The Tempest (31 page)

36
monstrous
unnatural/unusual

38
generation
race

43
muse
wonder at

47
Praise in departing
keep your praise until the occasion is over (proverbial)

48
strangely
surprisingly/unnaturally

50
viands
food

50
stomachs
appetites

54
mountaineers
mountain dwellers

55
Dewlapped
with folds of loose skin around the throat

56
Wallets
sagging bags

58
putter-out
broker/traveler

58
putter-out … one
brokers offered the traveler five times an initial sum deposited if he returned safely from his journey with proof that he had reached his destination

60
stand to
come forward/begin eating

61
Although
even if (it is to be)

63.1
harpy
mythical monster with a woman’s face and body and a bird’s wings and claws; sometimes agents of divine vengeance

63.1
quaint device
ingenious mechanism/contrivance

65
to instrument
at its disposal/as its agent

65
lower world
i.e. the sublunar, mortal world

65
never-surfeited
never satisfied, hungry

70
suchlike valour
insane fearlessness

71
proper selves
themselves

72
elements … tempered
i.e. fire and earth from which your swords are forged (
tempered
); these two elements are powerless against the other two (
winds
and
waters
)

74
bemocked-at
scorned

75
still-closing waters
ever-united/self-healing

76
dowl
small feather

76
plume
plumage

77
like
equally

78
massy
heavy

80
business
purpose

82
requit
repaid/avenged

88
perdition
ruin (with connotations of “damnation”)

90
whose … ensuing
i.e. to guard yourselves from the anger of the
powers
, which will otherwise befall you on this deserted island, you must live a faultless life of profound repentance

94.1
mocks and mows
jeering expressions/grimaces and pouts

95
devouring
all-consuming (or possibly Ariel has eaten part of the banquet)

96
bated
omitted

97
So
likewise

97
good life
great realism/much liveliness

98
observation strange
particular, careful attention

98
meaner
lower ranking

99
several kinds
various/individual roles

99
high
elevated, sophisticated, powerful

100
knit up
tied up, entangled

101
distractions
agitation, temporary madness

102
fits
attacks, turmoil

108
billows
great waves

111
bass
pronounce in a deep, resonant voice

111
trespass
wrong, crime

112
ooze
muddy sand on the sea bed

113
plummet
instrument used to measure the depth of water

113
sounded
sank

114
mudded
buried in mud

115
But … o’er
as long as they come one at a time I’ll fight whole armies of devilish spirits

117
second
supporter/backup fighter in a duel

120
spirits
faculties, vital powers

122
ecstasy
frenzy

Act 4 Scene 1

1
austerely
severely

2
compensation
i.e. Miranda

3
third
i.e. a very important part (possibly Miranda is a third of Prospero’s age; or she shares his
life
with his dukedom and his art)

5
tender
offer/betroth

5
vexations
afflictions

7
strangely
admirably, exceptionally

8
ratify
formally approve

9
her of
of her

11
halt
proceed lamely

12
gainst
even in the face of

14
purchased
obtained/won

16
sanctimonious
holy

18
sweet aspersion
fragrant shower

20
bestrew
cover

21
loathly
loathsome

22
Hymen
in Greek and Roman mythology, the god of marriage (represented by a young man carrying a
lamp
)

25
fair issue
beautiful children

27
strong’st … can
most powerful temptation/influence that our bad angel (
worser genius
) can exert on us

31
or
either

31
Phoebus
the sun god, whose horse-drawn chariot carried the sun across the heavens

31
foundered
lame

39
rabble
i.e. crowd of more lowly spirits

43
vanity
trifling/dazzling display

45
presently
immediately

46
with a twink
in the wink of an eye

50
mop and mow
grimace and pout

54
conceive
understand

55
true
faithful

55
dalliance
frivolity, amorous conversation

57
th’fire i’th’blood
passion, lust

58
goodnight
farewell to

61
liver
thought to be the seat of sexual desire

63
a corollary
an extra (spirit)

