Using the Women their Voice as Power - Essay Example

Introduction “The Tempest” and “Candide” avails a rich account of how controlling a woman’s sexuality can aid men to securepower. As such, the women voices are power as they aid the women to secure themselves and their pursuits (happiness and love). In the “Tempest” and “Candide,” Miranda and Cunegonde employ their voice for protection and seek their happiness and love. Their voices possess a significant impact on other characters, as well as the plot. As such, the women employ their voice as power, which is pertinent within the contemporary society. The paper pursues to comprehend the power of the female voice and sexuality as demonstrated by Miranda in “The Tempest” and Cunegonde in “Candide.” Miranda and Cunegonde have demonstrated that women should not remain quiet and submissive within the background. The two personalities mirror the mentalities of the men who court them, and to a level, create them. Miranda’s marriage to Ferdinand aids Prospero to regain his dukedom in The Tempest. Throughout both works, Cunegonde and Miranda come out as markedly florid and romanticized terms that imply the women are not what the protagonists identify them to be (Nelson 2). Voice is power filled with truth and love and can be regarded as an embodiment of the women’s strong spirit within the society. In the play, “The Tempest,” Miranda is the daughter of Prospero who falls in love with the Prince of Naples, Ferdinand. Miranda comes out as gentle and compassionate, but also passive and a heroine. Initially, Miranda displays meek and emotional nature; however, in the play final scene, Miranda she surprisingly comes out as forthright and powerful to the extent of complicating the reader’s constructions of her as naive. In The Tempest, a father isolates his daughter with the aim of protecting her from the terrible realities the world. Miranda enjoys all the privileges of her father’s reign over the island. Miranda plays a distinct role as she is the only female character present within the island. Miranda comes out as a helpless character as the focus of Caliban’s unsolicited attention. Miranda in “The Tempest” demonstrates how women can use their voice to protect themselves and pursue other ends such as their happiness and love. Miranda’s relationship with a shipwrecked prince contributes to the reconciliation of the exiled Duke with the Milanese court. The romantic aspect of the play highlighted by the inclusion of most of the dialogue between Miranda and Ferdinand within the play-text, especially in Act 3. Miranda delivers a powerful speech to Ferdinand in Act III, Scene I in which she declares her undying love for him. Miranda uses this speech to propose marriage, but also practically insist on it. The demonstrates the power of her voice in which Miranda appears to break out of her predictable self as she has established under the influence of her father’s magic. The first instance features in Act I, scene 2, in which Miranda appears to arrive to a point at which she can no longer contain what she thinks. This does not arise from the fact that her desires are getting better, but rather Miranda realizes the requisite of expressing her desires. As a result, the naive girl who could hardly hold still long enough to listen to her father’s a long story in Act I, Scene 2 is replaced by an assertive, more mature woman at this moment. In the powerful speech Miranda proclaims her sexual independence by employing a metaphor that implies both a pregnancy and an erection, which appears to transform her all at once from a girl into a woman. Miranda in “The Tempest” uses her voice to carry the plot forward, whereby she pledges to be with Ferdinand regardless of the cost to herself (Shakespeare, Jonathan, and Eric 7). The power of Miranda’s voice features in Act II, Scene I, in which Miranda makes a marriage proposal to Ferdinand can be regarded Miranda’s second surprising moment. Miranda’s proposal follows her resolve to remember her “father’s precepts” prohibiting conversation with Ferdinand. Miranda’s use of her voice influences other characters within the play. In Act I, Scene 2, Miranda and Prospero converse with Caliban in which Prospero highlights the incidence in which Caliban once attempted to rape Miranda (Nelson 2). When Caliban offensively concurs that he wanted to violate her, Miranda reacts with impressive vehemence, clearly disgusted by Caliban’s light attitude toward the attempted rape. Miranda scolds Caliban for being unappreciative for her attempts to educate him. These lines are surprisingly coming from Miranda to the extent that editors have amended the text and awarded it to Prospero. Cunegonde in “Candide” uses her voice to protect herself and return Candide’s love. Indeed, Cunegonde’s voice influences Candide and other characters within the novel, besides influencing the plot of the novel. Cunegonde’s and the Cunegonde of Candide’s imagination are two distinct characters in Candide. Cunegonde is subjected to horrifying violence some sexual and otherwise. Cunegonde appears to represent the manner in which the horrors of the world obliterate