Human relationships between the central characters in The Tempest by William ShakespeareIn this essay I aim to explore the ways in which William Shakespeare presented the relationships between the main characters within his play “The Tempest". I will investigate the relationship between Ferdinand and Miranda, the father/daughter bond between Miranda and Prospero, and Caliban's lust for Miranda. Shakespeare intended to represent different groups of people in society through his plays and “The Tempest". ” was no exception to the rule. My goal is to show how the "human" relationships in the play reflect real-life relationships within Shakespeare's society (as well as his future audience), for whom his plays are been written and performed. The type of relationship between Ferdinand and Miranda shows Shakespeare's ideas about true love, recognizing not only the emotional side of love, but also the physical nature. Miranda promises Ferdinand "The jewel in my dowry" which is her virginity, something prized in Jacobean times. This knowledge would have been known to Shakespeare's audience and knowing this helps us understand Prospero's protection of his daughter from Caliban. Ferdinand is asked not to have lustful thoughts about Miranda as "Sour-eyed contempt and discord will weed your bed with weeds so loathsome that you will both hate it", meaning that sex before marriage will poison the bed marriage of the lovers so that they will both begin to detest it.So they must be careful and make sure to respect the sacred institution of marriage and the lifelong vows that it entails.In direct translation, the metaphorical “weeds” that would have been spread on their bed if they had sexual intercourse before marriage, as opposed to the well-known phrase “a bed of roses” they would have if they waited until after marriage Shakespeare used the word “weeds” to show that from the union of the lovers' bodies nothing good can come of it, weeds are unwanted and detested by any gardener, while roses are beautiful and symbolize all that is pure. We already know that Miranda and Ferdinand make little mistakes about each other and each other's lives "sweet lord, you betray me" and this confirms Shakespeare's reasoning for Prospero's warning against breaking the "virgin knot" of his daughter. Prospero's suggestion that they resolve these mistakes before committing to each other, physically, is not only welcomed by the couple, Alonso, and the other court characters, but is also a reflection of Shakespeare's beliefs about sex before the wedding..