The Tempest The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [9 vols.]

Excerpt

ACT I.

On a ship at sea: a tempestuous noise of thunder and lightning heard.

 

Mast. Boatswain!

Boats. Here, master: what cheer?

Mast. speak to the mariners: fall to’t, yarely, or we run ourselves aground: bestir, bestir. Exit.

Enter Mariners.

5 Boats. Heigh, my hearts! cheerly, cheerly, my hearts! yare, yare! Take in the topsail. Tend to the master’s whistle. Blow, , if room enough!

Alonso, Sebastian, Antonio, Ferdinand, Gonzalo, and others.

Alon. Good boatswain, have care. Where’s the master? Play the men.

10 Boats. I pray now, keep below.

Where is the master, ?

Boats. Do you not hear him? You mar our labour: keep your cabins: you do assist the storm.

Gon. Nay, good, be patient.

15 Boats. When the sea is. Hence! What

these roarers for the name of king? To cabin: silence! trouble us not.

Gon. Good, yet remember whom thou hast aboard.

Boats. None that I more love than myself. You are a 20 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 lived so long, and make yourself ready in your cabin for the mischance of the hour, if it so hap. Cheerly, good I. 1. 25 hearts! Out of our way, I say. Exit.

Gon. 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 30 little advantage. If he be not born to be hanged, our case is miserable.

Re-enter .

Down with the topmast! yare! lower, lower! with main-course. [A cry within.] they are louder than the weather 35 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?

Seb. A pox o’ your throat, you bawling, blasphemous, incharitable dog!

40 Boats. Work you, then.

Ant. Hang, cur! hang, you whoreson, insolent noise-maker. We are less afraid to be drowned than thou art.

Gon. I’ll warrant him

drowning; though the ship were no stronger than a nutshell, and as leaky as an unstanched45wench.

Boats. Lay her a-hold, a-hold! set her again; lay her off.

 

All lost! to prayers, to prayers! all lost!

Boats. What, must our mouths be cold?

I. 1. 50 The king and prince prayers! let’s assist them,

For our case is as theirs.

Seb.

I’m out of patience.

Ant. We are merely cheated of our lives by drunkards:

This wide-chapp’d rascal,—would thou mightst lie drowning

The washing of ten tides!

Gon.

He’ll be hang’d yet,

55 Though every drop of water swear against it,

And gape at widest him.

: “Mercy on us!”—“We split, we split!”—“Farewell my wife and children!”——“We split, we split, we split!”

60 Ant....