THE TEMPEST

ALONSO, King of Naples
SEBASTIAN, his brother
PROSPERO, the rightful Duke of Milan
ANTONIO, his brother, the usurping Duke of Milan
FERDINAND, son of the King of Naples
GONZALO, an honest old advisor
ADRIAN, Lord
FRANCISCO, Lord
CALIBAN, a savage and deformed slave
TRINCULO, a jester
STEPHANO, a drunken butler
MASTER OF A SHIP
BOATSWAIN
MARINERS

MIRANDA, daughter of Prospero

ARIEL, a free spirit

IRIS, brought to you by Spirits
CERES, brought to you by Spirits
JUNO, brought to you by Spirits
NYMPHS, brought to you by Spirits
REAPERS, brought to you by Spirits

Other spirits serving Prospero

Enter a Captain and a Bosun separately.

CAPTAIN.
First Mate!

BOATSWAIN.
Here, captain: what's up?

MASTER.
Good! Talk to the sailors: get to it quickly, or we'll run aground: move, move.

Exit.

Enter Mariners.

BOATSWAIN.
Hey, everyone! Let's go, let's go! Get ready! Take in the topsail. Pay attention to the master's whistle. Blow until you can't anymore, if there's enough space.

Enter Alonso, Sebastian, Antonio, Ferdinand, Gonzalo and others.

ALONSO.
Hey, good boatswain, be careful. Where’s the captain?
Get the crew ready.

BOATSWAIN.
I ask you now, stay below.

ANTONIO.
Where's the boss, dude?

BOATSWAIN.
Don't you hear him? You're messing up our work: stay in your cabins: you're making the storm worse.

GONZALO.
No, please be patient.

BOATSWAIN.
When the sea is. Get out of here! What do these raging waves care about the name of a king? To your cabins! Silence! Don't bother us.

GONZALO.
Good, but remember who you have on board.

BOATSWAIN.
None that I love more than myself. You’re a counselor: if you can calm these elements and bring peace to the moment, we won't handle another rope. Use your authority: if you can’t, be grateful that you've lived this long and prepare yourself in your cabin for whatever might happen if it comes. —Stay positive, good people! —Get out of our way, I say.

[Leave.]

GONZALO.
I find a lot of comfort in this guy. He doesn’t seem to have a mark of someone who’s drowned. His looks are just right for the gallows. Hang in there, good Fate, for his execution! Let the rope of his future be our lifeline, since our own doesn’t help much! If he’s not meant to be hanged, then we’re in a tough spot.

[Exit.]

Re-enter Boatswain.

BOATSWAIN.
Take down the topmast! Quick, lower it! Bring her around to set the mainsail.

A cry inside.

A curse on this noise! They're louder than the storm or our workspace.

Enter Sebastian, Antonio, and Gonzalo.

Yet again! What are you doing here? Should we give up and drown? Are you planning to sink?

SEBASTIAN.
A curse on your throat, you loud, disrespectful, unkind dog!

Bosun.
Get to work, then.

ANTONIO.
Hang, mutt, hang, you worthless loudmouth! We're less scared of drowning than you are.

GONZALO.
I bet he’d drown, even if the ship were no stronger than a nutshell and as leaky as a girl with no shame.

BOATSWAIN.
Hold her steady, steady! Set her two courses: out to sea again: steer her away.

Enter Mariners, soaked.

MARINERS.
Everyone's lost! We need to pray, we need to pray! Everyone's lost!

[Exit.]

BOATSWAIN.
What, do we have to keep our mouths shut?

GONZALO.
The King and Prince are praying! Let’s join them,
Because our situation is just like theirs.

SEBASTIAN.
I'm done with patience.

ANTONIO.
We are just robbed of our lives by drunks.
This big-mouthed jerk—if only you could drown
In the ebb and flow of ten tides!

GONZALO.
He'll end up hanging,
Even if every drop of water swears it's not true,
And opens wide to drown him.

A chaotic uproar inside: “Help us!”—
“We're breaking apart, we're breaking apart!”—“Goodbye, my wife and kids!”—
“Goodbye, brother!”—“We’re breaking apart, we’re breaking apart, we’re breaking apart!”

ANTONIO.
Let’s all go down with the King.

[Log out.]

SEBASTIAN.
Let’s leave him.

[Log out.]

GONZALO.
Right now, I would trade a thousand miles of sea for just an acre of barren land. Long grass, brown gorse, anything. Whatever happens above is meant to be! But I’d really prefer to die without water.

[Leave.]

Enter Prospero and Miranda.

MIRANDA.
If through your magic, my dearest father, you have
Caused the wild waters to roar like this, calm them down.
It seems like the sky would pour down awful tar,
But the sea, rising to meet the sky,
Extinguishes the flames. Oh! I’ve felt the pain
Of those I saw suffering! A brave ship,
Which surely had some noble soul on board,
Was shattered to pieces. Oh, the cries hit
Right in my heart. Poor souls, they are lost.
If I had any godly power, I would
Have sunk the sea below the earth, before
It could swallow the good ship and
All the souls on board.

PROSPERO.
Calm down:
No more surprises: let your hurting heart
Know that nothing is wrong.

MIRANDA.
Oh no, what a day!

PROSPERO.
No harm.
I’ve done nothing but for your sake,
For you, my dear one, my daughter, who
Are unaware of who you are, knowing nothing
About where I come from, or that I am much more
Than Prospero, the master of a very simple space,
And your not-so-great father.

MIRANDA.
More to know
Never interfered with my thoughts.

PROSPERO.
It’s time
I should tell you more. Lend me your hand,
And take off my magic robe.—There you go:

Lays down his coat.

Lie there, my art. Wipe your eyes; take comfort.
The shocking scene of the wreck, which touched
The very essence of compassion in you,
I have arranged through my art
So safely that no soul—
Not even a hair's worth of doom
Has happened to any creature on the ship
That you heard crying, that you saw sink. Sit down;
For now you need to know more.

MIRANDA.
You have often
Started to tell me who I am, but stopped,
Leaving me with a useless question,
Ending with “Stay; not yet.”

PROSPERO.
The time has come,
The very moment asks you to listen;
Obey, and pay attention. Can you remember
A time before we came to this cell?
I don’t think you can, because you were not
More than three years old then.

MIRANDA.
Sure, sir, I can.

PROSPERO.
By what? By any other house or person?
Tell me about anything the image that
Has stayed with your memory.

MIRANDA.
It feels so distant,
And more like a dream than something real
That my memory supports. Didn't I have
Four or five women who looked after me once?

PROSPERO.
You had that, and more, Miranda. But how is it
That this stays in your mind? What else do you see
In the dark past of time?
If you remember anything before you came here,
How you got here, you might.

MIRANDA.
But I don’t.

PROSPERO.
Twelve years ago, Miranda, twelve years ago,
Your father was the Duke of Milan, and
A powerful prince.

MIRANDA.
Sir, are you my dad?

PROSPERO.
Your mother was a woman of great virtue, and
She said you were my daughter. And your father
Was the Duke of Milan, and his only heir
And princess, of equally noble lineage.

MIRANDA.
Oh, the heavens!
What terrible thing happened that we came from there?
Or were we lucky to have left?

PROSPERO.
Both, both, my girl.
By unfair means, as you say, we were thrown out;
But we were brought here safely.

MIRANDA.
Oh, my heart hurts
To think of the pain I’ve caused you,
Which I can’t remember. Please, go on.

PROSPERO.
My brother, your uncle, named Antonio—
Please, listen to me. How could a brother
Be so treacherous!—the one I loved most in the world,
next to you, and I entrusted him
with the management of my kingdom; at that time,
it was the most important realm,
and I, Prospero, was the leading duke, well-respected
for my dignity and unmatched in the liberal arts:
that was my sole focus. I handed over the governance
to my brother while I became a stranger to my own realm,
caught up in my secret studies. Your deceitful uncle—
Are you paying attention to me?

MIRANDA.
Yes, sir, very carefully.

PROSPERO.
Once I mastered how to grant requests,
How to deny them, who to promote, and who
To push down for trying to outshine, I
Either recreated the beings that were mine,
Or changed them, or else formed them anew: having both the key
To my position and my duty, I set all hearts in the state
To whatever tune pleased my ear: now he was
The ivy that had hidden my royal trunk,
And drained my vitality from it. You’re not paying attention.

MIRANDA.
Oh, good sir! I do.

PROSPERO.
Please listen to me.
I, by putting aside worldly matters, have devoted myself
To introspection and improving my mind
With things that, if I weren’t so isolated,
Would be valued far more than they are, in my deceitful brother
Awakened a dark nature; and my trust,
Like a caring parent, led him to create
A betrayal as great as my trust was; which truly had no limits,
A boundless confidence. With him positioned thus,
Not only with what my income provided,
But also with what my power could otherwise demand, like someone
Who turned the truth into a lie by telling it,
So much so that he convinced himself of his own falsehood,
He really believed he was the Duke; out of the pretense,
And acting the part of royalty,
With all authority. Thus his ambition grew—
Do you hear?

MIRANDA.
Your story, sir, would restore anyone's hearing.

PROSPERO.
He wants to have no barrier between the role he played
and the person he played it for; he desires to be
the ruler of Milan. As for me, a poor man, my library
was enough of a kingdom for me. He now thinks I’m
incapable of ruling; my allies,
so eager for power, with the King of Naples
to give him yearly tribute, show him respect,
subject his crown to his authority, and force
the dukedom, still unbowed—oh, poor Milan!—
to a shameful submission.

OMG!

PROSPERO.
Notice his state and what happened; then let me know
If this could be a brother.

MIRANDA.
I would be wrong
To think less than highly of my grandmother:
Good mothers have raised bad sons.

PROSPERO.
Now here’s the deal.
This King of Naples, who's been my enemy forever,
Listens to my brother’s plea;
Which was that, in exchange for some favors
And I don’t even know how much tax,
He should immediately remove me and my family
From the dukedom, and give beautiful Milan,
With all its honors, to my brother: as a result,
A treacherous army gathered, one midnight
Destined to the task, which Antonio opened
The gates of Milan; and, in the dead of night,
The agents for the task rushed me and your crying self away.

MIRANDA.
Oh, what a shame!
I, not remembering how I shouted then,
Will shout it out again: it really
Makes me tear up thinking about it.

PROSPERO.
Listen a little longer,
And then I’ll get you up to speed on the current situation
That’s happening now; without it, this story
Would be completely irrelevant.

MIRANDA.
Why didn't they destroy us
In that moment?

PROSPERO.
You asked well, girl:
My story raises that question. Honestly, they didn't dare,
Because of the deep love my people had for me, nor would they
Leave such a bloody mark on the situation; instead,
They painted over their ugly ends with prettier colors.
In short, they rushed us onto a ship,
Took us several leagues out to sea, where they set up
A rotten hulk of a boat, not equipped,
No gear, sail, or mast; even the rats
Naturally abandoned it. There they left us,
To cry out to the sea, which roared back at us; to sigh
To the winds, whose pity, returning our sighs,
Only did us a loving wrong.

MIRANDA.
Oh no, what trouble
Was I then for you!

PROSPERO.
Oh, a cherub
You were the one who saved me. You smiled,
Filled with strength from above,
When I had covered the sea with tears,
Groaning under my burden: which stirred in me
A resilience, to endure
What was about to come.

MIRANDA.
How did we get ashore?

PROSPERO.
By divine providence.
We had some food and fresh water that
A noble Neapolitan, Gonzalo,
Out of his generosity, who was then appointed
Master of this plan, provided for us, along with
Rich clothes, linens, supplies, and essentials,
Which have been very helpful since: out of his kindness,
Knowing I loved my books, he supplied me
From my own library with volumes that
I value more than my dukedom.

