Shakespearefor Bharat
The Tempest

Act IV · Scene I

Before PROSPERO'S cell.

Hover a speech to translate it — or press play to hear it performed.

Enter PROSPERO, FERDINAND, and MIRANDA

PROSPERO
If I have too austerely punish'd you,Your compensation makes amends, for IHave given you here a third of mine own life,Or that for which I live; who once againI tender to thy hand: all thy vexationsWere but my trials of thy love and thouHast strangely stood the test here, afore Heaven,I ratify this my rich gift. O Ferdinand,Do not smile at me that I boast her off,For thou shalt find she will outstrip all praiseAnd make it halt behind her.
FERDINAND
I do believe itAgainst an oracle.
PROSPERO
Then, as my gift and thine own acquisitionWorthily purchased take my daughter: butIf thou dost break her virgin-knot beforeAll sanctimonious ceremonies mayWith full and holy rite be minister'd,No sweet aspersion shall the heavens let fallTo make this contract grow: but barren hate,Sour-eyed disdain and discord shall bestrewThe union of your bed with weeds so loathlyThat you shall hate it both: therefore take heed,As Hymen's lamps shall light you.
FERDINAND
As I hopeFor quiet days, fair issue and long life,With such love as 'tis now, the murkiest den,The most opportune place, the strong'st suggestion.Our worser genius can, shall never meltMine honour into lust, to take awayThe edge of that day's celebrationWhen I shall think: or Phoebus' steeds are founder'd,Or Night kept chain'd below.
PROSPERO
Fairly spoke.Sit then and talk with her; she is thine own.What, Ariel! my industrious servant, Ariel!

Enter ARIEL

ARIEL
What would my potent master? here I am.
PROSPERO
Thou and thy meaner fellows your last serviceDid worthily perform; and I must use youIn such another trick. Go bring the rabble,O'er whom I give thee power, here to this place:Incite them to quick motion; for I mustBestow upon the eyes of this young coupleSome vanity of mine art: it is my promise,And they expect it from me.
ARIEL
Presently?
PROSPERO
Ay, with a twink.
ARIEL
Before you can say 'come' and 'go,'And breathe twice and cry 'so, so,'Each one, tripping on his toe,Will be here with mop and mow.Do you love me, master? no?
PROSPERO
Dearly my delicate Ariel. Do not approachTill thou dost hear me call.
ARIEL
Well, I conceive.

Exit

PROSPERO
Look thou be true; do not give dallianceToo much the rein: the strongest oaths are strawTo the fire i' the blood: be more abstemious,Or else, good night your vow!
FERDINAND
I warrant you sir;The white cold virgin snow upon my heartAbates the ardour of my liver.
PROSPERO
Well.Now come, my Ariel! bring a corollary,Rather than want a spirit: appear and pertly!No tongue! all eyes! be silent.

Soft music

Enter IRIS

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

Enter CERES

CERES
Hail, many-colour'd messenger, that ne'erDost disobey the wife of Jupiter;Who with thy saffron wings upon my flowersDiffusest honey-drops, refreshing showers,And with each end of thy blue bow dost crownMy bosky acres and my unshrubb'd down,Rich scarf to my proud earth; why hath thy queenSummon'd me hither, to this short-grass'd green?
IRIS
A contract of true love to celebrate;And some donation freely to estateOn 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 plotThe means that dusky Dis my daughter got,Her and her blind boy's scandal'd companyI have forsworn.
IRIS
Of her societyBe not afraid: I met her deityCutting the clouds towards Paphos and her sonDove-drawn with her. Here thought they to have doneSome wanton charm upon this man and maid,Whose vows are, that no bed-right shall be paidTill Hymen's torch be lighted: but vain;Mars's hot minion is returned again;Her waspish-headed son has broke his arrows,Swears he will shoot no more but play with sparrowsAnd be a boy right out.
CERES
High'st queen of state,Great Juno, comes; I know her by her gait.

