The Tempest by William Shakespeare (the reading list book TXT) 📕

hath thy queen
Summon'd me hither to this short-grass'd green?

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

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

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

CERES.
Highest Queen of State,
Great Juno comes; I know her by her gait.

[Enter JUNO.]

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

SONG

JUNO.
Honour, riches, marriage-blessing,
Long continuance, and increasing,
Hourly joys be still upon you!
Juno sings her blessings on you.

CERES.
Earth's increase, foison plenty,
Barns and gamers never empty;
Vines with clust'ring bunches growing;
Plants with goodly burden bowing;
Spring come to you at the farthest,
In the very end of harvest!
Scarcity and want shall shun you;
Ceres' blessing so is on you.

FERDINAND.
This is a most majestic vision, and
Harmonious charmingly; may I be bold
To think these spirits?

PROSPERO.
Spirits, which by mine art
I have from their confines call'd to enact
My present fancies.

FERDINAND.
Let me live here ever:
So rare a wonder'd father and a wise,
Makes this place Paradise.

[JUNO and CERES whisper, and send IRIS on employment.]

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

IRIS.
You nymphs, call'd Naiads, of the windring brooks,
With your sedg'd crowns and ever-harmless looks,
Leave your crisp channels, and on this green land
Answer your summons: Juno does command.
Come, temperate nymphs, and help to celebrate
A contract of true love: be not too late.

[Enter certain NYMPHS]

You sun-burn'd sicklemen, of August weary,
Come hither from the furrow, and be merry:
Make holiday: your rye-straw hats put on,
And these fresh nymphs encounter every one
In country footing.

[Enter certain Reapers, properly habited: they join]
with the Nymphs in a graceful dance; towards the
end whereof PROSPERO starts suddenly, and speaks;
after which, to a strange, hollow, and confused
noise, they heavily vanish.]

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

FERDINAND.
This is strange: your father's in some passion
That works him strongly.

MIRANDA.
Never till this day
Saw I him touch'd with anger so distemper'd.

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

FERDINAND, MIRANDA.
We wish your peace.

[Exeunt.]

PROSPERO.
Come, with a thought. - [To them.] I thank thee:
Ariel, come!

[Enter ARIEL.]

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

PROSPERO.
Spirit,
We must prepare to meet with Caliban.

ARIEL.
Ay, my commander; when I presented Ceres,
I thought to have told thee of it: but I fear'd
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;
So full of valour that they smote the air
For breathing in their faces; beat the ground
For kissing of their feet; yet always bending
Towards their project. Then I beat my tabor;
At which, like unback'd colts, they prick'd their ears,
Advanc'd their eyelids, lifted up their noses
As they smelt music: so I charm'd their ears,
That calf-like they my lowing follow'd through
Tooth'd briers, sharp furzes, pricking goss and thorns,
Which enter'd their frail shins: at last I left them
I' the filthy-mantled pool beyond your cell,
There dancing up to the chins, that the foul lake
O'erstunk their feet.

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

ARIEL.
I go, I go.

[Exit]

PROSPERO.
A devil, a born devil, on whose nature
Nurture can never stick; on whom my pains,
Humanely taken, all, all lost, quite lost;
And as with age his body uglier grows,
So his mind cankers. I will plague them all,
Even to roaring.

[Re-enter ARIEL, loaden with glistering apparel, &c.]

Come, hang them on this line.

[PROSPERO and ARIEL remain invisible. Enter
CALIBAN, STEPHANO, and TRINCULO, all wet]

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

STEPHANO.
Monster, your fairy, which you say is a harmless
fairy, has done little better than played the
Jack with us.

TRINCULO.
Monster, I do smell all horse-piss; at which my
nose is in great indignation.

STEPHANO.
So is mine. - Do you hear, monster? If I should
take a displeasure against you, look you, -

TRINCULO.
Thou wert but a lost monster.

CALIBAN.
Good my lord, give me thy favour still:
Be patient, for the prize I'll bring thee to
Shall hoodwink this mischance: therefore speak softly;
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, monster, but an infinite loss.

TRINCULO.
That's more to me than my wetting: yet this is
your harmless fairy, monster.

STEPHANO.
I will fetch off my bottle, though I be o'er
ears for my labour.