MIRANDA.
I wish I could
But I want to see that man!

PROSPERO.
Now I stand up.
Stay quiet, and listen to the end of our sea-worries.
We arrived on this island, and here
I, your teacher, have given you more benefit
Than other princes can, who have more time
For trivial pursuits, and tutors who aren’t as dedicated.

MIRANDA.
Thank heavens for that! And now, please, sir,
Because it's still on my mind, can you explain
Why you stirred up this storm at sea?

PROSPERO.
So, let me explain.
By a most strange accident, bountiful Fortune
Has brought my enemies to this shore; and thanks to my foresight
I realize that my success depends on
A very lucky star, whose influence
If I don’t pursue right now, my fortunes
Will always decline. Let’s stop with the questions;
You’re feeling sleepy; it’s a good kind of drowsiness,
So just go with it. I know you can’t help it.

[Miranda is sleeping.]

Come here, servant, come! I'm ready now.
Come closer, my Ariel. Come!

Enter Ariel.

ARIEL.
All hail, great master! Serious sir, hello! I’m here
To fulfill your wishes; whether it’s to fly,
To swim, to dive into the fire, or to ride
On the swirling clouds, I’m ready for whatever
You need, along with all my skills.

PROSPERO.
Have you, spirit,
Carried out the storm that I asked you to?

ARIEL.
To every task.
I got on the King’s ship; now at the bow,
Now in the middle, on the deck, in every cabin,
I sparked wonder; sometimes I’d separate,
And ignite in many spots; on the topmast,
The yards, and bowsprit, I would blaze clearly,
Then come together and unite. Jupiter’s lightning, the forerunner
Of the terrifying thunderclaps, was not more fleeting
Or fast-paced: the fire and blasts
Of booming sulfur seemed to attack the mightiest Neptune
And make his strong waves quiver,
Yes, even shake his fearsome trident.

PROSPERO.
My brave spirit!
Who was so strong, so steady, that this turmoil
Would not cloud his judgment?

ARIEL.
No one
But felt a fever of madness, and played
Some desperate tricks. Everyone except the sailors
Dived into the churning sea and abandoned the ship,
Then, all fired up with me: the King’s son, Ferdinand,
With his hair standing on end—then like reeds, not hair—
Was the first one to jump; he shouted, “Hell is empty,
And all the devils are here.”

PROSPERO.
Why, that’s my spirit!
But wasn’t this close to the shore?

ARIEL.
Nearby, my master.

PROSPERO.
But are they, Ariel, okay?

ARIEL.
Not a hair was damaged;
Their clothes weren't marked at all,
But they look even fresher than before: and, as you instructed me,
I’ve spread them all around the island.
I’ve brought the King’s son ashore by himself,
Who I left there, sighing in the breeze
In a strange corner of the island, sitting,
His arms in this sad position.

PROSPERO.
Of the King’s ship,
The sailors, tell me how you’ve managed,
And what about the rest of the fleet?

ARIEL.
The King’s ship is safely in the harbor; in the deep cove, where you once called me up at midnight to gather dew from the constantly troubled Bermudas; there it’s hiding:
The sailors are all stashed below deck;
I’ve put them to sleep with a charm added to their weary work: and as for the rest of the fleet,
I scattered them, but they’ve all come back together,
And are now sailing on the Mediterranean,
Sadly heading home to Naples,
Thinking they saw the King’s ship wrecked,
And his great self lost.

PROSPERO.
Ariel, your task
Is done exactly; but there’s more to do.
What time is it?

ARIEL.
Past the middle of the season.

PROSPERO.
At least two glasses. The time between six and now
Must be spent by both of us very wisely.

ARIEL.
Is there more work? Since you're causing me distress,
Let me remind you of what you promised,
Which you haven't done for me yet.

PROSPERO.
What's up? Feeling down?
What do you want to ask?

ARIEL.
My freedom.

PROSPERO.
Before time runs out? No more!

ARIEL.
I urge you,
Remember I have served you well;
I haven’t lied, made mistakes, or complained:
I served you without resentment: you promised
To free me in a year.

PROSPERO.
Do you forget
What a torment I freed you from?

ARIEL.
Nope.

PROSPERO.
You do, and think it’s a big deal to walk through the mud
Of the salty sea,
To race against the cold northern wind,
To take care of my affairs in the veins of the earth
When it’s frozen solid.

ARIEL.
I don't, sir.

PROSPERO.
You're lying, you wicked creature! Have you forgotten
The terrible witch Sycorax, who with age and jealousy
Turned into a monster? Have you forgotten her?

ARIEL.
No, thanks.

PROSPERO.
You have. Where was she born? Speak; tell me.

ARIEL.
Sir, in Algiers.

PROSPERO.
Oh, was she really? I have to
Once a month remind you of what you've been,
Which you forget. This cursed witch Sycorax,
For her many wrongdoings and terrible spells
That are too much to hear, was banished from Algiers,
You know, for one thing she did
They wouldn’t take her life. Isn't that true?

ARIEL.
Yes, sir.

PROSPERO.
This blue-eyed witch was brought here while pregnant,
And here she was abandoned by the sailors. You, my slave,
As you’ve told me, were her servant at that time;
And since you were a spirit too refined
To carry out her earthly and disgusting orders,
You refused her grand commands, and she trapped you,
With the help of her more powerful minions,
And in her uncontrollable rage,
Into a split pine; within which crevice
Imprisoned, you painfully endured
For twelve years; during which time she died,
And left you there, where you groaned
As fast as mill-wheels turn. Then this island—
Except for the son she gave birth to here,
A spotted creature, born of a witch—not worthy of
A human form.

Yes, Caliban is her son.

PROSPERO.
It's a dull thing, I’ll say it; that Caliban,
Whom I now keep in service. You know best
What torture I found you in; your groans
Made wolves howl and pierced the hearts
Of ever-angry bears: it was a torment
To place upon the damned, which Sycorax
Could not undo; it was my magic,
When I arrived and heard you, that made the pine
Open up and let you out.

ARIEL.
Thank you, master.

PROSPERO.
If you complain more, I'll tear apart an oak
And pin you in its gnarled insides until
You've howled away twelve winters.

ARIEL.
Excuse me, master:
I will follow your commands,
And carry out my duties kindly.

PROSPERO.
Go ahead; and after two days
I will release you.

ARIEL.
That’s my great master!
What should I do? What do I say? What should I do?

PROSPERO.
Go make yourself like a sea nymph. Be subject
To no one’s gaze but yours and mine; invisible
To everyone else. Go, take this form,
And come here in it. Hurry, now!

[Exit Ariel.]

Awake, dear heart, awake! You've slept well;
Awake!

MIRANDA.
[Waking.] The weirdness of your story put
A weight on me.

PROSPERO.
Shake it off. Come on;
We’ll visit Caliban, my slave, who never
Gives us a kind answer.

MIRANDA.
It's a villain, sir,
I don’t like to look at him.

PROSPERO.
But as it is,
We can't be without him: he tends our fire,
Brings in our wood; and helps with tasks
That benefit us. Hey! slave! Caliban!
You there, you! Speak.

CALIBAN.
[Inside.] There’s enough wood inside.

PROSPERO.
Come out, I say; there’s other work for you.
Come on, you slowpoke! When?

Re-enter Ariel like a water nymph.

Fine apparition! My quirky Ariel,
Listen up.

ARIEL.
My lord, it will be done.

[Leave.]

PROSPERO.
You poisonous slave, born from the devil himself
from your wicked mother, come out!

Enter Caliban.

CALIBAN.
May the wicked dew that my mother used to brush
With a raven's feather from a disgusting swamp
Fall on both of you! May a south-west wind strike you,
And make you all break out in blisters!

PROSPERO.
For this, you can be sure, tonight you'll have cramps,
Side-stitches that will trap your breath; little creatures
Will come out in the dead of night to mess with you.
You'll be pinched
As much as a honeycomb, each pinch more painful
Than the bees that made them.

CALIBAN.
I need to eat dinner.
This island is mine, given to me by my mother Sycorax,
And you’ve taken it from me. When you first arrived,
You were kind to me and treated me well; you offered me
Water with berries in it and taught me how
To name the big light and the small one,
That shine during the day and night: and then I loved you,
And showed you all the features of the island,
The fresh springs, salt flats, barren spots, and fertile land.
Cursed be I for doing that! All the curses
Of Sycorax, toads, beetles, bats, fall upon you!
For I am all the subjects that you have,
Who was once my own King; and here you confine me
In this hard rock, while you keep from me
The rest of the island.

PROSPERO.
You most deceitful servant,
Whom punishment can affect, not kindness! I have treated you,
Filthy as you are, with basic human care, and kept you
In my own cell, until you tried to dishonor
My child.

CALIBAN.
Oh no! Oh no! I wish it had been done!
You stopped me; I would have filled this isle
With Calibans.

PROSPERO.
Hated slave,
Who won't accept any sign of goodness,
Being capable of all evil! I felt sorry for you,
Took the time to make you speak, taught you every hour
Something new: when you didn’t, wild one,
Know your true meaning, but would just babble like
A beast, I gave your intentions
Words that made them clear. But your disgusting nature,
Even though you learned, had something in it that good people
Could not stand to be around; that’s why you were
Rightfully confined to this rock,
When you deserved much worse than a prison.

CALIBAN.
You taught me your language, and what I gained from it
Is that I know how to curse. May the red plague take you,
For teaching me your language!

PROSPERO.
Get out of here, you troublemaker!
Bring us some firewood; and do it quickly, it’s in your best interest,
To take care of other matters. Are you shrugging it off, showing malice?
If you ignore me, or do what I say with reluctance,
I’ll torture you with old pains,
Fill all your bones with aches, make you scream,
So that even animals will be scared by your noise.

CALIBAN.
No, please.
[Aside.] I have to obey. His skills are so strong,
They could even dominate my mother’s god, Setebos,
And turn him into a servant.

PROSPERO.
So, get lost, slave!

[Exit Caliban.]

Re-enter Ariel, playing and singing; Ferdinand trailing.

Ariel's Song.

Come to these yellow sands,
    And then take hands:
Curtsy when you have, and kiss
    The wild waves' whisper.
Dance around here and there,
    And let sweet spirits
Carry the load. Listen, listen!
    Load spread around. Bow-wow.
The watch dogs bark.
    [Load spread around.] Bow-wow.
Listen, listen! I hear
The sound of proud rooster
    Crying cock-a-doodle-doo.

FERDINAND.
Where is this music coming from? Is it in the air or on the ground?
It’s silent now; it must be waiting for
Some god of the island. Sitting on a bank,
Mourning again for my father, the King’s destruction,
This music floated by me on the water,
Smoothing both its rage and my feelings
With its beautiful sound: I’ve followed it
Or maybe it has lured me here—but it’s gone now.
No, it’s starting up again.

ARIEL.
[Sings.]
Your father lies five fathoms deep.
    His bones have turned to coral.
Those are pearls where his eyes used to be.
    Nothing of him fades away
But undergoes a sea-change
Into something beautiful and mysterious.
Sea-nymphs ring his bell every hour:
    Chorus: Ding-dong.
Listen! I hear them now: ding-dong, bell.

FERDINAND.
The song reminds me of my drowned father.
This isn’t a normal thing, nor a sound
That the earth is responsible for:—I hear it above me now.

PROSPERO.
The fringed curtains of your eye open,
And tell me what you see over there.

MIRANDA.
What is it? A spirit?
Wow, how it looks around! Believe me, sir,
It has a strong presence. But it’s a spirit.

PROSPERO.
No, girl; it eats and sleeps and has the same senses
that we do. This handsome guy you see
was in the shipwreck; and, except for a little distress
that’s beauty’s flaw—you could call him
a fine person: he has lost his companions
and is wandering around to find them.

