The Tempest: 6. Brave new world
Miranda and Ferdinand meet and fall hopelessly in love. Miranda is the most beautiful woman Ferdinand has ever seen. Ferdinand is the...only man Miranda has ever seen (apart from her dad, Prospero, of course).
The story
Ariel has taken Ferdinand up to the cave, where he meets Miranda...and the two fall hopelessly in love. Miranda is the most beautiful woman Ferdinand has ever seen; Ferdinand is the...only...man Miranda has ever seen (apart from her father). It's part of Prospero's plan for the two to fall in love and he's used his magic to make sure it happens. But he also wants to test Ferdinand, so he puts him in chains and gives him Caliban's job of chopping wood. Miranda is very appreciative of Ferdinand's chopping...and his happiness leads him to break into song.
Characters in this episode
| Name | Who is... |
|---|---|
| Miranda | Prospero's daughter - has lived on the island since the age of three and never met another human apart from her father |
| Ferdinand | King Alonso's rather feeble son - believes his father to have drowned |
| Prospero | Once Duke of Milan |
| Caliban | Half-man, half-sea-creature |
| Stephano | A butler with big ambitions |
| Trinculo | A jester |
In the song tutorial
| Timing | Content |
|---|---|
| 00 00 | Listening to the opening section of the song to become familiar with the style and the mood - it's a love song for Ferdinand and Miranda. |
| 00 42 | Learning Verse 1, beginning: 'I can't believe the wonder of it all...' Listening to Carrie sing a line and then repeating with the choir. Noting the change of rhythm between the first and second lines. |
| 04 10 | Learning the chorus, beginning: 'Oh I love you so...' Listening to Carrie then singing the chorus straight through. |
| 05 00 | Learning Verse 2, beginning: 'It seems to me there's magic in the air...' At 05 50 singing Verse 2 right through. |
| 06 32 | Learning the middle section, beginning: 'I can't believe the wonder of it all...' Getting into two groups to sing the lead melody and the backing vocals. Working on the BVs first. Then putting the lead and backing vocals together. Noting the pattern of notes at 'says it all'. |
| 11 20 | Singing 'Brave new world' all the way through, remembering to be ready in two groups to sing lead and backing vocals when needed. |
Story questions
Why has Ariel brought Ferdinand to the cave?
It's part of Prospero's plan - he wants Ferdinand to fall in love with Miranda...but not before Prospero has put him through a few tests
What has Prospero done to make sure Ferdinand and Miranda fall in love?
Sprinkled the two of them with 'love powder'
What does Prospero do to Ferdinand then?
He chains Ferdinand and then sets him to chopping wood - which was Caliban's job
How does Ferdinand feel about chopping wood?
He's happy to do it - so long as Miranda is there to watch him being 'all manly'
Why is Miranda impatient for Ferdinand to start singing his song?
She says she's starting to feel rather uncomfortable sitting on a rock
Resources
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Teacher's Notes
Guidance on all the content (pdf)
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Lyrics - Brave new world
Download / print the lyrics (pdf)
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Music - Brave new world
Download / print the music (pdf)
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Pupils' pamphlet
Lyric sheets and activities (pdf)
