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.