innocence and beauty. Cunegonde is a woman of virtue, innocence, beauty, and contentment (Voltaire 22). Initially, Cunegonde comes out as a pretty lady but quickly become ugly owing to her misfortunes. Consequent to the destruction of her father’s castle in war, several exploitative men, enslave her or exploit her as a mistress. Cunegonde returns Candide’s, but is willing to betray him in pursuit of her own interests. Cunegonde uses her voice with the motive of protecting herself and returning Candide’s love. This highlights the power of her voice in attaining ends such as love and happiness. Candide poses numerous questions to Cunegonde in which he learned that she had been wounded and ravished. Before completing the story, she maintains that Candide tell his story first as she listens sympathetically. Cunegonde’s story was equally melodramatic as Candide’s as she availed details regarding Bulgarians’ attack on the castle. Both “Candide” and “The Tempest” carry the story of indulgence and compassion, benevolence. The two characters depict the role of women as the motivating force behind the plots. Both Miranda and Cunegonde are the conspicuously absent from much of the action as one receive coy glimpses and can be regarded as fluid shadows, half imagination, and half reality, but when they feature, their voice is unmistakable and powerful. Miranda’s speech is power in that as it indicates that she not has to enslave to her desires. Indeed, Miranda’s voice uses her voice to affect other characters, which in turn, influences the plot of the play “The Tempest.” The play, “The Tempest,” has some charming qualities as highlighted by its fantasy and romantic elements and benevolent tone. The romantic mode draws from the relationship between Ferdinand and Miranda and the issues centering on repentance, reconciliation, and forgiveness. In the paradigm, Prospero comes out as a benevolent father figure who is highly protective of his only child. “The Tempest” exposes patriarchal society given that Prospero takes advantage of Mirada’s virginity to advance his political power (Shakespeare, Jonathan, and Eric 8). Prospero demonstrates how structures allow men to derive power by controlling women’s voices, which acts doubly in their favor by silencing women. In controlling a woman’s voice and sexuality, men only boost their own power and impede women from challenging him, but he weakens her power in the process. The accusatory words are employed to diminish the power of a woman’s voice by assaulting her standing, and trapping women inside the damning implications of double standards. As such, Miranda and Cunegonde have gone to exceptional strengths by speaking out, since doing so places them at a disadvantage of injuring their name and demonstrating their outspokenness. Instead of denying their outspokenness, the women confirm the power of their words and embrace the “supernatural” nature of the creative female voice. Women employ their voice to actualize and vocalize their visions for change. “The Tempest” and “Candide” features scenes in which men attempt to undermine a woman’s credibility by verbally attacking her based on her outspokenness or sexuality. Nevertheless, the men do not succeed as the outspoken women confront male control over female sexuality and voice their actions and verbalized arguments. Both Miranda and Cunegonde are a demonstration that women’s voice is powerful, which mirrors the ideological consensus that women are not simply victims, but can be active agents within their own liberation (Chavda and Mahesh 41). In conclusion, women’s courage can be regarded as manifested by their voice by not allowing weakness, fear, or hopelessness to manipulate their lives. Women use their voice to carry through darkness, protect themselves, and pursue joy and happiness. Studies have demonstrated that women’s voice as power mirrors the ideological consensus that women are not simply victims of conflict oppressive societies, but can be active agents within their own liberation. Studies have demonstrated that deficits in women’s power and voice have been at the center of gender inequality. As such, women should not wait to be handed power, but rather can use their voice as a weapon to protect themselves and attain other ends such as happiness and love. A woman’s voice can be regarded as a spectacular and powerful force within the society as it can be the power wielding sheer belief in her position. The women’s voices, all joined, possess tremendous meaning for the society as women keeping their voices down is tantamount to learning silence and weakness. Works Cited Chavda, Bonnie, and Mahesh Chavda. The Hidden Power of a Woman. Shippensburg: Destiny Image Publishers, 2006. Print. Nelson, Alyse. Vital Voices: The Power of Women Leading Change Around the World. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2012. Print. Orgel, Stephen. "Prospero's Wife." Representations 8. 1(1984): 1-13. Print. Shakespeare, William, Jonathan Bate, and Eric Rasmussen. The Tempest. Basingstoke: Macmillan, 2008. Print. Voltaire. Candide, Or, Optimism. Trans. Smollett Tobias . Penguin Classis: London,1759. Print. Read More