William Shakespeare: The Complete Works 2nd Edition (565 page)

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Authors: William Shakespeare

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Ariel sings and helps to attire him as Duke of Milan

ARIEL

Where the bee sucks, there suck I: In a cowslip’s bell I lie;
There I couch when owls do cry.
On the bat’s back I do fly
After summer merrily.
Merrily, merrily shall I live now
Under the blossom that hangs on the bough.
Merrily, merrily shall I live now
Under the blossom that hangs on the bough.

PROSPERO

Why, that’s my dainty Ariel! I shall miss thee,
But yet thou shalt have freedom.—So, so, so.—
To the King’s ship, invisible as thou art!
There shalt thou find the mariners asleep
Under the hatches. The Master and the Boatswain
Being awake, enforce them to this place,
And presently, I prithee.

ARIEL

I drink the air before me, and return
Or ere your pulse twice beat.

Exit

GONZALO

All torment, trouble, wonder, and amazement
Inhabits here. Some heavenly power guide us
Out of this fearful country!

PROSPERO

Behold, sir King,

The wronged Duke of Milan, Prospero.
For more assurance that a living prince
Does now speak to thee, I embrace thy body;
And to thee and thy company I bid
A hearty welcome.

He embraces Alonso

ALONSO

Whe’er thou beest he or no,

Or some enchanted trifle to abuse me,
As late I have been, I not know. Thy pulse
Beats as of flesh and blood; and since I saw thee
Th’affliction of my mind amends, with which
I fear a madness held me. This must crave—
An if this be at all—a most strange story.
Thy dukedom I resign, and do entreat
Thou pardon me my wrongs. But how should
Prospero
Be living and be here?

PROSPERO
(to Gonzalo)

First, noble friend,

Let me embrace thine age, whose honour cannot
Be measured or confined.

He embraces Gonzalo

GONZALO

Whether this be

Or be not, I’ll not swear.

PROSPERO

You do yet taste

Some subtleties o’th’ isle that will not let you
Believe things certain.—Welcome, my friends all.
(Aside to Sebastian and Antonio)
But you, my brace of lords, were I so minded,
I here could pluck his highness’ frown upon you
And justify you traitors. At this time
I will tell no tales.

SEBASTIAN
(to Antonio)
The devil speaks in him.

PROSPERO No.

(To Antonio)
For you, most wicked sir, whom to call
brother
Would even infect my mouth, I do forgive
Thy rankest fault, all of them, and require
My dukedom of thee, which perforce I know
Thou must restore.

ALONSO

If thou beest Prospero,

Give us particulars of thy preservation,
How thou hast met us here, whom three hours since
Were wrecked upon this shore, where I have lost—
How sharp the point of this remembrance is!—
My dear son Ferdinand.

PROSPERO

I am woe for’t, sir.

ALONSO

Irreparable is the loss, and patience
Says it is past her cure.

PROSPERO

I rather think

You have not sought her help, of whose soft grace
For the like loss I have her sovereign aid,
And rest myself content.

ALONSO

You the like loss?

PROSPERO

As great to me as late; and supportable
To make the dear loss have I means much weaker
Than you may call to comfort you, for I
Have lost my daughter.

ALONSO

A daughter?

O heavens, that they were living both in Naples,
The king and queen there! That they were, I wish
Myself were mudded in that oozy bed
Where my son lies. When did you lose your daughter?

PROSPERO

In this last tempest. I perceive these lords
At this encounter do so much admire
That they devour their reason, and scarce think
Their eyes do offices of truth, these words
Are natural breath. But howsoe’er you have
Been jostled from your senses, know for certain
That I am Prospero, and that very Duke
Which was thrust forth of Milan, who most strangely,
Upon this shore where you were wrecked, was landed
To be the lord on’t. No more yet of this,
For ’tis a chronicle of day by day,
Not a relation for a breakfast, nor
Befitting this first meeting. Welcome, sir.
This cell’s my court. Here have I few attendants,
And subjects none abroad. Pray you, look in.
My dukedom since you have given me again,
I will requite you with as good a thing;
At least bring forth a wonder to content ye
As much as me my dukedom.

Here Prospero discovers Ferdinand and Miranda, playing at chess

MIRANDA

Sweet lord, you play me false.

FERDINAND No, my dearest love,

I would not for the world.

MIRANDA

Yes, for a score of kingdoms you should wrangle,
An I would call it fair play.

ALONSO

If this prove

A vision of the island, one dear son
Shall I twice lose.

SEBASTIAN

A most high miracle.

FERDINAND
(coming forward)

Though the seas threaten, they are merciful.
I have cursed them without cause.

He kneels

ALONSO

Now all the blessings

Of a glad father compass thee about.
Arise and say how thou cam’st here.

Ferdinand rises

MIRANDA
(coming forward)

O wonder!

How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world
That has such people in’t!

PROSPERO

’Tis new to thee.