MIRANDA.
I could call him
Something divine; because I've never seen
Anyone so noble who's natural.

PROSPERO.
[Aside.] I can see it continues,
As my soul guides it. Spirit, noble spirit! I’ll set you free
In two days for this.

FERDINAND.
Surely, you must be the goddess
Who these breezes surround! Please grant my wish
To know if you are still on this island;
And that you will give me some advice
On how to act here: my main request,
Which I will say last, is, oh, what a surprise!
Are you a maiden or not?

MIRANDA.
No surprise there, sir;
But definitely a maid.

FERDINAND.
My language! Wow!
I'm the best among those who speak this language,
If only I were where it's spoken.

PROSPERO.
What! the best?
What would you be if the King of Naples heard you?

FERDINAND.
I’m just one person, like I am now, who is amazed
To hear you talk about Naples. He does hear me;
And the fact that he does makes me cry: I am Naples,
Who with my own eyes, never since I was at my lowest, saw
My father, the King, destroyed.

MIRANDA.
Oh no, please!

FERDINAND.
Yes, for sure, and all his lords, the Duke of Milan,
And his courageous son being two.

PROSPERO.
[Aside.] The Duke of Milan
And his even braver daughter could handle you,
If it were the right time to do it. At first glance,
They exchanged looks. Gentle Ariel,
I’ll set you free for this. [To Ferdinand.] One moment, sir.
I worry you might have done yourself a disservice: just a word.

MIRANDA.
Why is my father speaking so harshly? This
Is the third man I've ever seen; the first
That I've ever longed for. I hope my father
Will be inclined to support me!

FERDINAND.
Oh! if you're a virgin,
And your feelings haven't been given away, I'll make you
The Queen of Naples.

PROSPERO.
Hold on, sir; I just need one more word.
[Aside.] They both have power over each other. But I need to make this quick, so that an easy victory
Doesn't make the prize seem insignificant. [To Ferdinand.] One more thing. I command you
To listen to me. You’re taking a title that isn’t yours; and you’ve come
To this island as a spy, trying to take it
From me, its rightful lord.

FERDINAND.
No, I swear on my word as a man.

MIRANDA.
Nothing bad can exist in such a beautiful place:
If an evil spirit has such a lovely home,
Good things will want to stay there.

PROSPERO.
[To Ferdinand.] Come with me.—
[To Miranda.] Don’t defend him; he’s a traitor.
[To Ferdinand.] Let’s go;
I’ll cuff your neck and feet together:
You’ll drink sea water; your food will be
Freshwater mussels, dried-up roots, and shells
Where the acorn grew. Come on.

FERDINAND.
No;
I will avoid such entertainment until
My enemy is stronger.

He draws and is enchanted from moving.

MIRANDA.
Oh dear father!
Don’t rush to judge him, because
He’s kind, and not afraid.

PROSPERO.
What! I say,
My foot, my teacher? Put your sword away, traitor;
You act tough, but you’re too afraid to fight; your conscience
Is so consumed with guilt: come out from behind your shield,
Because I can easily disarm you with this stick
And make your weapon fall.

MIRANDA.
I beg you, father!

PROSPERO.
Get away from my stuff!

MIRANDA.
Sir, please have mercy;
I’ll be his guarantee.

PROSPERO.
Silence! One more word
And I’ll scold you, if not hate you. What!
You’re defending a fraud? Quiet!
You think there are no others like him,
Just because you’ve only seen him and Caliban: silly girl!
To most people, this is a Caliban,
And they are angels to him.

MIRANDA.
My feelings
Are very modest; I have no desire
To see a more attractive man.

PROSPERO.
[To Ferdinand.] Come on; do what I say:
Your nerves are brand new again,
And don't have any strength in them.

FERDINAND.
So they are:
My feelings, like in a dream, are all tied up.
My father’s loss, the weakness I feel,
The suffering of all my friends, and this man’s threats,
To whom I’m powerless, are just minor worries to me,
If I could but see this girl once a day
Through my prison: let freedom take its chances everywhere else;
I have plenty of space in such a prison.

PROSPERO.
[Aside.] It works. [To Ferdinand.] Let's go.
You did great, beautiful Ariel! [To Ferdinand.] Follow me.
[To Ariel.] Listen to what else you’ll do for me.

MIRANDA.
Don’t worry;
My father is actually a better person, sir,
Than he seems when he talks: this is unusual
Coming from him now.

PROSPERO.
You will be as free
As mountain winds; but you must follow
All my instructions exactly.

ARIEL.
To the syllable.

PROSPERO.
[To Ferdinand.] Come on, follow me. Don’t say anything on his behalf.

[They exit.]

Enter Alonso, Sebastian, Antonio, Gonzalo, Adrian, Francisco and others.

GONZALO.
I urge you, sir, be cheerful; there’s plenty of reason,
And so do we all, to be happy; our escape
Is far greater than our loss. Our hint of sadness
Is shared; every day, some sailor’s wife,
The captains of some merchants, and the merchants,
Have stories just like ours; but for the miracle,
I mean our survival, very few in millions
Can say what we can: so wisely, good sir, consider
Our grief alongside our joy.

ALONSO.
Please, be quiet.

SEBASTIAN.
He takes comfort like cold oatmeal.

ANTONIO.
The visitor won't give up on him like that.

SEBASTIAN.
Look, he’s getting ready to show off his cleverness; soon, it will make an impact.

GONZALO.
Sir,—

SEBASTIAN.
One: speak.

GONZALO.
When every sorrow is welcomed that’s brought,
It reaches the one who's hosting—

A dollar.

GONZALO.
Pain really does hit him: you’ve said something more true than you intended.

SEBASTIAN.
You've handled it more wisely than I intended.

GONZALO.
So, my lord,—

ANTONIO.
Wow, what a wasteful talker he is!

ALONSO.
I beg you, spare.

GONZALO.
Well, I've done it: but still—

SEBASTIAN.
He'll be speaking.

ANTONIO.
Which one, he or Adrian, will start to crow first for a good bet?

SEBASTIAN.
The old dude.

ANTONIO.
The rooster.

SEBASTIAN.
Finished. What's the bet?

ANTONIO.
A laugh.

SEBASTIAN.
A match!

ADRIAN.
Even though this island seems to be deserted,—

ANTONIO.
Lol!

SEBASTIAN.
So. You got paid.

ADRIAN.
Unlivable and nearly unreachable,—

SEBASTIAN.
But—

ADRIAN.
But—

ANTONIO.
He couldn't miss it.

ADRIAN.
It has to be of a subtle, gentle, and delicate nature.

ANTONIO.
Temperance was a fragile woman.

SEBASTIAN.
Yeah, and clever; just like he explained so well.

ADRIAN.
The air feels so nice here.

SEBASTIAN.
Like it had lungs, and they were rotten.

ANTONIO.
Or, as if it were scented by a swamp.

GONZALO.
Here’s everything that’s good for life.

ANTONIO.
True; saving means living.

SEBASTIAN.
There's hardly any of that, if any at all.

GONZALO.
The grass looks so lush and vibrant! It's so green!

The ground is definitely brown.

SEBASTIAN.
With a green eye in it.

ANTONIO.
He doesn't miss much.

SEBASTIAN.
No; he's completely misunderstanding the truth.

GONZALO.
But the strange thing is,—which is really hard to believe,—

SEBASTIAN.
As many rare things are.

GONZALO.
That our clothes, soaked in the sea, still keep their freshness and shine, appearing more like they were freshly dyed than stained by salt water.

ANTONIO.
If just one of his pockets could talk, wouldn’t it say he’s lying?

SEBASTIAN.
Yeah, or very dishonestly keep his report to himself.

GONZALO.
I think our clothes are just as fresh now as when we first put them on in Africa, at the wedding of the King’s beautiful daughter Claribel to the King of Tunis.

SEBASTIAN.
It was a lovely marriage, and we're doing well in our return.

ADRIAN.
Tunis has never been honored with such an ideal for their Queen before.

GONZALO.
Not since Dido's time.

ANTONIO.
Widow! What a pain! How did that widow get involved? Widow Dido!

SEBASTIAN.
What if he had said, widower Aeneas too?
Goodness, how you react!

ADRIAN.
Did Widow Dido really say that? It makes me think about it; she was from Carthage, not Tunis.

GONZALO.
This Tunis, sir, was Carthage.

ADRIAN.
Carthage?

GONZALO.
I promise you, Carthage.

ANTONIO.
His word is more powerful than the magical harp.

SEBASTIAN.
He has built the wall and houses as well.

ANTONIO.
What impossible thing will he make easy next?

SEBASTIAN.
I think he’ll take this island home in his pocket and give it to his son for an apple.

ANTONIO.
And by planting the seeds of it in the sea, create more islands.

ALONSO.
Yeah.

ANTONIO.
Why, finally.

GONZALO.
[To Alonso.] Sir, we were just saying that our clothes look as new as they did when we were in Tunis at the wedding of your daughter, who is now the Queen.

ANTONIO.
And the rarest that ever came here.

SEBASTIAN.
Please, I beg you, widow Dido.

ANTONIO.
Oh! widow Dido; yes, widow Dido.

GONZALO.
Isn't my doublet as fresh as the first day I wore it, sir? I mean, kind of.

ANTONIO.
That guy was caught easily.

GONZALO.
When I wore it at your daughter's wedding?

ALONSO.
You’re forcing these words into my ears and making me feel sick. I wish I had never married my daughter off there! Because after that, my son is lost; and I fear, in my opinion, she is too, since she’s so far from Italy, I’ll never see her again. Oh, my heir of Naples and Milan, what strange creature has devoured you?

FRANCISCO.
Sir, he might survive:
I saw him fight against the waves,
And ride them out. He walked on the water,
Ignoring its opposition, and faced
The biggest wave that approached him. He kept his bold head
Above the crashing waves and paddled
With his strong arms in a powerful stroke
Towards the shore, which leaned down as if to help him. I have no doubt
He made it to land alive.

ALONSO.
No, he’s gone.

SEBASTIAN.
Sir, you have only yourself to blame for this great loss,
For refusing to share your daughter with Europe,
Yet allowing her to be taken by an African;
At least there, she is out of your sight,
And you have every reason to mourn over it.

ALONSO.
Please, be quiet.

SEBASTIAN.
We all came to you and asked for your help; even the kind-hearted woman struggled with whether to refuse or comply with us. I’m afraid we’ve lost your son for good: Milan and Naples have more widows because of this situation than we have men to comfort them. This is your fault.

ALONSO.
So is the dearest of the loss.

GONZALO.
My lord Sebastian,
The truth you’re speaking isn’t very gentle
And you’re not taking the right time to say it. You’re rubbing the wound,
When you should be applying the healing balm.

SEBASTIAN.
Alright.

And most surgical.

GONZALO.
It's stormy weather for all of us, good sir,
When you're in a bad mood.

Bad weather?

ANTONIO.
Very bad.

GONZALO.
If I owned this island, my lord,—

Antonio.
He’d plant it with nettle seed.

SEBASTIAN.
Or docks, or marshmallows.

GONZALO.
And if the King knew about it, what would I do?

SEBASTIAN.
Let’s ditch the hangover from not having enough wine.

GONZALO.
In the community, I would do everything oppositely;
I wouldn’t allow any trade; there would be no officials;
No writing would be recognized; no wealth or poverty;
No need for work, no contracts, inheritances,
No boundaries for land, farming, or vineyards;
No use of metals, grain, wine, or oil;
No jobs; everyone would be idle, everyone;
And women too, but innocent and pure;
No rulers,—

SEBASTIAN.
Still, he would become King of it.

ANTONIO.
The end of his community forgets the beginning.

