Question

In Shakespeare's play, The Tempest, the character Ferdinand flirts with
Miranda.
FERDINAND
for several virtues
Have I liked several women; never any
With so fun soul, but some defect in her
Did quarrel with the noblest grace she owed
And put it to the foil: but you, O you,
So perfect and so peerless, are created
Of every creature's best!
Based on the passage, what idea is best conveyed by Ferdinand's choice of
the phrase "put it to the foil"?
O
A. The women's defects were as important to him as their graces.
B. The women's defects were unimportant to him,
O
C. The women's defects were all of the same type.
O
D. The women's defects were more powerful than their graces
L

Answer 1

Answer: D. The women's defects were more powerful than their graces

Explanation:

This is an excerpt from the Tempest, a play written by William Shakespeare. In the play, the magician named Prospero flees his dukedom in Milan, and arrives on an enchanted island, together with his daughter, Miranda.

Ferdinand is the son of the King of Naples, and he arrives on the island through one of Prospero's charms, when Prospero initiates the tempest.

Ferdinand and Miranda gradually fall in love. In this particular scene, Ferdinand flirts with her and claims that he did like several women before he met her, but each of them had some flaws which were stronger than their virtues. With Miranda, it is different - she is perfect in his eyes and has no rival.