FERDINAND: Wherefore weep you?
MIRANDA: At mine unworthiness, that dare not offer
What I desire to give, and much less take
What I shall die to want. But this is trifling,
And all the more it seeks to hide itself
The bigger bulk it shows. Hence, bashful cunning,
And prompt me, plain and holy innocence.
I am your wife, if you will marry me.
If not, I’ll die your maid. To be your fellow
You may deny me, but I’ll be your servant
Whether you will or no.
– William Shakespeare
The Tempest, Act 3, Scene 1. A very strong and independent Miranda is shown here as she abandons shyness and proposes marriage to Ferdinand, declaring her undying love for him. She is practically insisting that Ferdinand marry her, if he does not she says she will be his servant anyway. Using a metaphor, she says that the more she tries to hide her feelings the "bigger bulk it shows." There is a sexual suggestiveness to that phrase, which makes Miranda’s speech a declaration of her sexual independence.