(no subject)
Ok, so I was reading The Tempest for my Shakespeare class and I was like why do I know this quote? ("O, brave new world,/ That has such people in it.") Well, because Joss Whedon used it as inspiration for the movie of course...
"The name of the planet "Miranda" translates from Latin into "a thing to behold" or "a thing that must be marveled at". Serenity's Miranda shares its name with Miranda, one of the moons of Uranus; both are ultimately derived from Miranda in The Tempest. Joss Whedon explains in the DVD commentary track that the planet "Miranda" received its name in reference to a line spoken by Shakespeare's Miranda in The Tempest, Act V, scene I: "O brave new world, / That has such people in't!" The Alliance had hoped that Miranda would be a new kind of world, filled with peaceful, happy people. Ultimately, of course, the reference becomes ironic. Also note that the Shakespearean character Miranda is the daughter of Prospero, a sorcerer who uses magic to control the lives of the other characters. The dead world of Miranda may therefore be seen as the "offspring" of the Alliance, which controls the lives of its subjects. It is also of note that the planet on which River was conditioned is called Ariel, which is also the name of a character in The Tempest (who represents the wind)."
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenity_(film)
*dies an extremely happy Shakespeare/Firefly fan*
go back to your lives now...
"The name of the planet "Miranda" translates from Latin into "a thing to behold" or "a thing that must be marveled at". Serenity's Miranda shares its name with Miranda, one of the moons of Uranus; both are ultimately derived from Miranda in The Tempest. Joss Whedon explains in the DVD commentary track that the planet "Miranda" received its name in reference to a line spoken by Shakespeare's Miranda in The Tempest, Act V, scene I: "O brave new world, / That has such people in't!" The Alliance had hoped that Miranda would be a new kind of world, filled with peaceful, happy people. Ultimately, of course, the reference becomes ironic. Also note that the Shakespearean character Miranda is the daughter of Prospero, a sorcerer who uses magic to control the lives of the other characters. The dead world of Miranda may therefore be seen as the "offspring" of the Alliance, which controls the lives of its subjects. It is also of note that the planet on which River was conditioned is called Ariel, which is also the name of a character in The Tempest (who represents the wind)."
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenity_(film)
*dies an extremely happy Shakespeare/Firefly fan*
go back to your lives now...