GONZALO.
Everything in nature should provide
Without effort or struggle; treason, crime,
Sword, spear, knife, gun, or any weapon,
I would reject; instead, nature should produce,
Of its own kind, all bounty, all plenty,
To nourish my innocent people.

SEBASTIAN.
No marrying among his subjects?

ANTONIO.
None, man; all useless; prostitutes and con artists.

GONZALO.
I could manage things so perfectly, sir,
That it would surpass the Golden Age.

SEBASTIAN.
Save the King!

ANTONIO.
Long live Gonzalo!

GONZALO.
And—do you hear me, sir?

ALONSO.
Please, no more: you're not making any sense to me.

GONZALO.
I truly believe you, your highness; and I did this to give these gentlemen, who are so quick-witted and lively that they always find something to laugh about, a reason to enjoy themselves.

ANTONIO.
It was you we laughed at.

GONZALO.
In this kind of silly joking, I mean nothing to you. So go ahead, and keep laughing at nothing.

ANTONIO.
What a shock that was!

SEBASTIAN.
If it hadn't fallen flat for so long.

GONZALO.
You guys are really brave. You would pull the moon out of its orbit if it could stay there for five weeks without shifting.

Enter Ariel, unseen, playing serious music.

SEBASTIAN.
We would totally do that, and then go bird hunting.

ANTONIO.
No, my lord, please don't be angry.

GONZALO.
No, I assure you; I won't risk my judgment so carelessly. Are you going to make me laugh until I fall asleep? Because I’m really tired.

ANTONIO.
Go to sleep and listen.

[Everyone is asleep except Alonso, Sebastian, and Antonio.]

ALONSO.
What, everyone’s asleep already! I wish my eyes
Could just close my thoughts: I feel
Like they’re about to do just that.

SEBASTIAN.
Please, sir,
Don't overlook the generous gift of it:
It rarely comes to sadness; when it does,
It serves as a comfort.

ANTONIO.
We both, my lord,
Will watch over you while you rest,
And ensure your safety.

ALONSO.
Thank you. Amazing weight!

[Alonso is sleeping. Exit Ariel.]

SEBASTIAN.
What a weird drowsiness has taken over them!

ANTONIO.
It's the quality of the climate.

SEBASTIAN.
Why
Don't our eyelids then feel heavy? I don't feel
Ready to sleep.

ANTONIO.
Neither do I. My spirits are light.
They all fell together, as if they agreed;
They dropped, like a lightning strike. What could,
Worthy Sebastian? Oh, what could?—No more.
And yet I feel like I see it in your face,
What you should be. The occasion reveals it; and
My strong imagination sees a crown
Falling onto your head.

SEBASTIAN.
What, are you awake?

ANTONIO.
Don't you hear me?

SEBASTIAN.
I do; and definitely
It's a dull language, and you're speaking
While you’re half asleep. What did you say?
This is a weird kind of rest, to be awake
With your eyes wide open; standing, talking, moving,
And yet so completely out of it.

ANTONIO.
Noble Sebastian,
You let your fortune rest—better to die; you are closing your eyes
While you are awake.

SEBASTIAN.
You snore loudly:
There’s significance in your snores.

ANTONIO.
I'm more serious than usual; you
Need to be too if you pay attention to me; doing so
Increases the pressure on you.

SEBASTIAN.
Well, I'm stagnant water.

ANTONIO.
I'll show you how to go with the flow.

SEBASTIAN.
Go ahead: to decline,
Inherited laziness tells me.

ANTONIO.
Oh,
If you only knew how much you value the goal
While you mock it! How, in trying to take it apart,
You actually give it more value! Men who are struggling,
Often do so close to the bottom due
To their own fear or laziness.

SEBASTIAN.
Please, go ahead:
The way your eye and cheek look clearly shows
That you have something to share, and it’s definitely
Causing you a lot of struggle to let it out.

ANTONIO.
So, sir:
Even though this lord with a short memory, this
Who will be forgotten just as easily
When he’s in the ground, has almost convinced—
For he’s a master of persuasion, only
Claims to persuade—the King that his son is alive,
It’s as impossible that he’s not drowned
As if the man sleeping here could swim.

SEBASTIAN.
I have no hope
That he's not drowned.

ANTONIO.
Oh, out of that “no hope”
What great hope do you have! No hope that way is
Another way such a high hope that even
Ambition can't see a moment beyond,
But doubts discovery there. Will you agree with me
That Ferdinand is drowned?

SEBASTIAN.
He's gone.

ANTONIO.
Then tell me,
Who’s the next heir to Naples?

SEBASTIAN.
Claribel.

ANTONIO.
She who is the Queen of Tunis; she who lives
Ten leagues beyond human reach; she who from Naples
Can only be noticed if the sun were late—
The Man in the Moon is too slow—until newborns
Have rough, shavable chins; she from whom
We all were swallowed by the sea, though some were returned,
And by that fate, to carry out a task
Where what’s happened is just the beginning, what’s next
Is up to you and me.

SEBASTIAN.
What is this? What do you mean?
It’s true, my brother’s daughter is the Queen of Tunis;
And she’s the heir to Naples; there’s some distance between those places.

ANTONIO.
This place feels like it’s shouting, “How will Claribel
Bring us back to Naples? Let’s stay in Tunis,
And let Sebastian stay asleep.” If this were death
That has taken them; they wouldn’t be worse off
Than they are now. There are people who can rule Naples
Just as well as the one who’s sleeping; lords who can talk
As much and as unnecessarily
As this Gonzalo. I could have a conversation
Just as deep. Oh, if only you had
The ambition I do! What an opportunity this would be
For your progress! Do you get what I mean?

I think I do.

ANTONIO.
So, how does your happiness
Benefit your own good fortune?

SEBASTIAN.
I remember
You took your brother Prospero's place.

ANTONIO.
That's true.
And look how well my clothes fit me now;
Much better than before; my brother's servants
Were then my equals; now they are my employees.

SEBASTIAN.
But for your peace of mind.

ANTONIO.
Yes, sir; where is that? If it were a sore,
It would urge me to put on my slipper: but I don’t feel
This power inside me: twenty guilty feelings
That stand between me and Milan, let them be sweetened
And vanish before they bother me! Here lies your brother,
No better than the ground he lies on,
If he were what he seems now, which is dead;
Whom I, with this trusty knife, just three inches long,
Can send to his eternal rest; while you, doing this,
Could put this ancient fool, this Sir Prudence, to sleep forever,
Who shouldn’t criticize our actions. As for the others,
They’ll take suggestions just like a cat laps milk.
They’ll adjust to any task we say
Is appropriate for the moment.

SEBASTIAN.
Your situation, my dear friend,
Will be my example: just as you got Milan,
I’ll gain Naples. Draw your sword: one strike
Will free you from the tribute you owe,
And I, the King, will love you.

ANTONIO.
Come together,
And when I raise my hand, you do the same,
To bring it down on Gonzalo.

SEBASTIAN.
Oh, just one word.

They talk privately.

Music. Re-enter Ariel, unseen.

ARIEL.
My master, through his skill, sees the danger
That you, his friend, are in; and sends me out—
Otherwise, his plan fails—to keep them safe.

[Sings in Gonzalo’s ear.]
While you lie here snoring,
An open-eyed conspiracy
    Is taking its chance.
If you care about your life,
Shake off sleep and be alert.
    Wake up! Wake up!

ANTONIO.
Then let’s both be spontaneous.

GONZALO.
Now, good vibes
Protect the King!

They wake up.

ALONSO.
Hey, what’s going on! Wake up! Why are you scared?
What’s with this horrible expression?

GONZALO.
What’s wrong?

SEBASTIAN.
While we were here making sure you were comfortable,
We just heard a loud roar
Like bulls, or even lions; didn’t it wake you?
It sounded really frightening to me.

ALONSO.
I didn't hear anything.

ANTONIO.
Oh! It was a noise that would scare a monster,
Like something that could cause an earthquake. It must have been the roar
Of an entire pack of lions.

Heard this, Gonzalo?

GONZALO.
Honestly, sir, I heard a buzzing,
And it was a strange one too, which woke me up.
I shook you, sir, and yelled; as I opened my eyes,
I saw their weapons drawn:—there was definitely a noise.
It’s really best we stay on alert,
Or we should leave this place: let’s draw our weapons.

ALONSO.
Let’s leave this place and keep looking
For my poor son.

GONZALO.
May heaven protect him from these monsters!
For he is definitely in the island.

ALONSO.
Take the lead.

Leave with the others.

ARIEL.
Prospero, my lord, will know what I've done:
So, King, go safely to find your son.

[Leave.]

Enter Caliban carrying a load of wood. A sound of thunder is heard.

CALIBAN.
All the infections that the sun absorbs
From swamps, marshes, and lowlands fall on Prospero, making him
A disease little by little! His spirits hear me,
And yet I have to curse. But they won't pinch,
Frighten me with tricks, throw me in the mud,
Or lead me around like a torch in the dark
Unless he commands them; but
For every little thing they're after me,
Sometimes like monkeys that mock and chatter at me,
And then bite me; then like hedgehogs that
Roll around in my path, raising
Their spikes at my footsteps; sometimes I am
All tangled up with snakes, who with forked tongues
Hiss me into madness.

Enter Trinculo.

Look, here comes a spirit of his, and to torment me for bringing in wood slowly. I’ll fall flat; maybe he won’t notice me.

TRINCULO.
There’s no bush or tree to shelter us from the weather at all, and another storm is brewing; I can hear it howling in the wind. That big black cloud over there looks like a nasty storm that’s about to dump its rain. If it thunders like it did before, I don’t know where to hide my head: that cloud is bound to pour down buckets of rain. What do we have here? A man or a fish? Dead or alive? A fish: it smells like a fish; a very old and fish-like smell; kind of like the cheapest fish you can find. What a strange fish! If I were in England now, as I once was, and had this fish painted, not a single fool on a holiday would hesitate to give a coin: this creature would make a man famous; any odd beast there gets attention. When they won’t give a penny to help a lame beggar, they'll pay ten to see a dead Indian. Legged like a man, and his fins like arms! Warm, I swear! I’ll share my thoughts, can’t keep it in any longer: this is no fish, but an islander who’s recently been struck by lightning. [Thunder.] Oh no, the storm is back! My best bet is to crawl under his coat; there's no other shelter around here: hardship brings a man to some odd companions. I’ll hide here until the worst of the storm passes.

Enter Stephano singing, with a bottle in his hand.

STEPHANO.
I won't be going to sea anymore,
I'll die right here on land—

This is a really terrible song to sing at someone's funeral.
Well, here's what comforts me.

Drinks.

The captain, the deckhand, the bosun, and I,
    The gunner and his assistant,
All loved Mall, Meg, Marian, and Margery,
    But none of us cared for Kate:
    Because she had a sharp tongue,
    She’d tell a sailor “Go hang!”
She didn’t like the smell of tar or pitch,
Yet a tailor could scratch her wherever she itched.
    So let’s head to sea, boys, and let her go hang.

This is a terrible song too: but here’s what makes me feel better.

Beverages.

CALIBAN.
Don't torture me: O!

STEPHANO.
What’s going on? Are there demons here? Are you playing tricks on us with savages and men from India? Huh? I didn’t escape drowning only to be scared now of your four legs; because it’s been said, as proper a man as ever walked on four legs can't make him back down; and it will be said again as long as Stephano breathes.

CALIBAN.
The spirit haunts me: O!

STEPHANO.
This is some monster from the island with four legs, who I think has a fever. Where on earth could he have learned our language? I’ll help him out, even if it’s just for that reason. If I can nurse him back to health and keep him under control, and make it to Naples with him, he’d be a gift for any emperor who has ever walked on leather.

