Tempest by William Shakespeare

Act 4 - Scene 1

Before PROSPERO’S cell.

Prospero : If I have too austerely punish'd you, [p]Your compensation makes
amends, for I [p]Have given you here a third of mine own life, [p]Or
that for which I live; who once again [p]I tender to thy hand: all thy
vexations [p]Were but my trials of thy love and thou [p]Hast strangely
stood the test here, afore Heaven, [p]I ratify this my rich gift. O
Ferdinand, [p]Do not smile at me that I boast her off, [p]For thou
shalt find she will outstrip all praise [p]And make it halt behind
her.

Ferdinand : I do believe it [p]Against an oracle.

Prospero : Then, as my gift and thine own acquisition [p]Worthily purchased take
my daughter: but [p]If thou dost break her virgin-knot before [p]All
sanctimonious ceremonies may [p]With full and holy rite be
minister'd, [p]No sweet aspersion shall the heavens let fall [p]To
make this contract grow: but barren hate, [p]Sour-eyed disdain and
discord shall bestrew [p]The union of your bed with weeds so
loathly [p]That you shall hate it both: therefore take heed, [p]As
Hymen's lamps shall light you.

Ferdinand : As I hope [p]For quiet days, fair issue and long life, [p]With such
love as 'tis now, the murkiest den, [p]The most opportune place, the
strong'st suggestion. [p]Our worser genius can, shall never
melt [p]Mine honour into lust, to take away [p]The edge of that day's
celebration [p]When I shall think: or Phoebus' steeds are
founder'd, [p]Or Night kept chain'd below.

Prospero : Fairly spoke. [p]Sit then and talk with her; she is thine
own. [p]What, Ariel! my industrious servant, Ariel!

Ariel : What would my potent master? here I am.

Prospero : Thou and thy meaner fellows your last service [p]Did worthily perform;
and I must use you [p]In such another trick. Go bring the
rabble, [p]O'er whom I give thee power, here to this place: [p]Incite
them to quick motion; for I must [p]Bestow upon the eyes of this young
couple [p]Some vanity of mine art: it is my promise, [p]And they
expect it from me.

Ariel : Presently?

Prospero : Ay, with a twink.

Ariel : Before you can say 'come' and 'go,' [p]And breathe twice and cry 'so,
so,' [p]Each one, tripping on his toe, [p]Will be here with mop and
mow. [p]Do you love me, master? no?

Prospero : Dearly my delicate Ariel. Do not approach [p]Till thou dost hear me
call.

Ariel : Well, I conceive.

Prospero : Look thou be true; do not give dalliance [p]Too much the rein: the
strongest oaths are straw [p]To the fire i' the blood: be more
abstemious, [p]Or else, good night your vow!

Ferdinand : I warrant you sir; [p]The white cold virgin snow upon my
heart [p]Abates the ardour of my liver.

Prospero : Well. [p]Now come, my Ariel! bring a corollary, [p]Rather than want a
spirit: appear and pertly! [p]No tongue! all eyes! be silent.

Iris : Ceres, most bounteous lady, thy rich leas [p]Of wheat, rye, barley,
vetches, oats and pease; [p]Thy turfy mountains, where live nibbling
sheep, [p]And flat meads thatch'd with stover, them to keep; [p]Thy
banks with pioned and twilled brims, [p]Which spongy April at thy hest
betrims, [p]To make cold nymphs chaste crowns; and thy broom
-groves, [p]Whose shadow the dismissed bachelor loves, [p]Being
lass-lorn: thy pole-clipt vineyard; [p]And thy sea-marge, sterile and
rocky-hard, [p]Where thou thyself dost air;--the queen o' the
sky, [p]Whose watery arch and messenger am I, [p]Bids thee leave
these, and with her sovereign grace, [p]Here on this grass-plot, in
this very place, [p]To come and sport: her peacocks fly
amain: [p]Approach, rich Ceres, her to entertain.

Ceres : Hail, many-colour'd messenger, that ne'er [p]Dost disobey the wife of
Jupiter; [p]Who with thy saffron wings upon my flowers [p]Diffusest
honey-drops, refreshing showers, [p]And with each end of thy blue bow
dost crown [p]My bosky acres and my unshrubb'd down, [p]Rich scarf to
my proud earth; why hath thy queen [p]Summon'd me hither, to this
short-grass'd green?

Iris : A contract of true love to celebrate; [p]And some donation freely to
estate [p]On the blest lovers.

Ceres : Tell me, heavenly bow, [p]If Venus or her son, as thou dost
know, [p]Do now attend the queen? Since they did plot [p]The means
that dusky Dis my daughter got, [p]Her and her blind boy's scandal'd
company [p]I have forsworn.