64
pertly
briskly

64
Iris
rainbow goddess and messenger of the gods

66
Ceres
goddess of the harvest and the earth

66
leas
fields

67
vetches
coarse crops, often dried for animal feed

68
turfy
grassy

69
meads
meadows

69
thatched with stover
covered with hay, winter animal feed

70
pionèd
dug, trenched

70
pionèd … brims
alluding to the agrarian practice of cutting and laying hedges to border or enclose pasture

70
twillèd
interwoven, plaited branches

70
brims
hedges, borders

71
spongy
rainy, damp

71
hest
command

71
betrims
trims with dew or rain/adorns with blossom

72
cold
modest, chaste

72
crowns
coronets of flowers

72
broom-groves
groves of broom (a yellow-flowered shrub)

73
dismissèd
rejected

74
lass-lorn
forsaken, bereft of a sweetheart

74
poll-clipped
pollarded, pruned

75
sea-marge
coast

76
air
take the air

76
queen o’th’sky
i.e. Juno

77
wat’ry arch
rainbow

78
these
i.e. the landscape described above

80
sport
make merry

80
peacocks
the sacred birds of Juno who drew her carriage

80
amain
swiftly

83
wife of Jupiter
Juno, married to the king of the gods

84
saffron
orange-red

85
Diffusest honey drops
scatters sweet rain/dew

86
bow
rainbow

87
bosky
bushy, full of thickets

87
unshrubbed down
bare, undulating hills

88
proud
splendid

91
donation
gift, favor

91
estate
bestow

94
Venus … son
Cupid was son to Venus, goddess of love

96
means that
manner in which

96
dusky Dis
dark Pluto, the rich god of the underworld; aided by Venus and Cupid, he kidnapped Ceres’ daughter Proserpine, who was forced to spend half of every year with him

97
blind boy’s
Cupid, god of love, was blind

97
scandaled
disgraceful

98
forsworn
rejected

101
Paphos
city in Cyprus, home to the cult of Venus

102
Dove-drawn
doves, the birds of love, pull Venus’ chariot

103
wanton
mischievous/lascivious

104
bed-right
i.e. sex

105
Hymen’s … lighted
symbolizing the completion of the marriage ceremony

106
Mars’ hot minion
i.e. lustful Venus, lover to the god of war

107
waspish-headed
peevish, spiteful, and, literally, one who stings (with
arrows
)

108
sparrows
proverbially lecherous birds

109
be … out
behave in all respects like a boy not a god

111
gait
bearing, movement

112
bounteous
generous

113
twain
couple

116
increasing
children/fruitfulness

117
still
always

119
foison
abundance

120
garners
granaries

123
Spring … harvest
may spring arrive as soon as the autumn harvest is over (so there is no winter)

128
charmingly
enchantingly/melodiously/pleasingly

128
be bold
take the liberty, venture

132
present fancies
immediate imaginings/whims

134
wondered
to be wondered at, extraordinary

137
seriously
importantly/solemnly

140
Naiads
water nymphs

140
windring
winding and wandering

141
sedged
made from sedge, a coarse grassy plant growing by rivers

142
crisp channels
rippling streams

144
temperate
gentle/abstemious

145
be … late
come quickly/arrive before the couple make love

146
sicklemen
harvesters (a sickle is a hooked knife used for reaping)

147
furrow
i.e. fields (literally, groove made by a plough)

150
country footing
rustic dance

150.1
properly habited
appropriately clad (i.e. in their harvesting clothes)

150.2
heavily
slowly, sadly/suddenly

154
Avoid
be gone

155
passion
agitation, turmoil

158
distempered
disturbed, ill-humored

159
movèd sort
distressed state

161
revels
(courtly) entertainment/masque

162
foretold you
told you earlier

164
baseless
without a foundation/illusory

164
fabric
building/structure

166
globe
world (puns on the Globe Theatre)

167
all
i.e. all those, all the people