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Quote 8 If thou dost break her virgin-knot before All sanctimonious ceremonies may With full and holy rite be ministered, No sweet aspersion shall the heavens let fall To make this contract grow, but barren hate, Sour-eyed disdain, and discord shall bestrew The union of your bed with weeds so loathly That you shall hate it both. (IV.i.) Meaning- With this long-winded sentence, Prospero informs Ferdinand as to what will happen should his soon-to-be son-in-law attempt to have sex with Miranda before they get married. Unlike with Prospero’s other threats, which indicate just how capable of cruelty he is, this threat illustrates his protective nature. When he says that premarital sex will sow “disdain” and “discord” in their marriage and render their relationship “barren,” he does not really mean it. Instead, Prospero uses such strong words so that Ferdinand understands how precious his daughter is to him.