CALIBAN.
Prithee, my king, be quiet. Seest thou here,
This is the mouth o' the cell: no noise, and enter.
Do that good mischief which may make this island
Thine own for ever, and I, thy Caliban,
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 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. - O King Stephano!

STEPHANO.
Put off that gown, Trinculo; by this hand, I'll
have that gown.

TRINCULO.
Thy Grace shall have it.

CALIBAN.
The dropsy drown this fool! What do you mean
To dote thus on such luggage? Let's along,
And do the murder first. If he awake,
From toe to crown he'll fill our skins with pinches;
Make us strange stuff.

STEPHANO.
Be you quiet, monster. - Mistress line, is not
this my jerkin? Now is the jerkin under the line: now,
jerkin, you are like to lose your 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: wit shall not go unrewarded while I am king of
this country: 'Steal by line and level,' is an excellent
pass of pate: there's another garmet for't.

TRINCULO.
Monster, come, put some lime upon your fingers,
and away with the rest.

CALIBAN.
I will have none on't. We shall lose our time,
And all be turn'd to barnacles, or to apes
With foreheads villainous low.

STEPHANO.
Monster, lay-to your fingers: help to bear this
away where my hogshead of wine is, or I'll turn you out
of my kingdom. Go to; carry this.

TRINCULO.
And this.

STEPHANO.
Ay, and this.

[A noise of hunters beard. Enter divers Spirits, in
shape of hounds, and hunt them about; PROSPERO and
ARIEL setting them on]

PROSPERO.
Hey, Mountain, hey!

ARIEL.
Silver! there it goes, Silver!

PROSPERO.
Fury, Fury! There, Tyrant, there! hark, hark!

[CALIBAN, STEPHANO, and TRINCULO are driven out.]

Go, charge my goblins that they grind their joints
With dry convulsions; shorten up their sinews
With aged cramps, and more pinch-spotted make them
Than pard, or cat o' mountain.

ARIEL.
Hark, they roar.

PROSPERO.
Let them be hunted soundly. At this hour
Lies at my mercy all mine enemies;
Shortly shall all my labours end, and thou
Shalt have the air at freedom;for a little
Follow, and do me service.

[Exeunt]


ACT 5

SCENE I. Before the cell of PROSPERO.

[Enter PROSPERO in his magic robes; and ARIEL.]

PROSPERO.
Now does my project gather to a head:
My charms crack not; my spirits obey, and time
Goes upright with his carriage. How's the day?

ARIEL.
On the sixth hour; at which time, my lord,
You said our work should cease.

PROSPERO.
I did say so,
When first I rais'd the tempest. Say, my spirit,
How fares the King and 's followers?

ARIEL.
Confin'd together
In the same fashion as you gave in charge;
Just as you left them: all prisoners, sir,
In the line-grove which weather-fends your cell;
They cannot budge till your release. The king,
His brother, and yours, abide all three distracted,
And the remainder mourning over them,
Brim full of sorrow and dismay; but chiefly
Him you term'd, sir, 'the good old lord, Gonzalo':
His tears run down his beard, like winter's drops
From eaves of reeds; your charm so strongly works them,
That if you now beheld them, your affections
Would become tender.

PROSPERO.
Dost thou think so, spirit?

ARIEL.
Mine would, sir, were I human.

PROSPERO.
And mine shall.
Hast thou, which art but air, a touch, a feeling
Of their afflictions, and shall not myself,
One of their kind, that relish all as sharply,
Passion as they, be kindlier mov'd than thou art?
Though with their high wrongs I am struck to the quick,
Yet with my nobler reason 'gainst my fury
Do I take part: the rarer action is
In virtue than in vengeance: they being penitent,
The sole drift of my purpose doth extend
Not a frown further. Go release them, Ariel.
My charms I'll break, their senses I'll restore,
And they shall be themselves.

ARIEL.
I'll fetch them, sir.

[Exit.]

PROSPERO.
Ye elves of hills, brooks, standing lakes, and
groves;
And ye that on the sands with printless foot
Do chase the ebbing Neptune, and do fly him
When he comes back; you demi-puppets that
By moonshine do the green sour ringlets make,
Whereof the ewe not bites; and you whose pastime
Is