The Tempered

Chapter 6

, tell that to Trinculo Tell not me. When the butt is

out, we will drink water; not a drop before. Therefore

bear up and board ’em.—Servant monster,

drink to me.

Servant monster? The folly of this island!

They say there’s but five upon this isle; we are three

of them. If th’ other two be brained like us, the state

totters.

Drink, servant monster, when I bid thee.

Thy eyes are almost set in thy head.

Where should they be set else? He were a

brave monster indeed if they were set in his tail.

My man-monster hath drowned his tongue

in sack. For my part, the sea cannot drown me. I

swam, ere I could recover the shore, five-and-thirty

leagues off and on, by this light.—Thou shalt be my

lieutenant, monster, or my standard.

Your lieutenant, if you list. He’s no

standard.

We’ll not run, Monsieur Monster.

Nor go neither. But you’ll lie like dogs, and

yet say nothing neither.

Mooncalf, speak once in thy life, if thou

be’st a good mooncalf.

How does thy Honor? Let me lick thy shoe. I’ll

not serve him; he is not valiant.

Thou liest, most ignorant monster. I am in

case to justle a constable. Why, thou debauched

fish, thou! Was there ever man a coward that hath

drunk so much sack as I today? Wilt thou tell a

monstrous lie, being but half a fish and half a

monster?

CALIBAN

TRINCULO

CALIBAN

STEPHANO

CALIBAN

STEPHANO

CALIBAN

ARIEL

CALIBAN

STEPHANO

TRINCULO

STEPHANO

CALIBAN

STEPHANO

CALIBAN

Lo, how he mocks me! Wilt thou let him, my

lord?

“Lord,” quoth he? That a monster should be

such a natural!

Lo, lo again! Bite him to death, I prithee.

Trinculo, keep a good tongue in your head.

If you prove a mutineer, the next tree. The poor

monster’s my subject, and he shall not suffer

indignity.

I thank my noble lord. Wilt thou be pleased

to harken once again to the suit I made to thee?

Marry, will I. Kneel and repeat it. I will

stand, and so shall Trinculo.

Enter Ariel, invisible.

, kneeling As I told thee before, I am subject

to a tyrant, a sorcerer, that by his cunning hath

cheated me of the island.

, in Trinculo’s voice Thou liest.

, to Trinculo Thou liest, thou jesting monkey,

thou. He stands. I would my valiant master would

destroy thee. I do not lie.

Trinculo, if you trouble him any more in ’s

tale, by this hand, I will supplant some of your

teeth.

Why, I said nothing.

Mum then, and no more. Trinculo stands

aside. Proceed.

I say by sorcery he got this isle;

From me he got it. If thy Greatness will,

Revenge it on him, for I know thou dar’st,

But this thing dare not.

That’s most certain.

Thou shalt be lord of it, and I’ll serve thee.

STEPHANO

CALIBAN

ARIEL

CALIBAN

STEPHANO

TRINCULO

STEPHANO

ARIEL

STEPHANO

He beats Trinculo.

TRINCULO

CALIBAN

STEPHANO

CALIBAN

STEPHANO

CALIBAN

How now shall this be compassed? Canst

thou bring me to the party?

Yea, yea, my lord. I’ll yield him thee asleep,

Where thou mayst knock a nail into his head.

, in Trinculo’s voice Thou liest. Thou canst not.

What a pied ninny’s this!—Thou scurvy patch!—

I do beseech thy Greatness, give him blows

And take his bottle from him. When that’s gone,

He shall drink naught but brine, for I’ll not show him

Where the quick freshes are.

Trinculo, run into no further danger. Interrupt

the monster one word further, and by this

hand, I’ll turn my mercy out o’ doors and make a

stockfish of thee.

Why, what did I? I did nothing. I’ll go

farther off.

Didst thou not say he lied?

, in Trinculo’s voice Thou liest.

Do I so? Take thou that.

As you like this, give me the lie another time.

I did not give the lie! Out o’ your wits and

hearing too? A pox o’ your bottle! This can sack and

drinking do. A murrain on your monster, and the

devil take your fingers!

Ha, ha, ha!

Now forward with your tale. To Trinculo.

Prithee, stand further off.

Beat him enough. After a little time

I’ll beat him too.

Stand farther. Trinculo moves farther

away. Come, proceed.

Why, as I told thee, ’tis a custom with him

STEPHANO

CALIBAN

STEPHANO

TRINCULO

STEPHANO

CALIBAN

STEPHANO

ARIEL

CALIBAN

I’ th’ afternoon to sleep. There thou mayst brain him,

Having first seized his books, or with a log

Batter his skull, or paunch him with a stake,

Or cut his weasand with thy knife. Remember

First to possess his books, for without them

He’s but a sot, as I am, nor hath not

One spirit to command. They all do hate him

As rootedly as I. Burn but his books.

He has brave utensils—for so he calls them—

Which, when he has a house, he’ll deck withal.

And that most deeply to consider is

The beauty of his daughter. He himself

Calls her a nonpareil. I never saw a woman

But only Sycorax my dam and she;

But she as far surpasseth Sycorax

As great’st does least.

Is it so brave a lass?

Ay, lord, she will become thy bed, I warrant,

And bring thee forth brave brood.

Monster, I will kill this man. His daughter

and I will be king and queen—save our Graces!—

and Trinculo and thyself shall be viceroys.—Dost

thou like the plot, Trinculo?

Excellent.

Give me thy hand. I am sorry I beat thee.

But while thou liv’st, keep a good tongue in thy

head.

Within this half hour will he be asleep.

Wilt thou destroy him then?

Ay, on mine honor.

, aside This will I tell my master.

Thou mak’st me merry. I am full of pleasure.

STEPHANO

CALIBAN

Ariel plays the tune on a tabor and pipe.

STEPHANO

TRINCULO

STEPHANO

TRINCULO

STEPHANO

CALIBAN

STEPHANO

CALIBAN

STEPHANO

CALIBAN

STEPHANO

Let us be jocund. Will you troll the catch

You taught me but whilere?

At thy request, monster, I will do reason,

any reason.—Come on, Trinculo, let us sing.

Sings.

Flout ’em and cout ’em

And scout ’em and flout ’em!

Thought is free.

That’s not the tune.

What is this same?

This is the tune of our catch played by the

picture of Nobody.

, to the invisible musician If thou be’st a

man, show thyself in thy likeness. If thou be’st a

devil, take ’t as thou list.

O, forgive me my sins!

He that dies pays all debts.—I defy thee!—

Mercy upon us!

Art thou afeard?

No, monster, not I.

Be not afeard. The isle is full of noises,

Sounds and sweet airs that give delight and hurt not.

Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments

Will hum about mine ears, and sometimes voices

That, if I then had waked after long sleep,

Will make me sleep again; and then, in dreaming,

The clouds methought would open, and show riches

Ready to drop upon me, that when I waked

I cried to dream again.

This will prove a brave kingdom to me,

where I shall have my music for nothing.

When Prospero is destroyed.

That shall be by and by. I remember the

story.

TRINCULO

STEPHANO

TRINCULO

They exit.

GONZALO

ALONSO

ANTONIO

SEBASTIAN

ANTONIO

SEBASTIAN

The sound is going away. Let’s follow it, and

after do our work.

Lead, monster. We’ll follow.—I would I

could see this taborer. He lays it on. Wilt come?

I’ll follow, Stephano.

Enter Alonso, Sebastian, Antonio, Gonzalo, Adrian,

Francisco, etc.

By ’r lakin, I can go no further, sir.

My old bones aches. Here’s a maze trod indeed

Through forthrights and meanders. By your

patience,

I needs must rest me.

Old lord, I cannot blame thee.

Who am myself attached with weariness

To th’ dulling of my spirits. Sit down and rest.

Even here I will put off my hope and keep it

No longer for my flatterer. He is drowned

Whom thus we stray to find, and the sea mocks

Our frustrate search on land. Well, let him go.

, aside to Sebastian

I am right glad that he’s so out of hope.

Do not, for one repulse, forgo the purpose

That you resolved t’ effect.

, aside to Antonio The next advantage

Will we take throughly.

, aside to Sebastian Let it be tonight;

For now they are oppressed with travel, they

Will not nor cannot use such vigilance

As when they are fresh.

, aside to Antonio I say tonight. No more.

ALONSO

GONZALO

ALONSO

SEBASTIAN

ANTONIO

GONZALO

PROSPERO

ALONSO

Solemn and strange music, and enter Prospero on the

top invisible.

What harmony is this? My good friends, hark.

Marvelous sweet music!

Enter several strange shapes, bringing in a banquet, and

dance about it with gentle actions of salutations.

Give us kind keepers, heavens! What were these?

A living drollery! Now I will believe

That there are unicorns, that in Arabia

There is one tree, the phoenix’ throne, one phoenix

At this hour reigning there.

