The character of Miranda in The TempestThe character of Miranda in "The Tempest" is extremely compelling for two reasons. First of all, it is important to note that Miranda is the only female character who appears in the entire play. This is the only play by Shakespeare where a character possesses this kind of exceptional distinction. This is no coincidence on Shakespeare's part, because it is very important that the character of Miranda appears alone. The reader is not able to compare her beauty and virtue to any other woman in the world of "The Tempest", and this serves both to show her value as a character and the fact that no other woman alive has Miranda's virtue. While Miranda may not have many great lines or solioquys, she makes up for it with her presence alone. Miranda's character encompasses all the elements of perfectionism and goodness that all other respective characters lack. Every other character in "The Tempest" is mirrored by Miranda, and even if she didn't utter a single line, she would still serve this important purpose. Second, Miranda also serves as the ultimate fantasy for any man who (like Ferdinand) is a bachelor. She is extremely beautiful, intelligent and has never been touched (or even seen) by another male. Shakespeare makes Miranda even more desirable by including the fact that she has never seen or even spoken to another man (with the obvious exception of Prospero). Miranda personifies the ultimate source of good in the play and serves as the ultimate foil to Caliban's evil character. When Ferdinand is forced to chop wood by Prospero, Miranda offers to do it for him. Finding such a humble woman in the world of Shakespeare is almost impossible. One need not look further than the last line of the play to understand its purpose in the plot. Miranda declares "O wonder! / How many beautiful creatures are there here! / How beautiful is humanity! O brave new world / Which shelters such people" (Tempest, 5.1, 185-7). Throughout this passage and many others Miranda shows a positive attitude that is almost uncanny compared to the other characters..