
And that is couples therapy done right.
FADE OUT:
Analysis:
Overview: In my project, I attempted to explore Miranda and Ferdinand’s relationship beyond the scenes we get of the pair in The Tempest. In particular, I was curious to analyze the extent of Prospero’s manipulation of their feelings — do Miranda and Ferdinand truly love each other, or was their union formed solely due to Prospero pulling the strings? In my adaptation, I imagined an alternate universe to The Tempest set in modern times, five years after the events in the play. Here, Miranda and Ferdinand, fed up with each other, consult a couples therapist for some much-needed guidance.
Inspiration: I’ve always been a bit skeptical of how Shakespearean characters seem to fall perfectly in love with each other at first sight. I thought I would write a scene where Miranda and Ferdinand confront the problems in their relationship. Since we analyzed the implications of Brathwaite’s modern-day interpretations of Caliban’s character, I decided to write about a modern-day scenario where relationships are examined thoroughly: couples therapy. I reviewed a few transcripts of real-life couples therapy to write my adaptation, which inspired me to do it in the screenplay format. My story was inspired by Miranda and Ferdinand’s relationship in general, but a few lines I focused on were “All thy vexations / Were but my trials of thy love and thou / Hast strangely stood the test” (4.1.5-7). Here, Prospero says that he punished Ferdinand only to test him as worthy of Miranda’s love. Since Prospero clearly has no qualms about meddling in their relationship under the guise of fatherly concern, I thought it’d be natural to assume that he doesn’t stop meddling after the events of The Tempest. I then thought about the implications of this, along with the modern-day setting, on the story and each of the characters:
- The modernized events of The Tempest: The magical storm at the beginning of the play is replaced by a car crash. Unlike in The Tempest, Ferdinand is unaware of Prospero’s magic. Due to the modern-day setting, other minor details are changed: Alonso is not the king of Naples but the wealthy head of a business; Boatswain is replaced with ‘Bosen’ the chauffeur; the island is deserted farmland; Caliban and Ariel are (at least to Ferdinand) human. Some parts of The Tempest are lost in this adaptation, such as the Caliban/Stephano/Trinculo plot, Prospero’s backstory, and the characterization of Alonso, Gonzalo, Sebastian, Antonio, and Ariel.
- Ferdinand: Although Ferdinand is very forgiving of Prospero for making him work in the play, I imagined that he might hold certain resentments in my adaptation. Here, Ferdinand loves Miranda very much, but perhaps not as blindly as he does in The Tempest. Instead, he resents Prospero’s involvement with their relationship and encourages Miranda to gain independence from her father. I explore the idea that Ferdinand is not ‘blindly in love’ again when he complains about doing manual labor rather than doing it willingly as in The Tempest.
- Miranda: I envisioned Miranda as gradually gaining independence from Prospero. Her ‘rebellious’ wardrobe choice and her unabashed criticism are both signs that she has grown from the Miranda of The Tempest. Miranda is also considerably more snarky and unafraid to hold her ground. Unlike the Miranda of The Tempest, my adaptation's Miranda asserts herself as more than a political pawn; she holds an equal amount of say in her relationship as Ferdinand does.
- Prospero: Prospero’s motivations seem to be mixed in The Tempest. It is debatable whether his manipulation of Miranda and Ferdinand came solely out of concern for his daughter or if his motivations were more self-centered. Nevertheless, I envisioned Prospero’s presence on Miranda and Ferdinand’s relationship in my work as just as imposing as in The Tempest, if not more. In my adaptation, Miranda supposes that this is due to Prospero being protective (seen in The Tempest when Prospero repeatedly tells Ferdinand to not break Miranda’s “virgin-knot” (4.1.15)), while Ferdinand suspects that it is more due to Prospero’s greed (of power in The Tempest and Ferdinand’s family’s wealth in my adaptation). While analyzing Prospero’s character for a previous essay, I theorized that Prospero’s need to control and manipulate others may come from a lack of trust stemming from Antonio’s betrayal.
- Implications of the ending: Throughout my adaptation, Miranda, with the encouragement of Ferdinand and the therapist, concludes that she wants to gain independence from Prospero. Miranda and Ferdinand leave therapy thinking that they have successfully resolved their issues by deciding to get rid of Prospero’s manipulation. Instead, they’ve been manipulated again. By writing Prospero as the therapist, I tried to demonstrate two things. First, Prospero, as in The Tempest, is both actor and playwright; he tells Miranda and Ferdinand that he hates therapists to make them attend therapy, then plays the role of therapist. Second, Prospero’s priorities are finally revealed: he gives up his close relationship with his daughter for the sake of fixing Miranda and Ferdinand’s relationship. Although it is still unknown whether he does this more for Miranda's happiness or his own benefit, it is clear that Prospero is still the master manipulator that he was in The Tempest.