In The Tempest, there is a word that is either "wise" or "wife". Even in different copies from the same pressing look different. If it is "wife" then it is the

In The Tempest, there is a word that is either "wise" or "wife". Even in different copies from the same pressing look different. If it is "wife" then it is the only hint of Miranda's mother. That's not a massive plot change, but it substantially colors my reading of the play. Shakespeare has a tendency to dismiss mothers without a word. Death in child bed was surely common and there were plenty of widows, but the complete absence of any reference makes me wonder how it affects the widow and the children. (Compare Shylock, who has one utterly heartbreaking reference to a gift from his wife when they were courting.)