1611

THE TEMPEST

by William Shakespeare

DRAMATIS PERSONAE -

ALONSO, King of Naples

SEBASTIAN, his brother

PROSPERO, the right Duke of Milan

ANTONIO, his brother, the usurping Duke of Milan

FERDINAND, son to the King of Naples

GONZALO, an honest old counsellor -

Lords

ADRIAN

FRANCISCO

CALIBAN, a savage and deformed slave

TRINCULO, a jester

STEPHANO, a drunken butler

MASTER OF A SHIP

BOATSWAIN

MARINERS -

MIRANDA, daughter to Prospero -

ARIEL, an airy spirit -

Spirits

IRIS

CERES

JUNO

NYMPHS

REAPERS

Other Spirits attending on Prospero -

SCENE:

A ship at sea; afterwards an uninhabited island

ACT I.

SCENE 1. -

On a ship at sea; a tempestuous noise of thunder

and lightning heard

Enter a SHIPMASTER and a BOATSWAIN -

MASTER. Boatswain!

BOATSWAIN. Here, master; what cheer?

MASTER. Good! Speak to th' mariners; fall to't yarely, or

we run ourselves aground; bestir, bestir. Exit -

Enter MARINERS -

BOATSWAIN. Heigh, my hearts! cheerly, cheerly, my hearts!

yare, yare! Take in the topsail. Tend to th' master's

whistle. Blow till thou burst thy wind, if room enough. -

Enter ALONSO, SEBASTIAN, ANTONIO, FERDINAND

GONZALO, and OTHERS -

ALONSO. Good boatswain, have care. Where's the master?

Play the men.

BOATSWAIN. I pray now, keep below.

ANTONIO. Where is the master, boson?

BOATSWAIN. Do you not hear him? You mar our labour;

keep your cabins; you do assist the storm.

GONZALO. Nay, good, be patient.

BOATSWAIN. When the sea is. Hence! What cares these

roarers for the name of king? To cabin! silence! Trouble

us not.

GONZALO. Good, yet remember whom thou hast aboard.

BOATSWAIN. None that I more love than myself. You are

counsellor; if you can command these elements to

silence, and work the peace of the present, we will not

hand a rope more. Use your authority; if you cannot, give

thanks you have liv'd so long, and make yourself ready

in your cabin for the mischance of the hour, if it so

hap.-Cheerly, good hearts!-Out of our way, I say.

Exit

GONZALO. I have great comfort from this fellow. Methinks

he hath no drowning mark upon him; his complexion is

perfect gallows. Stand fast, good Fate, to his hanging;

make the rope of his destiny our cable, for our own doth

little advantage. If he be not born to be hang'd, our

case is miserable. Exeunt -

Re-enter BOATSWAIN -

BOATSWAIN. Down with the topmast. Yare, lower, lower!

Bring her to try wi' th' maincourse. [A cry within] A

plague upon this howling! They are louder than the

weather or our office. -

Re-enter SEBASTIAN, ANTONIO, and GONZALO -

Yet again! What do you here? Shall we give o'er, and

drown? Have you a mind to sink?

SEBASTIAN. A pox o' your throat, you bawling, blasphemous,

incharitable dog!

BOATSWAIN. Work you, then.

ANTONIO. Hang, cur; hang, you whoreson, insolent noisemaker;

we are less afraid to be drown'd than thou art.

GONZALO. I'll warrant him for drowning, though the ship were

no stronger than a nutshell, and as leaky as an unstanched

wench.