DRAMATIS PERSONE. ALONSO, King of Naples. FERDINAND, his son. SEBASTIAN, brother to Alonso. PROSPERO, the rightful Duke of Milan. ANTONIO, his brother, the usurping Duke of Milan. SCENE-On board a ship at sea; afterwards various parts of an island. THE TEMPEST. ACT I. SCENE I. On board a ship at sea: a storm, with thunder and lightning. Enter Master and Boatswain severally. Mast. Boatswain! Boats. Here, master: what cheer? Mast. Good, speak to the mariners: (1) fall to't yarely, or we run ourselves a-ground: bestir, bestir. Enter Mariners. [Exit. Boats. Heigh, my hearts! cheerly, cheerly, my hearts! yare, yare! Take in the topsail! Tend to the master's whistle! [Exeunt Mariners.]—Blow, till thou burst thy wind, if room enough! Enter ALONSO, SEBASTIAN, ANTONIO, FERDINAND, GONZALO, Alon. Good boatswain, have care. (1) Where's the master? Play the men. your Boats. I pray now, keep below. Ant. Where is the master, boatswain? Boats. Do you not hear him? You mar our labour: keep cabins: you do assist the storm. Gon. Nay, good, be patient. Boats. When the sea is. Hence! What care these roarers for the name of king? To cabin: silence! trouble us not. Gon. Good, yet remember whom thou hast aboard. Boats. None that I more love than myself. You are a counsellor ;-if you can command these elements to silence, and work the peace of the present, we will not hand a rope more; use your authority: if you cannot, give thanks you have lived so long, and make yourself ready in your cabin for the mischance of the hour, if it so hap.-Cheerly, good hearts!-Out of our way, I say. [Exit. Gon. I have great comfort from this fellow: methinks he hath no drowning-mark upon him; his complexion is perfect gallows. Stand fast, good Fate, to his hanging! make the rope of his destiny our cable, for our own doth little advantage! If he be not born to be hanged, our case is miserable. [Exeunt. Re-enter Boatswain. Boats. Down with the topmast! yare; lower, lower! Bring her to try with main-course !(2) [A cry within.] A plague upon this howling! they are louder than the weather or our office. Re-enter SEBASTIAN, ANTONIO, and Gonzalo. Yet again! what do you here? drown? Have you a mind to sink? Shall we give o'er, and Seb. A pox o' your throat, you bawling, blasphemous, incharitable dog! Boats. Work you, then. Ant. Hang, cur, hang! you whoreson, insolent noisemaker, we are less afraid to be drowned than thou art. Gon. I'll warrant him for drowning; though the ship were no stronger than a nutshell, and as leaky as an unstanched wench. Boats. Lay her a-hold, a-hold! set her two courses! off to sea again; lay her off! Re-enter Mariners wet. Mariners. All lost! to prayers, to prayers! all lost! Boats. What, must our mouths be cold? [Exeunt. Gon. The king and prince at prayers! let's assist them, For our case is as theirs. Seb. I'm out of patience. Ant. We are merely cheated of our lives by drunkards :This wide-chapp'd rascal,—would thou mightst lie drowning, The washing of ten tides! Gon. [A confused noise within,—" Mercy on us!" "We split, we split!"—"Farewell, my wife and children !”"Farewell, brother!"—"We split, we split, we split!"] Ant. Let's all sink with the king. [Exit Boatswain. Let's take leave of him. Gon. Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea for an acre of barren ground,—ling, heath, broom, furze, any thing. (3) The wills above be done! but I would fain die a dry death. SCENE II. The island: before the cell of PROSPERO. Mir. If by your art, my dearest father, you have Have sunk the sea within the earth, or e'er It should the good ship so have swallow'd, and Pros. Be collected; No more amazement: tell your piteous heart [Exit. Mir. Pros. O, woe the day! No harm. I have done nothing(5) but in care of thee, Of thee, my dear one, thee, my daughter,-who Mir. More to know 'Tis time Did never meddle with my thoughts. Pros. I should inform thee further. Lend thy hand, And pluck my magic garment from me.-So: [Lays down his robe. Lie there, my art.-Wipe thou thine eyes; have comfort. The direful spectacle of the wreck, which touch'd The very virtue of compassion in thee, I have with such prevision in mine art(6) So safely order'd, that there is no soul—(7) Which thou heard'st cry, which thou saw'st sink. Mir. You have often Begun to tell me what I am; but stopp'd, Concluding, "Stay, not yet." Pros. The very minute bids thee ope The hour's now come; thine ear: Obey, and be attentive. Canst thou remember A time before we came unto this cell? I do not think thou canst, for then thou wast not Pros. By what? by any other house or person? Of any thing the image tell me that Hath kept with thy remembrance. Mir. "Tis far off, And rather like a dream than an assurance That my remembrance warrants. Had I not Four or five women once that tended me? Sit down; Pros. Thou hadst, and more, Miranda. But how is it That this lives in thy mind? What see'st thou else |