CALIBAN.
Please don't torment me; I'll bring my wood home faster.

STEPHANO.
He's having one of his episodes right now and isn't making any sense. He’ll have a sip of my drink: if he’s never had wine before, it might help calm him down. If I can get him back to normal and keep him under control, I won’t ask too much for him. He’ll have to pay a good price for whoever owns him.

CALIBAN.
You only hurt me a little right now; soon,
I can tell by your shaking: now Prosper is getting to you.

STEPHANO.
Come on, let’s go. Open your mouth; here’s something that will make you talk, cat. Open up. This will stop your shaking, trust me. [gives Caliban a drink] You can't tell who your friend is: open your jaws again.

TRINCULO.
I recognize that voice: it should be—but he’s drowned; and these are demons. Oh, help me!

STEPHANO.
Four legs and two voices; what a strange creature! His front voice is all about praising his friend; his back voice is just full of insults and negativity. If all the wine in my bottle can help him, I’ll do what it takes to cure his ailment. Come on. Amen! I’ll pour some in your other mouth.

Stephano!

STEPHANO.
Does your other mouth call me? Mercy! Mercy!
This is a devil, not a monster: I will leave him; I
don't have a long spoon.

TRINCULO.
Stephano! If you are Stephano, touch me and talk to me; for I am Trinculo—don't be afraid—your good friend Trinculo.

STEPHANO.
If you’re Trinculo, step forward. I’ll grab you by the shorter legs: if there are any legs that belong to Trinculo, these are them. You are definitely Trinculo! How did you end up being the target of this moon-calf? Can he throw Trinculos?

TRINCULO.
I thought he was killed by a lightning strike. But are you not drowned, Stephano? I hope you're not drowned. Is the storm over? I hid under the dead moon-calf's coat to avoid the storm. Are you alive, Stephano? Oh Stephano, two Neapolitans escaped!

STEPHANO.
Please, don’t spin me around. My stomach isn't stable.

CALIBAN.
[Aside.] These are impressive things, unless they are just spirits.
That’s a mighty god, and offers heavenly drink.
I will bow to him.

STEPHANO.
How did you get here? How did you make it to this place? Swear by this bottle how you got here—I escaped on a barrel of wine that the sailors tossed overboard, by this bottle! I made it from tree bark with my own hands since I was stranded on the shore.

CALIBAN.
I swear on this bottle to be your loyal subject, because the drink is not from this world.

STEPHANO.
Here. Tell me how you got away.

TRINCULO.
I swam to shore like a duck: I can swim just like a duck, I swear.

STEPHANO.
Here, kiss the book. Even though you can swim like a duck, you’re built like a goose.

TRINCULO.
O Stephano, do you have any more of this?

STEPHANO.
The whole deal, man: my cellar is in a rock by the seaside, where I keep my wine hidden. What's up, moon-calf! How's your fever?

CALIBAN.
Did you not fall from heaven?

STEPHANO.
I'm telling you, I used to be the Man in the Moon, back in the day.

CALIBAN.
I've seen you in her, and I adore you. My mistress showed me you, your dog, and your bush.

STEPHANO.
Come on, swear to that. Kiss the book. I’ll add new content to it soon. Swear.

TRINCULO.
By this good light, this is a really shallow monster. Am I afraid of him? A very weak monster. The Man in the Moon! A totally gullible monster! Well done, monster, truly!

CALIBAN.
I’ll show you every fruitful spot on the island; and I will kiss your foot. Please, be my god.

TRINCULO.
By this light, a truly treacherous and drunken monster. When the god is asleep, he'll steal his bottle.

CALIBAN.
I’ll kiss your foot. I’ll swear to be your subject.

STEPHANO.
Alright, let's do this; come down and take an oath.

TRINCULO.
I'm going to laugh myself to death at this silly-headed monster. What a truly nasty monster! I could honestly find it in my heart to beat him,—

STEPHANO.
Come, give me a kiss.

TRINCULO.
But the poor monster is drunk. What a horrible monster!

CALIBAN.
I’ll show you the best springs; I’ll pick you berries;
I’ll fish for you and gather plenty of wood.
A curse on the tyrant I serve!
I won’t carry him any more sticks, but will follow you,
You amazing man.

TRINCULO.
What a ridiculous monster, turning a poor drunkard into a spectacle!

CALIBAN.
Please, let me take you where crabs grow;
And I’ll use my long nails to dig up pig-nuts for you;
I’ll show you a jay’s nest and teach you how
To catch the quick marmoset; I’ll bring you
To the bunches of hazelnuts, and sometimes I’ll get you
Young scamels from the rocks. Will you come with me?

STEPHANO.
I beg you now, just show us the way without chatting any more. Trinculo, with the King and everyone else drowned, we'll take over here. Here, hold my bottle. Trinculo, we'll fill it up again soon.

CALIBAN.
[Sings drunkenly.] Goodbye, master; goodbye, goodbye!

TRINCULO.
A raging monster, a out-of-control monster.

CALIBAN.
I won't build any more dams for fish;
Or gather firewood
When asked,
Or scrape plates, or wash dishes;
’Ban ’Ban, Cacaliban,
Has a new master—Get a new guy.
Freedom, celebration! celebration, freedom! freedom,
celebration, freedom!

STEPHANO.
Oh, brave monster! Lead the way.

[Exit.]

Enter Ferdinand carrying a log.

FERDINAND.
Some activities can be painful, yet the joy they bring makes the effort worthwhile. Some types of hardship can be nobly endured, and even the humblest tasks can lead to great outcomes. This task of mine would feel as burdensome as it is annoying, but the lady I serve brings life to what feels dead, turning my hard work into pleasure: Oh, she is a hundred times kinder than her father's gruffness, and he is made up of harshness. I have to move thousands of these logs and stack them up because I have no choice: my sweet mistress cries when she sees me working and says that no one should have to do such degrading work. I lose track of time: but these lovely thoughts actually lift my spirits while I work, making me least aware of my efforts.

Enter Miranda and Prospero from behind.

MIRANDA.
Oh no, please,
Don’t work so hard: I wish the lightning had
Burned up those logs you have to stack!
Please, put it down and take a break. When this burns,
It’ll be sorry for tiring you out. My father
Is focused on his studies; please, take a break now:
He’ll be busy for the next three hours.

FERDINAND.
Oh, my dearest mistress,
The sun will set before I can fulfill
What I must work hard to accomplish.

MIRANDA.
If you’d take a seat,
I’ll carry your firewood for now. Please give me that;
I’ll take it to the pile.

FERDINAND.
No, amazing person;
I’d rather strain my muscles, break my back,
Than let you suffer such disgrace,
While I just sit around.

MIRANDA.
It would suit me
As well as it suits you: and I would do it
Much more easily; because I want to do it,
While you are against it.

PROSPERO.
[Aside.] Poor worm! You're infected.
This visit proves it.

MIRANDA.
You look tired.

FERDINAND.
No, dear lady; it’s a new morning for me
When you are here at night. I really want to—
Especially to include it in my prayers—
What is your name?

MIRANDA.
Miranda—Oh my father!
I have broken your command to say this.

FERDINAND.
Admired Miranda!
You truly are the pinnacle of admiration; worth
What’s most precious in the world! I've looked at many ladies
With great appreciation, and many times
The sweet sound of their voices has captivated
My eager ears: I've liked different women for different qualities;
never have I met one
Who was so flawless that there wasn't some flaw in her
That clashed with the highest grace she possessed,
And made it seem less: but you, oh you,
So perfect and so unmatched, are made
Of the very best that every creature has.

MIRANDA.
I don’t know
Any other women; I can only remember
My own face in the mirror; I haven’t seen
More men than you, my good friend,
And my dear father: I don’t know how people look
Outside of this place; but, by my modesty,
The treasure I bring, I wouldn’t want
A single companion in the world but you;
And I can’t even picture anyone
Else I would like as much. But I’m talking
Too freely, and I’m forgetting my father’s advice.

FERDINAND.
In my situation,
I am a prince, Miranda; I really think I’m a king;
I wouldn’t want that!—and I wouldn’t tolerate
This wooden confinement any more than I would
The buzzing of a fly in my mouth. Listen to my heart:
The moment I saw you, my
Heart flew to serve you; that’s where I’ve ended up,
To make me a slave to it; and for your sake
I'm this patient log-man.

MIRANDA.
Do you love me?

FERDINAND.
Oh heaven, oh earth, witness this declaration,
And make my words come true with a good outcome,
If I'm speaking honestly; if not, turn
What’s meant to bless me into something harmful! I,
More than anything else in the world,
Do love, cherish, and honor you.

MIRANDA.
I'm such a fool
To cry over what makes me happy.

PROSPERO.
[Aside.] What a beautiful meeting
Of two extraordinary feelings! May heaven shower grace
On what develops between them!

FERDINAND.
Why are you crying?

MIRANDA.
I feel unworthy to offer what I want to give, and even less capable of taking what I'll die for wanting. But this is pointless; the more it tries to hide, the more obvious it becomes. So, enough with the shy tricks! Just encourage me, plain and innocent as I am! I’ll be your wife if you’ll marry me; if not, I’ll remain your maid. You can refuse to have me as your partner, but I’ll be your servant, whether you want me to be or not.

FERDINAND.
My love, dearest;
And I remain forever humble.

MIRANDA.
My husband now?

FERDINAND.
Yes, with a heart as eager
As captivity ever is for freedom: here’s my hand.

MIRANDA.
And mine, with my heart in it: and now goodbye
Until half an hour from now.

A million!

[Ferdinand and Miranda exit.]

PROSPERO.
I'm not as happy about this as they are,
Who are caught off guard; but my happiness
Can't be any greater. I’ll get back to my book;
Because before dinner time, I still have
A lot to take care of.

[Log out.]

Enter Caliban with a bottle, Stephano and Trinculo.

STEPHANO.
Don't say that to me: when the barrel's empty, we'll drink water; not a drop before that: so hold on, and let's go after them. Servant-monster, drink to me.

TRINCULO.
Servant-monster! The madness of this island! They say there are only five people on this isle; we are three of them; if the other two are as foolish as we are, the whole place is in trouble.

STEPHANO.
Drink, you servant-monster, when I tell you to: your eyes are almost falling out of your head.

TRINCULO.
Where else should they be placed? He would be a truly brave monster if they were attached to his tail.

STEPHANO.
My man-monster has soaked his tongue in wine: as for me, the sea can't drown me; I swam, before I got to shore, thirty-five leagues, back and forth, for real. You will be my lieutenant, monster, or my standard.

TRINCULO.
Your second-in-command, if you want; he’s no ordinary one.

STEPHANO.
We won't run, Mr. Monster.

TRINCULO.
Don't leave either. But you'll just sit there like lazy dogs and not say anything either.

STEPHANO.
Moon-calf, speak just once in your life, if you are a good moon-calf.

CALIBAN.
How are you, sir? Let me kiss your shoe. I won't serve him; he's not brave.

TRINCULO.
You're lying, you most ignorant monster: I'm ready to take on a police officer. Come on, you drunken fish, has any coward ever drunk as much wine as I have today? Are you going to tell a gigantic lie, being only half fish and half monster?

CALIBAN.
Look at how he mocks me! Will you let him do that, my lord?

TRINCULO.
“Lord,” he said! Who would’ve thought a monster could be so human!

CALIBAN.
Look, look again! Please bite him to death.

STEPHANO.
Trinculo, think before you speak: if you cause trouble, it’ll be the end for you! The poor creature is under my protection, and I won’t let him be treated badly.

CALIBAN.
I thank you, my noble lord. Will you please listen once more to the request I made to you?

STEPHANO.
Sure. I will. Kneel and say it again. I will stand, and so will Trinculo.

Enter Ariel, unseen.