I’ll believe both;

And what does else want credit, come to me

And I’ll be sworn ’tis true. Travelers ne’er did lie,

Though fools at home condemn ’em.

If in Naples

I should report this now, would they believe me?

If I should say I saw such islanders —

For, certes, these are people of the island—

Who, though they are of monstrous shape, yet note

Their manners are more gentle, kind, than of

Our human generation you shall find

Many, nay, almost any.

, aside Honest lord,

Thou hast said well, for some of you there present

Are worse than devils.

I cannot too much muse

Such shapes, such gesture, and such sound,

expressing—

Although they want the use of tongue—a kind

Of excellent dumb discourse.

PROSPERO

Inviting the King, etc., to eat, the shapes depart.

FRANCISCO

SEBASTIAN

ALONSO

GONZALO

ALONSO

Alonso, Sebastian, and Antonio

move toward the table.

ARIEL

, aside Praise in departing.

They vanished strangely.

No matter, since

They have left their viands behind, for we have

stomachs.

Will ’t please you taste of what is here?

Not I.

Faith, sir, you need not fear. When we were boys,

Who would believe that there were mountaineers

Dewlapped like bulls, whose throats had hanging at

’em

Wallets of flesh? Or that there were such men

Whose heads stood in their breasts? Which now we

find

Each putter-out of five for one will bring us

Good warrant of.

I will stand to and feed.

Although my last, no matter, since I feel

The best is past. Brother, my lord the Duke,

Stand to, and do as we.

Thunder and lightning. Enter Ariel, like a Harpy, claps

his wings upon the table, and with a quaint device the

banquet vanishes.

as Harpy

You are three men of sin, whom Destiny,

That hath to instrument this lower world

And what is in ’t, the never-surfeited sea

Hath caused to belch up you, and on this island,

Where man doth not inhabit, you ’mongst men

Being most unfit to live. I have made you mad;

And even with such-like valor, men hang and drown

Alonso, Sebastian, and Antonio draw their swords.

He vanishes in thunder.

PROSPERO

Their proper selves.

You fools, I and my fellows

Are ministers of Fate. The elements

Of whom your swords are tempered may as well

Wound the loud winds or with bemocked-at stabs

Kill the still-closing waters as diminish

One dowl that’s in my plume. My fellow ministers

Are like invulnerable. If you could hurt,

Your swords are now too massy for your strengths

And will not be uplifted. But remember—

For that’s my business to you—that you three

From Milan did supplant good Prospero,

Exposed unto the sea, which hath requit it,

Him and his innocent child, for which foul deed,

The powers—delaying, not forgetting—have

Incensed the seas and shores, yea, all the creatures

Against your peace. Thee of thy son, Alonso,

They have bereft; and do pronounce by me

Ling’ring perdition, worse than any death

Can be at once, shall step by step attend

You and your ways, whose wraths to guard you

from—

Which here, in this most desolate isle, else falls

Upon your heads—is nothing but heart’s sorrow

And a clear life ensuing.

Then, to soft music, enter the shapes again, and dance,

with mocks and mows, and carrying out the table.

, aside

Bravely the figure of this Harpy hast thou

Performed, my Ariel. A grace it had, devouring.

Of my instruction hast thou nothing bated

In what thou hadst to say. So, with good life

And observation strange, my meaner ministers

He exits, above.

GONZALO

ALONSO

He exits.

SEBASTIAN

ANTONIO

They exit.

GONZALO

ADRIAN

They all exit.

Their several kinds have done. My high charms

work,

And these mine enemies are all knit up

In their distractions. They now are in my power;

And in these fits I leave them while I visit

Young Ferdinand, whom they suppose is drowned,

And his and mine loved darling.

, to Alonso

I’ th’ name of something holy, sir, why stand you

In this strange stare?

O, it is monstrous, monstrous!

Methought the billows spoke and told me of it;

The winds did sing it to me, and the thunder,

That deep and dreadful organ pipe, pronounced

The name of Prosper. It did bass my trespass.

Therefor my son i’ th’ ooze is bedded, and

I’ll seek him deeper than e’er plummet sounded,

And with him there lie mudded.

But one fiend at a time,

I’ll fight their legions o’er.

I’ll be thy second.

All three of them are desperate. Their great guilt,

Like poison given to work a great time after,

Now ’gins to bite the spirits. I do beseech you

That are of suppler joints, follow them swiftly

And hinder them from what this ecstasy

May now provoke them to.

Follow, I pray you.

They exit.