Who is Ferdinand in Shakespere's The Tempest?

Hardye has made some good points in discussing Ferdinand in The Tempest.  Ferdinand does indeed fall in love with Prospero's daughter Miranda, aided by the magic of Ariel.  Prospero does also have a "plan" for Ferdinand, which is for him to marry his daughter and cement the reconciliation between Prospero, right Duke of Milan and Alonso, Ferdinand's father and King of Milan.

It is interesting to note that Ferdinand is presented as more passive than his romantic counterpart, Miranda.  Much like Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, Ferdinand is led to the vow of marriage by a strong-willed and direct girl.  She says, "I am your wife, if you will marry me."

Miranda's directness may be attributed to having grown up on a desert island and never taught to "be a lady."  But what about Ferdinand?  Is he "soft" because he has grown up a Prince?  It's hard to know, but Shakespeare does have fun with this aspect of his nature, having Miranda take on the job of hauling wood that Prospero has assigned to Ferdinand, so that he might rest.  Hardly the behaviour of a classic knight in shining armor.

At the end of the play, Ferdinand's role as a key figure in the reconciliation of the shipwrecked royals with Prospero and Miranda is clear.  Ferdinand is reunited with his lost fellows and father, and Prospero is reunited with the shipwrecked royals.