ALONSO
(to Ferdinand)

What is this maid with whom thou wast at play?
Your eld’st acquaintance cannot be three hours.
Is she the goddess that hath severed us,
And brought us thus together?

FERDINAND

Sir, she is mortal;

But by immortal providence she’s mine.
I chose her when I could not ask my father
For his advice, nor thought I had one. She
Is daughter to this famous Duke of Milan,
Of whom so often I have heard renown,
But never saw before; of whom I have
Received a second life; and second father
This lady makes him to me.

ALONSO

I am hers.

But O, how oddly will it sound, that I
Must ask my child forgiveness!

PROSPERO

There, sir, stop.

Let us not burden our remembrance with
A heaviness that’s gone.

GONZALO

I have inly wept,

Or should have spoke ere this. Look down, you gods,
And on this couple drop a blessed crown,
For it is you that have chalked forth the way
Which brought us hither.

ALONSO

I say amen, Gonzalo.

GONZALO

Was Milan thrust from Milan, that his issue
Should become kings of Naples? O rejoice
Beyond a common joy! And set it down
With gold on lasting pillars: in one voyage
Did Claribel her husband find at Tunis,
And Ferdinand her brother found a wife
Where he himself was lost; Prospero his dukedom
In a poor isle; and all of us ourselves,
When no man was his own.

ALONSO (
to Ferdinand and Miranda
) Give me your hands.

Let grief and sorrow still embrace his heart

That doth not wish you joy.

GONZALO

Be it so! Amen!

Enter Ariel, with the Master and Boatswain amazedly following

O look, sir, look, sir, here is more of us!
I prophesied if a gallows were on land
This fellow could not drown.
(To the Boatswain) Now,
blasphemy,
That swear’st grace o’erboard: not an oath on shore?
Hast thou no mouth by land? What is the news?

BOATSWAIN

The best news is that we have safely found
Our King and company. The next, our ship,
Which but three glasses since we gave out split,
Is tight and yare and bravely rigged, as when
We first put out to sea.

ARIEL
(aside to Prospero)
Sir, all this service

Have I done since I went.

PROSPERO (
aside to Ariel
)

My tricksy spirit!

ALONSO

These are not natural events; they strengthen
From strange to stranger. Say, how came you hither?

BOATSWAIN

If I did think, sir, I were well awake
I’d strive to tell you. We were dead of sleep,
And—how we know not—all clapped under hatches,
Where but even now, with strange and several noises
Of roaring, shrieking, howling, jingling chains,
And more diversity of sounds, all horrible,
We were awaked; straightway at liberty;
Where we in all her trim freshly beheld
Our royal, good, and gallant ship, our Master
Cap’ring to eye her. On a trice, so please you,
Even in a dream, were we divided from them,
And were brought moping hither.

ARIEL
(aside to Prospero)

Was’t well done?

PROSPERO (
aside to Ariel
)

Bravely, my diligence. Thou shalt be free.

ALONSO

This is as strange a maze as e’er men trod,
And there is in this business more than nature
Was ever conduct of. Some oracle
Must rectify our knowledge.

PROSPERO

Sir, my liege,

Do not infest your mind with beating on
The strangeness of this business. At picked leisure,
Which shall be shortly, single I’ll resolve you,
Which to you shall seem probable, of every
These happened accidents; till when be cheerful,
And think of each thing well.
(Aside to Ariel)
Come
hither, spirit.
Set Caliban and his companions free.
Untie the spell.

Exit Ariel

(
To Alonso
) How fares my gracious sir?
There are yet missing of your company
Some few odd lads that you remember not.

Enter Ariel, driving in Caliban, Stefano, and Trinculo, in their stolen apparel

STEFANO Every man shift for all the rest, and let no man take care for himself, for all is but fortune. Coragio, bully-monster, coragio!

TRINCULO If these be true spies which I wear in my head, here’s a goodly sight.

CALIBAN

O Setebos, these be brave spirits indeed!
How fine my master is! I am afraid
He will chastise me.

SEBASTIAN

Ha, ha! What things are these, my lord Antonio?
Will money buy ’em?

ANTONIO

Very like; one of them

Is a plain fish, and no doubt marketable.

PROSPERO

Mark but the badges of these men, my lords,
Then say if they be true. This misshapen knave,
His mother was a witch, and one so strong
That could control the moon, make flows and ebbs,
And deal in her command without her power.
These three have robbed me, and this demi-devil,
For he’s a bastard one, had plotted with them
To take my life. Two of these fellows you
Must know and own. This thing of darkness I
Acknowledge mine.

CALIBAN

I shall be pinched to death.

ALONSO

Is not this Stefano, my drunken butler?

SEBASTIAN

He is drunk now. Where had he wine?

ALONSO

And Trinculo is reeling ripe. Where should they
Find this grand liquor that hath gilded ’em?
(
To Trinculo
) How cam’st thou in this pickle?