Iris : Of her society [p]Be not afraid: I met her deity [p]Cutting the clouds
towards Paphos and her son [p]Dove-drawn with her. Here thought they
to have done [p]Some wanton charm upon this man and maid, [p]Whose
vows are, that no bed-right shall be paid [p]Till Hymen's torch be
lighted: but vain; [p]Mars's hot minion is returned again; [p]Her
waspish-headed son has broke his arrows, [p]Swears he will shoot no
more but play with sparrows [p]And be a boy right out.

Ceres : High'st queen of state, [p]Great Juno, comes; I know her by her gait.

Juno : How does my bounteous sister? Go with me [p]To bless this twain, that
they may prosperous be [p]And honour'd in their issue.

Juno : Honour, riches, marriage-blessing, [p]Long continuance, and
increasing, [p]Hourly joys be still upon you! [p]Juno sings her
blessings upon you.

Ceres : Earth's increase, foison plenty, [p]Barns and garners never
empty, [p]Vines and clustering bunches growing, [p]Plants with goodly
burthen bowing; [p]Spring come to you at the farthest [p]In the very
end of harvest! [p]Scarcity and want shall shun you; [p]Ceres'
blessing so is on you.

Ferdinand : This is a most majestic vision, and [p]Harmoniously charmingly. May I
be bold [p]To think these spirits?

Prospero : Spirits, which by mine art [p]I have from their confines call'd to
enact [p]My present fancies.

Ferdinand : Let me live here ever; [p]So rare a wonder'd father and a
wife [p]Makes this place Paradise. [p][Juno and Ceres whisper, and
send Iris on] [p]employment]

Prospero : Sweet, now, silence! [p]Juno and Ceres whisper seriously; [p]There's
something else to do: hush, and be mute, [p]Or else our spell is
marr'd.

Iris : You nymphs, call'd Naiads, of the windring brooks, [p]With your sedged
crowns and ever-harmless looks, [p]Leave your crisp channels and on
this green land [p]Answer your summons; Juno does command: [p]Come,
temperate nymphs, and help to celebrate [p]A contract of true love; be
not too late. [p][Enter certain Nymphs] [p]You sunburnt sicklemen, of
August weary, [p]Come hither from the furrow and be merry: [p]Make
holiday; your rye-straw hats put on [p]And these fresh nymphs
encounter every one [p]In country footing. [p][Enter certain Reapers,
properly habited: they] [p]join with the Nymphs in a graceful
dance; [p]towards the end whereof PROSPERO starts [p]suddenly, and
speaks; after which, to a [p]strange, hollow, and confused noise,
they [p]heavily vanish]

Prospero : [Aside] I had forgot that foul conspiracy [p]Of the beast Caliban and
his confederates [p]Against my life: the minute of their plot [p]Is
almost come. [p][To the Spirits] [p]Well done! avoid; no more!

Ferdinand : This is strange: your father's in some passion [p]That works him
strongly.

Miranda : Never till this day [p]Saw I him touch'd with anger so distemper'd.

Prospero : You do look, my son, in a moved sort, [p]As if you were dismay'd: be
cheerful, sir. [p]Our revels now are ended. These our actors, [p]As I
foretold you, were all spirits and [p]Are melted into air, into thin
air: [p]And, like the baseless fabric of this vision, [p]The
cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces, [p]The solemn temples, the
great globe itself, [p]Ye all which it inherit, shall dissolve [p]And,
like this insubstantial pageant faded, [p]Leave not a rack behind. We
are such stuff [p]As dreams are made on, and our little life [p]Is
rounded with a sleep. Sir, I am vex'd; [p]Bear with my weakness; my,
brain is troubled: [p]Be not disturb'd with my infirmity: [p]If you be
pleased, retire into my cell [p]And there repose: a turn or two I'll
walk, [p]To still my beating mind.

Ferdinand : [with Miranda] We wish your peace.

Prospero : Come with a thought I thank thee, Ariel: come.

Ariel : Thy thoughts I cleave to. What's thy pleasure?

Prospero : Spirit, [p]We must prepare to meet with Caliban.

Ariel : Ay, my commander: when I presented Ceres, [p]I thought to have told
thee of it, but I fear'd [p]Lest I might anger thee.

Prospero : Say again, where didst thou leave these varlets?

Ariel : I told you, sir, they were red-hot with drinking; [p]So fun of valour
that they smote the air [p]For breathing in their faces; beat the
ground [p]For kissing of their feet; yet always bending [p]Towards
their project. Then I beat my tabour; [p]At which, like unback'd
colts, they prick'd [p]their ears, [p]Advanced their eyelids, lifted
up their noses [p]As they smelt music: so I charm'd their ears [p]That
calf-like they my lowing follow'd through [p]Tooth'd briers, sharp
furzes, pricking goss and thorns, [p]Which entered their frail shins:
at last I left them [p]I' the filthy-mantled pool beyond your
cell, [p]There dancing up to the chins, that the foul
lake [p]O'erstunk their feet.