CALIBAN.
As I mentioned before, I'm under the control of a tyrant, a sorcerer, who has outsmarted me and taken the island from me.

ARIEL.
You're lying.

CALIBAN.
You're lying, you joking monkey;
I wish my brave master would get rid of you;
I'm not lying.

STEPHANO.
Trinculo, if you annoy him any more with his story, I swear, I'll knock some of your teeth out.

TRINCULO.
I didn't say anything.

STEPHANO.
Alright, Mum, that's enough. Go ahead.

CALIBAN.
I say, he got this island through magic;
He took it from me. If you’re willing,
Get back at him—for I know you would;
But this thing doesn't dare,—

STEPHANO.
That's definitely true.

CALIBAN.
You will be in charge of it, and I'll serve you.

STEPHANO.
How are we going to make this happen? Can you take me to the person?

CALIBAN.
Yeah, yeah, my lord: I’ll bring him to you while he’s asleep,
Where you can drive a nail into his head.

ARIEL.
You're lying. You can't.

CALIBAN.
What a foolish idiot this is! You worthless coward!
I ask you, please give him a beating,
And take his bottle away from him: once that’s gone
He'll drink nothing but saltwater; because I won’t show him
Where the fresh waters are.

STEPHANO.
Trinculo, don’t get yourself into more trouble: if you say one more word to that monster, I swear I’ll lose my compassion and turn you into a fish stick.

TRINCULO.
Why, what did I do? I did nothing. I'm going to move even further away.

STEPHANO.
Didn't you say he was lying?

ARIEL.
You're lying.

STEPHANO.
Do I? Here, take this.

[Hits Trinculo.]

As you enjoy this, tell me another lie.

TRINCULO.
I didn't lie. Are you out of your mind and deaf too? Curse your bottle! This is what drinking and cheap wine does. A plague on your monster, and may the devil take your fingers!

CALIBAN.
Haha!

STEPHANO.
Now, go ahead with your story.—Please stand a bit further away.

CALIBAN.
Hit him enough times: after a while,
I’ll hit him too.

STEPHANO.
Stand back.—Come on, go ahead.

CALIBAN.
As I told you, it’s his habit to sleep in the afternoon. You can sneak up on him there, grabbing his books first; or hit him with a log, or bash his head in, or stab him with a stake, or cut his throat with your knife. Just remember to take his books first because without them, he’s just a fool like me and has no power. Everyone hates him as much as I do. Just burn his books. He has some fancy tools—he calls them that—which he’ll use to decorate his house when he gets one. And the thing to think about the most is the beauty of his daughter; he calls her one of a kind. I’ve only seen one other woman, Sycorax, my mother, and her; but the daughter is way more beautiful than Sycorax, like the greatest being greater than the least.

STEPHANO.
Is she really such a brave girl?

CALIBAN.
Yeah, my lord, she will be your bed, I guarantee,
And give you strong offspring.

STEPHANO.
Monster, I’m going to kill this guy. His daughter and I will be king and queen—if we play our cards right!—and Trinculo and you will be our viceroys. How do you like the plan, Trinculo?

Awesome.

STEPHANO.
Give me your hand: I’m sorry I hit you; but as long as you’re alive, keep a good attitude.

CALIBAN.
He'll be asleep in half an hour.
Are you going to kill him then?

STEPHANO.
Yeah, on my honor.

ARIEL.
I’ll tell my boss this.

CALIBAN.
You make me happy. I'm filled with joy.
Let's be cheerful: will you sing the song
You taught me just a little while ago?

STEPHANO.
At your request, monster, I'll do what makes sense, anything that makes sense. Come on, Trinculo, let’s sing.

Singing.

Ignore them and count them,
and look out for them and ignore them:
    Thought is free.

CALIBAN.
That's not the song.

[Ariel plays the song on a drum and flute.]

What is this about?

TRINCULO.
This is the song of our catch, played by the image of Nobody.

STEPHANO.
If you're a man, show yourself as you are: if you're a devil, take it however you like.

Trinculo.
Oh, forgive me my sins!

STEPHANO.
Whoever dies settles all debts: I challenge you. God have mercy on us!

CALIBAN.
Are you afraid?

STEPHANO.
No, monster, not me.

CALIBAN.
Don’t be afraid. The island is full of sounds,
Music, and sweet breezes that bring joy and don’t harm.
Sometimes, a thousand twinkling instruments
Will buzz around my ears; and sometimes voices,
That, if I wake up after a long sleep,
Will make me fall asleep again: and then, while dreaming,
I think the clouds would open and reveal treasures
Ready to shower down on me; and when I wake up,
I wish to dream again.

STEPHANO.
This is going to be an awesome kingdom for me, where I’ll get my music for free.

CALIBAN.
When Prospero is defeated.

STEPHANO.
That will happen soon: I remember the story.

TRINCULO.
The sound is fading. Let’s track it down, and then we’ll get to work.

STEPHANO.
Alright, monster: we’ll follow. I wish I could see this drummer! He really knows how to play. Are you coming?

I'll follow, Stephano.

[Leave the stage.]

Enter Alonso, Sebastian, Antonio, Gonzalo, Adrian, Francisco, &c.

GONZALO.
Honestly, I can’t go any further, sir;
My old bones ache: this place is definitely a maze,
With straight paths and twists! If you'll pardon me,
I really must take a break.

ALONSO.
Old man, I can't hold it against you,
Since I'm also weighed down by fatigue
That dulls my spirits: sit down and take a break.
Right here, I will let go of my hope and stop
Holding it on for my deceiver: he is lost
Whom we wander to find; and the sea mocks
Our failed search on land. Well, let him go.

ANTONIO.
[Aside to Sebastian.] I'm really glad he's
so hopeless.
Don't give up on your goal
just because of one setback.

SEBASTIAN.
[Aside to Antonio.] We'll fully take the next opportunity.

ANTONIO.
[Aside to Sebastian.] Let's do it tonight;
Because they're tired from traveling, they
Won't, or can't, be as alert
As when they're rested.

SEBASTIAN.
[Aside to Antonio.] I’m done for tonight.

Solemn and strange music: and Prospero above, unseen. Several unusual figures enter, carrying a feast: they dance around it with gentle gestures of greeting; and inviting the King &c. to eat, they leave.

ALONSO.
What harmony is this? My good friends, listen!

GONZALO.
Amazing sweet music!

ALONSO.
Give us good guardians, heavens! What were these?

SEBASTIAN.
A living joke. Now I will believe
That unicorns exist; that in Arabia
There is one tree, the phoenix’s throne; one phoenix
At this moment reigning there.

ANTONIO.
I’ll believe both;
And if anything else needs proof, come to me,
And I’ll swear it’s true: travelers never lie,
Even if fools at home criticize them.

GONZALO.
If I reported this in Naples now, would anyone believe me?
If I said I saw people from that island,—
Because, of course, they are islanders,—
Who, even though they look strange, just notice,
Their behavior is kinder and more gentle than
You’ll find among many, even almost all, of
Our human race.

PROSPERO.
[Aside.] Honest lord,
You’ve spoken truthfully; for some of those here
Are worse than devils.

ALONSO.
I can't help but be amazed
By such forms, such gestures, and such sounds, expressing—
Even though they lack spoken words—a kind
Of excellent silent communication.

PROSPERO.
[Aside.] Farewell praise.

FRANCISCO.
They disappeared mysteriously.

SEBASTIAN.
It doesn't matter, since
They've left their food behind; we are hungry.—
Would you like to try some of what’s here?

Not me.

GONZALO.
Honestly, sir, you don’t have to worry. When we were kids,
Who would have thought there were mountain people
With saggy skin like bulls, carrying around
Bags made of flesh? Or that there were men
Whose heads were on their chests? Which now we see
Each person betting five to one will give us
Good proof of.

ALONSO.
I'll stick with it and keep going,
Even though it's my last, it doesn't matter, because I sense
The best is behind us. Brother, my lord the duke,
Hang in there and do what we do.

Thunder and lightning. Enter Ariel like a Harpy; flaps his wings on the table; and, with a clever trick, the feast disappears.

ARIEL.
You are three men of wrongdoing, whom Destiny,
That has the power over this world
And everything in it—the insatiable sea
Has brought up here; and on this island
Where no one else lives, you among men
Are the least fit to survive. I have driven you mad;
And with similar courage, men hang and drown
Themselves.

Seeing Alonso, Sebastian, etc., draw their swords.

You fools! My companions and I
Are servants of Fate: the elements
That shape your swords could just as easily
Hurt the raging winds, or with pointless strikes
Injure the calm waters, as take away
One feather from my plume. My fellow servants
Are invulnerable. If you could actually hurt us,
Your swords are too heavy for your strength,
And won’t be lifted. But, remember—
It's my job to tell you—that you three
From Milan betrayed good Prospero;
Left him and his innocent child at sea, which has taken its toll,
And for that wicked act,
The forces, though delayed, have not forgotten, and have
Roused the seas and shores, indeed, all creatures,
Against your peace. They’ve taken away your son, Alonso,
And through me pronounce lingering doom—
Worse than any single death
That could happen all at once—will follow
You step by step; the anger meant to protect you from—
Which here, in this most desolate island, will otherwise
Fall upon your heads—is nothing but heartache,
And a clear life to come.

[He disappears with a bang: then, to gentle music, the Shapes come back in, dancing, making faces, and clearing the table.]

PROSPERO.
[Aside.] You did a great job playing the role of this Harpy, my Ariel; it had a certain grace, even while it was devouring. You didn’t leave out anything from what I instructed you to say: so, with good energy and some unusual observations, my lesser servants have each done their parts. My powerful magic is working, and my enemies are all tied up in their own confusion; they are now under my control; and while they’re in this state, I’ll go visit young Ferdinand—whom they think is drowned—and my beloved child.

[Exit above.]

GONZALO.
In the name of something holy, sir, why are you just standing there staring like that?

ALONSO.
Oh, it’s horrific! Horrific!
I felt like the waves were speaking to me about it;
The winds were singing it to me; and the thunder,
That deep and terrifying sound, declared
The name of Prospero: it emphasized my wrongdoing.
That’s why my son is stuck in the mud; and
I’ll search for him deeper than anyone has ever gone,
And lie there in the mud with him.

[Leave.]

SEBASTIAN.
But I’ll take on one enemy at a time,
I’ll battle their forces again.

ANTONIO.
I’ll be your second.

[Exit Sebastian and Antonio.]

GONZALO.
All three of them are in a bad place: their heavy guilt,
Like poison that takes time to kick in,
Is starting to eat away at their minds. I urge you
Who are more flexible, to follow them quickly
And stop them from whatever this intense emotion
Might drive them to do.

ADRIAN.
Please follow me.

[Leave the stage.]

Enter Prospero, Ferdinand and Miranda.

PROSPERO.
If I’ve punished you too harshly,
Your reward makes it right: I’ve
Given you a third of my life,
Or the reason I live; once again
I offer it to you: all your troubles
Were just tests of your love, and you’ve
Surprisingly passed them: here, before Heaven,
I confirm this precious gift. O Ferdinand,
Don’t smile at me for bragging about her,
Because you’ll see she will surpass all praise,
And leave it in the dust.

FERDINAND.
I really believe it
Against an oracle.

PROSPERO.
So, as my gift and your own gain
Rightfully earned, take my daughter: but
If you break her virgin bond before
All the sacred ceremonies can
Be fully and properly performed,
No blessing from above will fall
To make this agreement flourish; instead, only bitterness,
Scorn, and conflict will fill
The union of your marriage with such ugly things
That you’ll both come to loathe it: so be careful,
As Hymen’s lights guide you.

FERDINAND.
As I hope
For peaceful days, good outcomes, and a long life,
With a love like what we have now, the darkest place,
The best timing, the strongest temptation
That our worse instincts can conjure, will never weaken
My honor into desire, to ruin
The significance of that day’s celebration,
When I will think, whether the sun's horses have stumbled,
Or if Night is kept trapped below.

PROSPERO.
You spoke well:
Sit down and talk with her; she’s yours.
What’s up, Ariel! My hardworking servant, Ariel!

Enter Ariel.

ARIEL.
What do you want, my powerful master? Here I am.

PROSPERO.
You and your lesser companions did a great job last time, and I need you to do something similar again. Go gather the crowd, over whom I give you authority, and bring them here. Get them moving quickly; I need to show this young couple a bit of my talent: it’s my promise, and they’re looking forward to it.

ARIEL.
Right now?

PROSPERO.
Yeah, with a twink.

ARIEL.
Before you can say “Come” and “Go,”
And take a couple of breaths, then sigh “so, so,”
Each one, stepping on his toes,
Will be here with mop and scythe.
Do you love me, master? No?

PROSPERO.
My dear, gentle Ariel. Don’t come near
Until you hear me call you.

ARIEL.
I understand.

[Leave.]

PROSPERO.
Be really true; don’t let yourself be too easily swayed.
The strongest promises are worthless
When passion takes over: be more restrained,
Or else your vow means nothing!

FERDINAND.
I assure you, sir;
The pure, cold snow on my heart
Lessens the passion in my soul.

PROSPERO.
Alright.
Now come, my Ariel! bring a follow-up,
Rather than lacking a spirit: show yourself, and be charming.
No talking! all eyes! be quiet.

[Chill music.]

A Masque. Enter Iris.

IRIS.
Ceres, most generous lady, your abundant fields
Of wheat, rye, barley, vetches, oats, and peas;
Your grassy mountains, where nibbling sheep live,
And flat meadows covered with hay to keep them;
Your banks lined with flowers and delicate edges,
Which rainy April trims at your command,
To make cold nymphs their pure crowns; and your broom groves,
Whose shade the lonely bachelor loves,
Being heartbroken; your well-tended vineyard;
And your seashore, dry and rocky-hard,
Where you yourself come to relax: the Queen of the sky,
Whose watery arch and messenger I am,
Commands you to leave these, and with her royal grace,
Here on this grassy spot, in this very place,
To come and have fun; her peacocks fly fast:
Come closer, rich Ceres, to entertain her.

Enter Ceres.

CERES.
Hail, colorful messenger, who never
Disobeys Jupiter's wife;
With your saffron wings on my flowers
You spread honey drops, refreshing showers;
And with each end of your blue bow you crown
My green fields and my bare land,
A rich scarf for my proud earth; why has your queen
Called me here to this short-grassed green?

IRIS.
A contract of true love to celebrate,
And some donation freely to the estate
For the blessed lovers.

CERES.
Tell me, heavenly bow,
If Venus or her son, as you know,
Are currently with the queen? Since they planned
The way that dark Dis took my daughter away,
I have sworn off her and her blind boy’s scandalous company.

IRIS.
About her society
Don't be afraid. I met her goddess
Flying through the clouds toward Paphos, and her son
Carried by doves with her. They thought they would have cast
Some mischievous spell on this man and woman,
Whose promise is that no romantic rights will be claimed
Until Hymen's torch is lit; but it’s all for nothing.
Mars’s hot follower has returned again;
Her mischievous-headed son has broken his arrows,
Swears he will shoot no more, but play with sparrows,
And just be a boy for once.

CERES.
The highest queen of the realm,
Great Juno is approaching; I recognize her by the way she walks.

Enter Juno.

JUNO.
How is my generous sister? Come with me
To bless this couple, so they may thrive,
And be honored in their offspring.

They sing.

JUNO.
Honor, wealth, a happy marriage,
Longevity and growth,
May you experience daily joys!
Juno sings her blessings over you.

CERES.
May the Earth flourish and bring you abundance,
With barns and storage always full;
Vines laden with bunches growing;
Plants bending under their bountiful weight;
May Spring greet you at the latest
In the final days of harvest!
May scarcity and want stay far away from you;
Ceres' blessing is upon you.

FERDINAND.
This is such a majestic sight, and
It’s beautifully harmonious. Am I bold
To think these are spirits?

PROSPERO.
Spirits, which through my skill
I've summoned from their boundaries to carry out
My current wishes.

FERDINAND.
I want to stay here forever.
A father as amazing and wise as him
Turns this place into Paradise.

[Juno and Ceres whisper, and send Iris to work.]

PROSPERO.
Now, be quiet!
Juno and Ceres are seriously whispering,
There’s more to do: quiet down and stay silent,
Or our spell will be ruined.

IRIS.
You nymphs, called Naiads, of the winding brooks,
With your sedge crowns and always gentle looks,
Leave your clear streams, and come to this green land
Answer your call; Juno has commanded.
Come, gentle nymphs, and help to celebrate
A bond of true love. Don’t be late.

Enter certain Nymphs.

You sunburned harvesters, tired from August,
Come here from the fields, and let's celebrate:
Take a break: put on your straw hats,
And meet these fresh young women
With your country dances.

Enter certain Reapers, dressed appropriately: they join with the Nymphs in a graceful dance; towards the end of which Prospero suddenly starts and speaks; after that, to a strange, hollow, and chaotic noise, they disappear abruptly.

PROSPERO.
[Aside.] I had forgotten that wicked scheme
by that monster Caliban and his buddies
against my life: the moment of their plan
is almost here. [To the Spirits.] Good job! stay away; no
more!

FERDINAND.
This is odd: your father's really upset
About something.

MIRANDA.
I’ve never seen him this angry before.

PROSPERO.
You seem upset, my son,
As if you’re worried: cheer up, sir:
Our celebrations are over now. These actors,
As I told you before, were all spirits and
Have vanished into thin air:
And, like the empty structure of this vision,
The cloud-covered towers, the beautiful palaces,
The solemn temples, the great world itself,
Yes, everything it holds will fade away,
And, like this insubstantial show that has vanished,
Leave nothing behind. We are made of the same stuff
As dreams, and our short lives
End with a sleep. Sir, I am troubled:
Please bear with my weakness; my old mind is confused.
Don’t be disturbed by my frailty.
If you’d like, come into my room
And rest there: I’ll take a turn or two
To calm my restless mind.

Ferdinand, Miranda.
We wish you peace.

[Exit.]

PROSPERO.
Come, with an idea. Thanks, Ariel. Come!

Enter Ariel.

ARIEL.
I’m focused on your thoughts. What do you want?

PROSPERO.
Spirit,
We need to get ready to meet with Caliban.

ARIEL.
Yes, my commander. When I talked about Ceres,
I meant to tell you about it; but I was worried
That I might upset you.

PROSPERO.
Tell me again, where did you leave these guys?

ARIEL.
I told you, sir, they were really drunk;
So full of courage that they swatted the air
As if it were breathing in their faces; stomped the ground
As if it were kissing their feet; yet always focused
On their plan. Then I started playing my drum;
At which, like untrained colts, they perked up their ears,
Raised their eyebrows, lifted their noses
As they caught the sound of music: so I enchanted their ears,
That like calves, they followed me through
Thorny bushes, sharp gorse, prickly grass, and thorns,
Which pierced their delicate shins: finally, I left them
In the filthy pool beyond your room,
There dancing up to their chins, so that the disgusting lake
Soaked their feet.

PROSPERO.
That was well done, my dear.
You still keep your invisible form:
Go get the junk in my house and bring it here
To help catch these thieves.

ARIEL.
I'm leaving, I'm leaving.

[Leave.]

PROSPERO.
A devil, a natural-born devil, whose nature
Nurture can never change; all my efforts,
Humanely made, are all, all wasted, completely wasted;
And as he ages, his body becomes uglier,
So does his mind rot. I will torment them all,
Even to the point of screaming.

Re-enter Ariel, wearing shining clothes, etc.

Come, hang them on this line.

Prospero and Ariel stay invisible. Enter Caliban, Stephano and Trinculo completely soaked.

CALIBAN.
Please, walk quietly so the blind mole doesn't
Hear a footstep: we are close to his cell now.

STEPHANO.
Monster, your fairy, which you claim is a harmless fairy, has done little more than mess with us.

TRINCULO.
Dude, I can totally smell all the horse pee; my nose is really offended.

STEPHANO.
So is mine. Do you hear me, monster? If I ever get upset with you, just look—

TRINCULO.
You were just a lost monster.

CALIBAN.
Please, my lord, keep your favor with me.
Be patient, because the reward I'll bring you
Will make you forget this misfortune: so speak quietly.
Everything's as quiet as midnight right now.

TRINCULO.
Yeah, but losing our bottles in the pool!

STEPHANO.
There's not just disgrace and dishonor in that, monster, but an immense loss.

TRINCULO.
That means more to me than getting soaked: yet this is your harmless fairy, monster.

STEPHANO.
I'll grab my bottle, even if I'm working way too hard for it.

CALIBAN.
Please, my King, be quiet. Do you see here,
This is the entrance to the cell: no noise, and come in.
Do that good mischief that could make this island
Yours forever, and I, your Caliban,
Will always be your foot-licker.

STEPHANO.
Give me your hand. I'm starting to have violent thoughts.

TRINCULO.
Oh King Stephano! Oh friend! Oh worthy Stephano!
Look at this amazing wardrobe here for you!

CALIBAN.
Leave it alone, you idiot; it's just junk.

TRINCULO.
Oh, hey, monster! We know what suits a show-off. Oh, King Stephano!

STEPHANO.
Take off that gown, Trinculo; I swear, I want that gown.

Trinculo.
Your Grace will have it.

CALIBAN.
May this fool drown in his own swell! What do you mean
To be so obsessed with such baggage? Just leave it,
And commit the murder first. If he wakes up,
From head to toe he’ll pinch us until we can’t stand it,
Turn us into something strange.

STEPHANO.
Be quiet, monster. Mistress line, isn't this my jacket? Now the jacket is under the line: now, jacket, you're about to lose your hair and become a bald jacket.

TRINCULO.
Come on, we’re stealing in a straight line, just like you, Your Grace.

STEPHANO.
I appreciate that joke. Here's a reward for it: wit won’t go unrecognized while I’m King of this land. “Steal by line and level” is a clever saying. Here’s another reward for that.

TRINCULO.
Monster, come on, get some lime on your fingers, and get rid of the rest.

CALIBAN.
I don’t want any of that. We’ll just waste our time,
And end up turned into barnacles or apes
With really low foreheads.

STEPHANO.
Monster, stop fiddling with your hands: help me take this to where my barrel of wine is, or I’ll kick you out of my kingdom. Come on, carry this.

TRINCULO.
And this.

STEPHANO.
Yeah, and this.

A sound of hunters can be heard. Various spirits, taking the form of dogs and hounds, enter and chase them around; Prospero and Ariel directing them.

PROSPERO.
Hey, Mountain, hey!

ARIEL.
Silver! There it goes, Silver!

PROSPERO.
Anger, anger! There, Tyrant, there! Listen, listen!

Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo leave.

Go, urge my goblins to grind their joints
With dry spasms; tighten their sinews
With old cramps, and make them more spotted
Than a leopard or a mountain cat.

ARIEL.
Listen, they roar.

PROSPERO.
Let them be chased thoroughly. Right now
All my enemies are at my mercy.
Soon all my work will be finished, and you
Will be free to breathe. Just a little
Longer, and help me out.

[Exit.]

Enter Prospero in his magical robes, and Ariel.

PROSPERO.
Now my plan is coming together:
My magic works; my spirits comply, and time
Moves along smoothly. How’s the day?

ARIEL.
At six o'clock, my lord,
You said we should stop working.

PROSPERO.
I did say that,
When I first caused the storm. Tell me, my spirit,
How is the King and his followers doing?

ARIEL.
They’re all stuck here
Just like you told me to do,
Exactly as you left them; all trapped, sir,
In the shady grove that protects your cell;
They can't move until you set them free. The King,
His brother, and yours are all in a state of confusion,
And the rest are mourning for them,
Full of grief and despair; but especially
Him you called, sir, “the good old lord, Gonzalo”.
His tears are falling down his beard, like winter drops
From the edges of reeds; your magic works on them so well,
That if you saw them now, your heart
Would soften.

PROSPERO.
Do you think so, spirit?

ARIEL.
It would, sir, if I were human.

PROSPERO.
And mine will.
Do you, who are just air, have any sense or feeling
Of their suffering, and should I, one of their kind,
Who feel everything as intensely
As they do, not be more compassionate than you?
Even though I am deeply hurt by their wrongs,
I use my stronger reasoning against my anger
To take action: being virtuous is
Rarer than seeking revenge: since they are repentant,
My only goal is that I won’t frown at them any longer. Go release them, Ariel.
I’ll break my spells, return their senses,
And they will be themselves again.

ARIEL.
I'll get them, sir.

[Leave.]

PROSPERO.
You elves of hills, brooks, standing lakes, and
groves;
And you who walk on the sands without leaving a trace
Chasing the retreating Neptune, and flee from him
When he returns; you half-spirits that
In moonlight create the green sour ringlets,
Which the ewe doesn't eat; and you who enjoy
Making midnight mushrooms, that delight
To hear the solemn curfew; with your help,
Weak masters though you are, I have dimmed
The noontide sun, summoned the rebellious winds,
And between the green sea and the blue sky
Started a roaring conflict: to the dread rattling thunder
I have given fire, and split Jove’s sturdy oak
With his own lightning; I have made the strong promontory
Shake and pulled up the pine and cedar by their roots: graves
At my command have awakened their sleepers, opened, and let them out
By my powerful art. But this rough magic
I hereby abandon; and, when I have required
Some heavenly music—which I am doing now—
To achieve my purpose on their senses that
This airy charm is for, I’ll break my staff,
Bury it deep in the earth,
And deeper than any plummet can sound
I’ll drown my book.

Solemn music.

Re-enter Ariel: after him, Alonso with a frantic gesture, followed by Gonzalo, Sebastian, and Antonio likewise, accompanied by Adrian and Francisco: they all enter the circle that Prospero had created, and there stand mesmerized; seeing this, Prospero speaks.

A serious vibe, and the best comforter
For a restless mind, cure your thoughts,
Now useless, boiling in your head! There stand,
Since you’re caught in a spell.
Holy Gonzalo, honorable man,
My eyes, even friendly to your presence,
Fall friendly tears. The charm is breaking fast;
And as the morning creeps in on the night,
Melting the darkness, so their awakened senses
Start to push away the ignorant fog that covers
Their clearer reasoning. Oh good Gonzalo!
My true protector, and a loyal man
To the one you serve, I will repay your kindness
In both word and action. You treated me and my daughter
Very cruelly, Alonso:
Your brother was an accomplice in the deed.
You’re feeling the consequences now, Sebastian. Flesh and blood,
You, my brother, who chased ambition,
Pushed away guilt and nature, who, with Sebastian—
Whose inner turmoil is therefore the strongest,
Would have killed your King here; I forgive you,
Though you’re unnatural. Their understanding
Is starting to grow, and the coming tide
Will soon fill the clear shores
That now lie dirty and muddy. Not one of them
Still looks at me, or even knows me. Ariel,
Bring me the hat and sword from my cell.

[Leave Ariel.]

I will speak about myself, and I’m here
As I once was in Milan. Hurry, spirit;
You will soon be free.

Ariel comes back in, singing, and helps to dress Prospero.

ARIEL
Wherever the bee goes, that's where I'll be:
In a cowslip’s flower I rest;
I lie there when owls call.
I fly on the back of a bat
Happily after summer.
Happily, happily I will live now
Under the blossom hanging on the branch.

PROSPERO.
Well, that’s my lovely Ariel! I’m going to miss you;
But you will have your freedom; so, so, so.
Go to the King’s ship, as invisible as you are:
There you’ll find the sailors asleep
Below deck; the captain and the boatswain
Are awake, so bring them here,
And do it quickly, please.

ARIEL.
I take in the air around me and come back
Before your heart has beat twice.

[Leave.]

GONZALO.
All pain, difficulty, surprise, and astonishment
Lives here. May some divine force lead us
Out of this terrifying place!

PROSPERO.
Look, King,
The wronged Duke of Milan, Prospero.
To prove that a living prince
Is speaking to you, I embrace you;
And to you and your group, I extend
A warm welcome.

ALONSO.
Whether you're him or not,
Or some enchanted trick to mess with me,
As I’ve recently been, I don’t know: your heartbeat
Feels like flesh and blood; and, since I saw you,
The distress in my mind eases, with which,
I fear, I was driven to madness: this must require,
If this is real, a truly strange story.
I give up my dukedom, and I ask
That you forgive me my wrongs. But how can Prospero
Be alive and be here?

PROSPERO.
First, dear friend,
Let me embrace your wisdom, whose honor cannot
Be measured or limited.

GONZALO.
I can't say for sure if this is true or not.

PROSPERO.
You still notice
Some strange things about the island that make it hard for you
To believe anything for sure. Welcome, my friends.
[Aside to Sebastian and Antonio.] But you, my two lords, if I wanted to,
I could easily make his highness angry with you,
And call you traitors: right now,
I have no stories to tell.

SEBASTIAN.
[Aside.] The devil is talking through him.

PROSPERO.
No.
For you, most wicked sir, calling you brother
Would even poison my words. I forgive
Your worst offense, all of it; and I demand
My dukedom back from you, which I know
You must give back to me.

ALONSO.
If you are Prospero,
Tell us the details of how you survived;
How you found us here, when just three hours ago
We were shipwrecked on this shore; where I have lost,—
How painful it is to remember!—
My dear son Ferdinand.

PROSPERO.
I apologize for that, sir.

ALONSO.
The loss is beyond repair, and patience
Says it’s past her healing.

PROSPERO.
I think you haven't asked for her help, whose gentle kindness,
For the same loss I have her supreme support,
And I remain at peace.

You like loss!

PROSPERO.
To me, the loss is just as significant now as it was before; and, bearable
To cope with this dear loss, I have much less strength
Than you might use to find comfort, because I
Have lost my daughter.

ALONSO.
A daughter?
Oh, heavens, if only they were both living in Naples,
The King and Queen there! I wish
I were stuck in that muddy bed
Where my son lies. When did you lose your daughter?

PROSPERO.
In this last storm, I see that these lords
Are so amazed by this encounter
That they can barely think, and hardly believe
Their eyes are telling the truth, their words
Are just natural conversation; but, no matter how you’ve
Been shaken from your senses, know for sure
That I am Prospero, the very duke
Who was expelled from Milan; who most unexpectedly
Came to this shore, where you were shipwrecked, to become
The lord of it. No more about this;
For it’s a tale that unfolds day by day,
Not a story for breakfast nor
Suitable for this first meeting. Welcome, sir.
This cell is my court: here I have few attendants,
And no subjects outside: please, take a look.
Since you’ve returned my dukedom,
I will repay you with something just as good;
At least I’ll bring forth a wonder to please you
As much as my dukedom pleases me.

Here Prospero finds Ferdinand and Miranda playing chess.

MIRANDA.
Oh my God, you’re deceiving me.

FERDINAND.
No, my dearest love,
I would never do that for anything.

MIRANDA.
Yeah, for a hundred kingdoms you'd argue,
And I'd think that's totally fair.

ALONSO.
If this turns out
To be a vision of the island, I will lose
One beloved son twice.

SEBASTIAN.
An incredible miracle!

FERDINAND.
Even though the seas are threatening, they are forgiving.
I have cursed them for no reason.

[Kneels to Alonso.]

ALONSO.
Now all the good things
A happy father surround you!
Get up, and tell me how you got here.

MIRANDA.
Oh, wow!
How many beautiful creatures are here!
How beautiful humanity is! Oh, what a brave new world
That has such people in it!

PROSPERO.
It's new to you.

ALONSO.
Who is this maid you were playing with?
You can't have known her for more than three hours:
Is she the goddess who has separated us,
And brought us together like this?

FERDINAND.
Sir, she’s human;
But thanks to divine fate, she’s mine.
I chose her when I couldn’t ask my father
For his guidance, nor did I think I had one. She
Is the daughter of that well-known Duke of Milan,
Of whom I’ve often heard praised,
But never saw until now; she has given me
A new life and a second father.
This lady is that for me.

ALONSO.
I belong to her:
But, oh, how strange it is to think that I
Must ask my child for forgiveness!

PROSPERO.
There, sir, hold on:
Let’s not weigh down our memories with
A heaviness that’s already passed.

GONZALO.
I have only cried,
Or I should have spoken by now. Look down, you gods,
And bless this couple with a crown;
Because it's you who mapped out the path
That brought us here.

ALONSO.
I say, Amen, Gonzalo!

GONZALO.
Was Milan kicked out of Milan so that his descendants
Could become the Kings of Naples? Oh, celebrate
More than usual and record it
In gold on lasting pillars: in one journey
Claribel found her husband in Tunis,
And Ferdinand, her brother, found a wife
Where he himself was lost; Prospero his dukedom
In a poor island; and all of us ourselves,
When nobody was truly his own.

ALONSO.
[To Ferdinand and Miranda.] Give me your hands:
Let grief and sadness continue to hold his heart
That does not wish you happiness!

GONZALO.
So be it. Amen!

Re-enter Ariel with the Master and Boatswain looking on in amazement.

O look, sir, look! Here are more of us.
I predicted that if there were a gallows on land,
This guy wouldn’t drown. Now, seriously,
You swear by grace overboard, but not an oath on shore?
Don’t you have a voice on land? What’s the news?

BOATSWAIN.
The best news is that we've safely found
Our King and his crew. The next is our ship—
Which just three hours ago, we thought was wrecked,
Is in great shape, ready to go, and as well-equipped as when
We first set sail.

ARIEL.
[Aside to Prospero.] Sir, I've done all this work
Since I left.

PROSPERO.
[Whispers to Ariel.] My clever spirit!

ALONSO.
These aren't natural events; they get weirder
From strange to stranger. So, how did you get here?

BOATSWAIN.
If I thought, sir, that I was fully awake,
I’d try to explain. We were dead asleep,
And—how it happened, we don’t know—we were all locked below deck,
Where, just a moment ago, with strange and various noises
Of roaring, screaming, howling, clanking chains,
And so many horrible sounds,
We were suddenly woke; right away, we were free:
There, in all her glory, we saw
Our royal, good, and brave ship; our captain
Eager to see her. In an instant, if you please,
Even in a dream, we were separated from them,
And were brought sulking here.

ARIEL.
[Whispering to Prospero.] Was that a good thing to do?

PROSPERO.
[Aside to Ariel.] Well done, my friend. You will be free.

ALONSO.
This is the strangest maze anyone has ever walked;
And there’s more to this situation than what nature
Could ever explain: some oracle
Must set our understanding straight.

PROSPERO.
Sir, my lord,
Don’t get caught up in worrying about
The oddness of this situation. When I have a moment,
Which will be soon, I’ll explain everything to you
In a way that will make sense, about all of
These strange events; until then, stay positive
And think things through. [Aside to Ariel.] Come here,
Spirit;
Free Caliban and his companions;
Lift the spell.

[Leave Ariel.]

How is my kind sir doing?
There are still a few guys from your group
That you might not remember.