Enter JUNO

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

They sing:

JUNO
Honour, riches, marriage-blessing,Long continuance, and increasing,Hourly joys be still upon you!Juno sings her blessings upon you.
CERES
Earth's increase, foison plenty,Barns and garners never empty,Vines and clustering bunches growing,Plants with goodly burthen bowing;Spring come to you at the farthestIn the very end of harvest!Scarcity and want shall shun you;Ceres' blessing so is on you.
FERDINAND
This is a most majestic vision, andHarmoniously charmingly. May I be boldTo think these spirits?
PROSPERO
Spirits, which by mine artI have from their confines call'd to enactMy present fancies.
FERDINAND
Let me live here ever;So rare a wonder'd father and a wifeMakes 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 sedged crowns and ever-harmless looks,Leave your crisp channels and on this green landAnswer your summons; Juno does command:Come, temperate nymphs, and help to celebrateA contract of true love; be not too late.

Enter certain Nymphs

IRIS
You sunburnt sicklemen, of August weary,Come hither from the furrow and be merry:Make holiday; your rye-straw hats put onAnd these fresh nymphs encounter every oneIn 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 conspiracyOf the beast Caliban and his confederatesAgainst my life: the minute of their plotIs almost come.

To the Spirits

PROSPERO
Well done! avoid; no more!
FERDINAND
This is strange: your father's in some passionThat works him strongly.
MIRANDA
Never till this daySaw I him touch'd with anger so distemper'd.
PROSPERO
You do look, my son, in a moved 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 andAre 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,Ye all which it inherit, shall dissolveAnd, like this insubstantial pageant faded,Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuffAs dreams are made on, and our little lifeIs rounded with a sleep. Sir, I am vex'd;Bear with my weakness; my, brain is troubled:Be not disturb'd with my infirmity:If you be pleased, retire into my cellAnd there repose: a turn or two I'll walk,To still my beating mind.
MIRANDA
We wish your peace.

Exeunt

PROSPERO
Come with a thought 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'dLest 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 fun of valour that they smote the airFor breathing in their faces; beat the groundFor kissing of their feet; yet always bendingTowards their project. Then I beat my tabour;At which, like unback'd colts, they prick'dtheir ears,Advanced their eyelids, lifted up their nosesAs they smelt music: so I charm'd their earsThat calf-like they my lowing follow'd throughTooth'd briers, sharp furzes, pricking goss and thorns,Which entered their frail shins: at last I left themI' the filthy-mantled pool beyond your cell,There dancing up to the chins, that the foul lakeO'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 natureNurture 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

PROSPERO
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 notHear a foot fall: we now are near his cell.
STEPHANO
Monster, your fairy, which you say isa harmless fairy, has done little better thanplayed the Jack with us.
TRINCULO
Monster, I do smell all horse-piss; atwhich my nose is in great indignation.
STEPHANO
So is mine. Do you hear, monster? If I should takea 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 toShall 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 yourharmless fairy, monster.
STEPHANO
I will fetch off my bottle, though I be o'er earsfor 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 islandThine 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! lookwhat 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 havethat gown.
TRINCULO
Thy grace shall have it.
CALIBAN
The dropsy drown this fool I what do you meanTo dote thus on such luggage? Let's aloneAnd 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 underthe line: now, jerkin, you are like to lose yourhair 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 thiscountry. 'Steal by line and level' is an excellentpass of pate; there's another garment for't.
TRINCULO
Monster, come, put some lime upon your fingers, andaway with the rest.
CALIBAN
I will have none on't: we shall lose our time,And all be turn'd to barnacles, or to apesWith foreheads villanous low.
STEPHANO
Monster, lay-to your fingers: help to bear thisaway where my hogshead of wine is, or I'll turn youout of my kingdom: go to, carry this.
TRINCULO
And this.
STEPHANO
Ay, and this.

A noise of hunters heard. Enter divers Spirits, in shape of dogs and hounds, and hunt them about, 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!

CALIBAN, STEPHANO, and TRINCULO, are driven out

PROSPERO
Go charge my goblins that they grind their jointsWith dry convulsions, shorten up their sinewsWith aged cramps, and more pinch-spotted make themThan pard or cat o' mountain.
ARIEL
Hark, they roar!
PROSPERO
Let them be hunted soundly. At this hourLie at my mercy all mine enemies:Shortly shall all my labours end, and thouShalt have the air at freedom: for a littleFollow, and do me service.

Exeunt