Prospero : This was well done, my bird. [p]Thy shape invisible retain thou
still: [p]The trumpery in my house, go bring it hither, [p]For stale
to catch these thieves.

Ariel : I go, I go.

Prospero : A devil, a born devil, on whose nature [p]Nurture can never stick; on
whom my pains, [p]Humanely taken, all, all lost, quite lost; [p]And as
with age his body uglier grows, [p]So his mind cankers. I will plague
them all, [p]Even to roaring. [p][Re-enter ARIEL, loaden with
glistering apparel, &c] [p]Come, hang them on this line. [p][PROSPERO
and ARIEL remain invisible. Enter] [p]CALIBAN, STEPHANO, and TRINCULO,
all wet]

Caliban : Pray you, tread softly, that the blind mole may not [p]Hear a foot
fall: we now are near his cell.

Stephano : Monster, your fairy, which you say is [p]a harmless fairy, has done
little better than [p]played the Jack with us.

Trinculo : Monster, I do smell all horse-piss; at [p]which my nose is in great
indignation.

Stephano : So is mine. Do you hear, monster? If I should take [p]a displeasure
against you, look you,--

Trinculo : Thou wert but a lost monster.

Caliban : Good my lord, give me thy favour still. [p]Be patient, for the prize
I'll bring thee to [p]Shall hoodwink this mischance: therefore speak
softly. [p]All's hush'd as midnight yet.

Trinculo : Ay, but to lose our bottles in the pool,--

Stephano : There is not only disgrace and dishonour in that, [p]monster, but an
infinite loss.

Trinculo : That's more to me than my wetting: yet this is your [p]harmless fairy,
monster.

Stephano : I will fetch off my bottle, though I be o'er ears [p]for my labour.

Caliban : Prithee, my king, be quiet. Seest thou here, [p]This is the mouth o'
the cell: no noise, and enter. [p]Do that good mischief which may make
this island [p]Thine own for ever, and I, thy Caliban, [p]For aye thy
foot-licker.

Stephano : Give me thy hand. I do begin to have bloody thoughts.

Trinculo : O king Stephano! O peer! O worthy Stephano! look [p]what a wardrobe
here is for thee!

Caliban : Let it alone, thou fool; it is but trash.

Trinculo : O, ho, monster! we know what belongs to a frippery. [p]O king
Stephano!

Stephano : Put off that gown, Trinculo; by this hand, I'll have [p]that gown.

Trinculo : Thy grace shall have it.

Caliban : The dropsy drown this fool I what do you mean [p]To dote thus on such
luggage? Let's alone [p]And do the murder first: if he awake, [p]From
toe to crown he'll fill our skins with pinches, [p]Make us strange
stuff.

Stephano : Be you quiet, monster. Mistress line, [p]is not this my jerkin? Now is
the jerkin under [p]the line: now, jerkin, you are like to lose
your [p]hair and prove a bald jerkin.

Trinculo : Do, do: we steal by line and level, an't like your grace.

Stephano : I thank thee for that jest; here's a garment for't: [p]wit shall not
go unrewarded while I am king of this [p]country. 'Steal by line and
level' is an excellent [p]pass of pate; there's another garment
for't.

Trinculo : Monster, come, put some lime upon your fingers, and [p]away with the
rest.

Caliban : I will have none on't: we shall lose our time, [p]And all be turn'd to
barnacles, or to apes [p]With foreheads villanous low.

Stephano : Monster, lay-to your fingers: help to bear this [p]away where my
hogshead of wine is, or I'll turn you [p]out of my kingdom: go to,
carry this.

Trinculo : And this.

Stephano : Ay, and this. [p][A noise of hunters heard. Enter divers
Spirits,] [p]in shape of dogs and hounds, and hunt them
about, [p]PROSPERO and ARIEL setting them on]

Prospero : Hey, Mountain, hey!

Ariel : Silver I there it goes, Silver!

Prospero : Fury, Fury! there, Tyrant, there! hark! hark! [p][CALIBAN, STEPHANO,
and TRINCULO, are] [p]driven out] [p]Go charge my goblins that they
grind their joints [p]With dry convulsions, shorten up their
sinews [p]With aged cramps, and more pinch-spotted make them [p]Than
pard or cat o' mountain.

Ariel : Hark, they roar!

Prospero : Let them be hunted soundly. At this hour [p]Lie at my mercy all mine
enemies: [p]Shortly shall all my labours end, and thou [p]Shalt have
the air at freedom: for a little [p]Follow, and do me service.

Previous: Act 3 - Scene 3

Next: Act 5 - Scene 1

Web Standards & Support: