SCENE I. Another part of the island. The Tempest  Shakespeare homepage  |  The Tempest  | Act 2, Scene 1 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene  SCENE I. Another part of the island. 

 Enter ALONSO, SEBASTIAN, ANTONIO, GONZALO, ADRIAN, FRANCISCO, and others  GONZALO  Beseech you, sir, be merry; you have cause, 

 So have we all, of joy; for our escape 

 Is much beyond our loss. Our hint of woe 

 Is common; every day some sailor's wife, 

 The masters of some merchant and the merchant 

 Have just our theme of woe; but for the miracle, 

 I mean our preservation, few in millions 

 Can speak like us: then wisely, good sir, weigh 

 Our sorrow with our comfort. 

 ALONSO  Prithee, peace. 

 SEBASTIAN  He receives comfort like cold porridge. 

 ANTONIO  The visitor will not give him o'er so. 

 SEBASTIAN  Look he's winding up the watch of his wit; 

 by and by it will strike. 

 GONZALO  Sir,-- 

 SEBASTIAN  One: tell. 

 GONZALO  When every grief is entertain'd that's offer'd, 

 Comes to the entertainer-- 

 SEBASTIAN  A dollar. 

 GONZALO  Dolour comes to him, indeed: you 

 have spoken truer than you purposed. 

 SEBASTIAN  You have taken it wiselier than I meant you should. 

 GONZALO  Therefore, my lord,-- 

 ANTONIO  Fie, what a spendthrift is he of his tongue! 

 ALONSO  I prithee, spare. 

 GONZALO  Well, I have done: but yet,-- 

 SEBASTIAN  He will be talking. 

 ANTONIO  Which, of he or Adrian, for a good 

 wager, first begins to crow? 

 SEBASTIAN  The old cock. 

 ANTONIO  The cockerel. 

 SEBASTIAN  Done. The wager? 

 ANTONIO  A laughter. 

 SEBASTIAN  A match! 

 ADRIAN  Though this island seem to be desert,-- 

 SEBASTIAN  Ha, ha, ha! So, you're paid. 

 ADRIAN  Uninhabitable and almost inaccessible,-- 

 SEBASTIAN  Yet,-- 

 ADRIAN  Yet,-- 

 ANTONIO  He could not miss't. 

 ADRIAN  It must needs be of subtle, tender and delicate 

 temperance. 

 ANTONIO  Temperance was a delicate wench. 

 SEBASTIAN  Ay, and a subtle; as he most learnedly delivered. 

 ADRIAN  The air breathes upon us here most sweetly. 

 SEBASTIAN  As if it had lungs and rotten ones. 

 ANTONIO  Or as 'twere perfumed by a fen. 

 GONZALO  Here is everything advantageous to life. 

 ANTONIO  True; save means to live. 

 SEBASTIAN  Of that there's none, or little. 

 GONZALO  How lush and lusty the grass looks! how green! 

 ANTONIO  The ground indeed is tawny. 

 SEBASTIAN  With an eye of green in't. 

 ANTONIO  He misses not much. 

 SEBASTIAN  No; he doth but mistake the truth totally. 

 GONZALO  But the rarity of it is,--which is indeed almost 

 beyond credit,-- 

 SEBASTIAN  As many vouched rarities are. 

 GONZALO  That our garments, being, as they were, drenched in 

 the sea, hold notwithstanding their freshness and 

 glosses, being rather new-dyed than stained with 

 salt water. 

 ANTONIO  If but one of his pockets could speak, would it not 

 say he lies? 

 SEBASTIAN  Ay, or very falsely pocket up his report 

 GONZALO  Methinks our garments are now as fresh as when we 

 put them on first in Afric, at the marriage of 

 the king's fair daughter Claribel to the King of Tunis. 

 SEBASTIAN  'Twas a sweet marriage, and we prosper well in our return. 

 ADRIAN  Tunis was never graced before with such a paragon to 

 their queen. 

 GONZALO  Not since widow Dido's time. 

 ANTONIO  Widow! a pox o' that! How came that widow in? 

 widow Dido! 

 SEBASTIAN  What if he had said 'widower AEneas' too? Good Lord, 

 how you take it! 

 ADRIAN  'Widow Dido' said you? you make me study of that: 

 she was of Carthage, not of Tunis. 

 GONZALO  This Tunis, sir, was Carthage. 

 ADRIAN  Carthage? 

 GONZALO  I assure you, Carthage. 

 SEBASTIAN  His word is more than the miraculous harp; he hath 

 raised the wall and houses too. 

 ANTONIO  What impossible matter will he make easy next? 

 SEBASTIAN  I think he will carry this island home in his pocket 

 and give it his son for an apple. 

 ANTONIO  And, sowing the kernels of it in the sea, bring 

 forth more islands. 

 GONZALO  Ay. 

 ANTONIO  Why, in good time. 

 GONZALO  Sir, we were talking that our garments seem now 

 as fresh as when we were at Tunis at the marriage 

 of your daughter, who is now queen. 

 ANTONIO  And the rarest that e'er came there. 

 SEBASTIAN  Bate, I beseech you, widow Dido. 

 ANTONIO  O, widow Dido! ay, widow Dido. 

 GONZALO  Is not, sir, my doublet as fresh as the first day I 

 wore it? I mean, in a sort. 

 ANTONIO  That sort was well fished for. 

 GONZALO  When I wore it at your daughter's marriage? 

 ALONSO  You cram these words into mine ears against 

 The stomach of my sense. Would I had never 

 Married my daughter there! for, coming thence, 

 My son is lost and, in my rate, she too, 

 Who is so far from Italy removed 

 I ne'er again shall see her. O thou mine heir 

 Of Naples and of Milan, what strange fish 

 Hath made his meal on thee? 

 FRANCISCO  Sir, he may live: 

 I saw him beat the surges under him, 

 And ride upon their backs; he trod the water, 

 Whose enmity he flung aside, and breasted 

 The surge most swoln that met him; his bold head 

 'Bove the contentious waves he kept, and oar'd 

 Himself with his good arms in lusty stroke 

 To the shore, that o'er his wave-worn basis bow'd, 

 As stooping to relieve him: I not doubt 

 He came alive to land. 

 ALONSO  No, no, he's gone. 

 SEBASTIAN  Sir, you may thank yourself for this great loss, 

 That would not bless our Europe with your daughter, 

 But rather lose her to an African; 

 Where she at least is banish'd from your eye, 

 Who hath cause to wet the grief on't. 

 ALONSO  Prithee, peace. 

 SEBASTIAN  You were kneel'd to and importuned otherwise 

 By all of us, and the fair soul herself 

 Weigh'd between loathness and obedience, at 

 Which end o' the beam should bow. We have lost your 

 son, 

 I fear, for ever: Milan and Naples have 

 More widows in them of this business' making 

 Than we bring men to comfort them: 

 The fault's your own. 

 ALONSO  So is the dear'st o' the loss. 

 GONZALO  My lord Sebastian, 

 The truth you speak doth lack some gentleness 

 And time to speak it in: you rub the sore, 

 When you should bring the plaster. 

 SEBASTIAN  Very well. 

 ANTONIO  And most chirurgeonly. 

 GONZALO  It is foul weather in us all, good sir, 

 When you are cloudy. 

 SEBASTIAN  Foul weather? 

 ANTONIO  Very foul. 

 GONZALO  Had I plantation of this isle, my lord,-- 

 ANTONIO  He'ld sow't with nettle-seed. 

 SEBASTIAN  Or docks, or mallows. 

 GONZALO  And were the king on't, what would I do? 

 SEBASTIAN  'Scape being drunk for want of wine. 

 GONZALO  I' the commonwealth I would by contraries 

 Execute all things; for no kind of traffic 

 Would I admit; no name of magistrate; 

 Letters should not be known; riches, poverty, 

 And use of service, none; contract, succession, 

 Bourn, bound of land, tilth, vineyard, none; 

 No use of metal, corn, or wine, or oil; 

 No occupation; all men idle, all; 

 And women too, but innocent and pure; 

 No sovereignty;-- 

 SEBASTIAN  Yet he would be king on't. 

 ANTONIO  The latter end of his commonwealth forgets the 

 beginning. 

 GONZALO  All things in common nature should produce 

 Without sweat or endeavour: treason, felony, 

 Sword, pike, knife, gun, or need of any engine, 

 Would I not have; but nature should bring forth, 

 Of its own kind, all foison, all abundance, 

 To feed my innocent people. 

 SEBASTIAN  No marrying 'mong his subjects? 

 ANTONIO  None, man; all idle: whores and knaves. 

 GONZALO  I would with such perfection govern, sir, 

 To excel the golden age. 

 SEBASTIAN  God save his majesty! 

 ANTONIO  Long live Gonzalo! 

 GONZALO  And,--do you mark me, sir? 

 ALONSO  Prithee, no more: thou dost talk nothing to me. 

 GONZALO  I do well believe your highness; and 

 did it to minister occasion to these gentlemen, 

 who are of such sensible and nimble lungs that 

 they always use to laugh at nothing. 

 ANTONIO  'Twas you we laughed at. 

 GONZALO  Who in this kind of merry fooling am nothing 

 to you: so you may continue and laugh at 

 nothing still. 

 ANTONIO  What a blow was there given! 

 SEBASTIAN  An it had not fallen flat-long. 

 GONZALO  You are gentlemen of brave metal; you would lift 

 the moon out of her sphere, if she would continue 

 in it five weeks without changing. 



 Enter ARIEL, invisible, playing solemn music  SEBASTIAN  We would so, and then go a bat-fowling. 

 ANTONIO  Nay, good my lord, be not angry. 

 GONZALO  No, I warrant you; I will not adventure 

 my discretion so weakly. Will you laugh 

 me asleep, for I am very heavy? 

 ANTONIO  Go sleep, and hear us. 



 All sleep except ALONSO, SEBASTIAN, and ANTONIO  ALONSO  What, all so soon asleep! I wish mine eyes 

 Would, with themselves, shut up my thoughts: I find 

 They are inclined to do so. 

 SEBASTIAN  Please you, sir, 

 Do not omit the heavy offer of it: 

 It seldom visits sorrow; when it doth, 

 It is a comforter. 

 ANTONIO  We two, my lord, 

 Will guard your person while you take your rest, 

 And watch your safety. 

 ALONSO  Thank you. Wondrous heavy. 



 ALONSO sleeps. Exit ARIEL  SEBASTIAN  What a strange drowsiness possesses them! 

 ANTONIO  It is the quality o' the climate. 

 SEBASTIAN  Why 

 Doth it not then our eyelids sink? I find not 

 Myself disposed to sleep. 

 ANTONIO  Nor I; my spirits are nimble. 

 They fell together all, as by consent; 

 They dropp'd, as by a thunder-stroke. What might, 

 Worthy Sebastian? O, what might?--No more:-- 

 And yet me thinks I see it in thy face, 

 What thou shouldst be: the occasion speaks thee, and 

 My strong imagination sees a crown 

 Dropping upon thy head. 

 SEBASTIAN  What, art thou waking? 

 ANTONIO  Do you not hear me speak? 

 SEBASTIAN  I do; and surely 

 It is a sleepy language and thou speak'st 

 Out of thy sleep. What is it thou didst say? 

 This is a strange repose, to be asleep 

 With eyes wide open; standing, speaking, moving, 

 And yet so fast asleep. 

 ANTONIO  Noble Sebastian, 

 Thou let'st thy fortune sleep--die, rather; wink'st 

 Whiles thou art waking. 

 SEBASTIAN  Thou dost snore distinctly; 

 There's meaning in thy snores. 

 ANTONIO  I am more serious than my custom: you 

 Must be so too, if heed me; which to do 

 Trebles thee o'er. 

 SEBASTIAN  Well, I am standing water. 

 ANTONIO  I'll teach you how to flow. 

 SEBASTIAN  Do so: to ebb 

 Hereditary sloth instructs me. 

 ANTONIO  O, 

 If you but knew how you the purpose cherish 

 Whiles thus you mock it! how, in stripping it, 

 You more invest it! Ebbing men, indeed, 

 Most often do so near the bottom run 

 By their own fear or sloth. 

 SEBASTIAN  Prithee, say on: 

 The setting of thine eye and cheek proclaim 

 A matter from thee, and a birth indeed 

 Which throes thee much to yield. 

 ANTONIO  Thus, sir: 

 Although this lord of weak remembrance, this, 

 Who shall be of as little memory 

 When he is earth'd, hath here almost persuade,-- 

 For he's a spirit of persuasion, only 

 Professes to persuade,--the king his son's alive, 

 'Tis as impossible that he's undrown'd 

 And he that sleeps here swims. 

 SEBASTIAN  I have no hope 

 That he's undrown'd. 

 ANTONIO  O, out of that 'no hope' 

 What great hope have you! no hope that way is 

 Another way so high a hope that even 

 Ambition cannot pierce a wink beyond, 

 But doubt discovery there. Will you grant with me 

 That Ferdinand is drown'd? 

 SEBASTIAN  He's gone. 

 ANTONIO  Then, tell me, 

 Who's the next heir of Naples? 

 SEBASTIAN  Claribel. 

 ANTONIO  She that is queen of Tunis; she that dwells 

 Ten leagues beyond man's life; she that from Naples 

 Can have no note, unless the sun were post-- 

 The man i' the moon's too slow--till new-born chins 

 Be rough and razorable; she that--from whom? 

 We all were sea-swallow'd, though some cast again, 

 And by that destiny to perform an act 

 Whereof what's past is prologue, what to come 

 In yours and my discharge. 

 SEBASTIAN  What stuff is this! how say you? 

 'Tis true, my brother's daughter's queen of Tunis; 

 So is she heir of Naples; 'twixt which regions 

 There is some space. 

 ANTONIO  A space whose every cubit 

 Seems to cry out, 'How shall that Claribel 

 Measure us back to Naples? Keep in Tunis, 

 And let Sebastian wake.' Say, this were death 

 That now hath seized them; why, they were no worse 

 Than now they are. There be that can rule Naples 

 As well as he that sleeps; lords that can prate 

 As amply and unnecessarily 

 As this Gonzalo; I myself could make 

 A chough of as deep chat. O, that you bore 

 The mind that I do! what a sleep were this 

 For your advancement! Do you understand me? 

 SEBASTIAN  Methinks I do. 

 ANTONIO  And how does your content 

 Tender your own good fortune? 

 SEBASTIAN  I remember 

 You did supplant your brother Prospero. 

 ANTONIO  True: 

 And look how well my garments sit upon me; 

 Much feater than before: my brother's servants 

 Were then my fellows; now they are my men. 

 SEBASTIAN  But, for your conscience? 

 ANTONIO  Ay, sir; where lies that? if 'twere a kibe, 

 'Twould put me to my slipper: but I feel not 

 This deity in my bosom: twenty consciences, 

 That stand 'twixt me and Milan, candied be they 

 And melt ere they molest! Here lies your brother, 

 No better than the earth he lies upon, 

 If he were that which now he's like, that's dead; 

 Whom I, with this obedient steel, three inches of it, 

 Can lay to bed for ever; whiles you, doing thus, 

 To the perpetual wink for aye might put 

 This ancient morsel, this Sir Prudence, who 

 Should not upbraid our course. For all the rest, 

 They'll take suggestion as a cat laps milk; 

 They'll tell the clock to any business that 

 We say befits the hour. 

 SEBASTIAN  Thy case, dear friend, 

 Shall be my precedent; as thou got'st Milan, 

 I'll come by Naples. Draw thy sword: one stroke 

 Shall free thee from the tribute which thou payest; 

 And I the king shall love thee. 

 ANTONIO  Draw together; 

 And when I rear my hand, do you the like, 

 To fall it on Gonzalo. 

 SEBASTIAN  O, but one word. 



 They talk apart 

 Re-enter ARIEL, invisible  ARIEL  My master through his art foresees the danger 

 That you, his friend, are in; and sends me forth-- 

 For else his project dies--to keep them living. 



 Sings in GONZALO's ear  While you here do snoring lie, 

 Open-eyed conspiracy 

 His time doth take. 

 If of life you keep a care, 

 Shake off slumber, and beware: 

 Awake, awake! 

 ANTONIO  Then let us both be sudden. 

 GONZALO  Now, good angels 

 Preserve the king. 



 They wake  ALONSO  Why, how now? ho, awake! Why are you drawn? 

 Wherefore this ghastly looking? 

 GONZALO  What's the matter? 

 SEBASTIAN  Whiles we stood here securing your repose, 

 Even now, we heard a hollow burst of bellowing 

 Like bulls, or rather lions: did't not wake you? 

 It struck mine ear most terribly. 

 ALONSO  I heard nothing. 

 ANTONIO  O, 'twas a din to fright a monster's ear, 

 To make an earthquake! sure, it was the roar 

 Of a whole herd of lions. 

 ALONSO  Heard you this, Gonzalo? 

 GONZALO  Upon mine honour, sir, I heard a humming, 

 And that a strange one too, which did awake me: 

 I shaked you, sir, and cried: as mine eyes open'd, 

 I saw their weapons drawn: there was a noise, 

 That's verily. 'Tis best we stand upon our guard, 

 Or that we quit this place; let's draw our weapons. 

 ALONSO  Lead off this ground; and let's make further search 

 For my poor son. 

 GONZALO  Heavens keep him from these beasts! 

 For he is, sure, i' the island. 

 ALONSO  Lead away. 

 ARIEL  Prospero my lord shall know what I have done: 

 So, king, go safely on to seek thy son. 



 Exeunt  Shakespeare homepage  |  The Tempest  | Act 2, Scene 1 

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