The Tempest: Act 2, Scene 2

comedy

Another part of the island.

Scene Summary

Caliban is carrying wood when Trinculo, the king's jester, stumbles across him. Caliban hides under his cloak. Trinculo shelters there from rain. Stephano, the king's drunken butler, arrives with wine he salvaged from the wreck. He finds what appears to be a four-legged creature and gives it wine. Caliban, delighted by alcohol he has never tasted before, decides Stephano must be a god. He offers to serve him and be his guide to the island.

Enter CALIBAN with a burden of wood. A noise of thunder heard

CALIBAN

All the infections that the sun sucks up

From bogs, fens, flats, on Prosper fall and make him

By inch-meal a disease! His spirits hear me

And yet I needs must curse. But they'll nor pinch,

Fright me with urchin--shows, pitch me i' the mire,

Nor lead me, like a firebrand, in the dark

Out of my way, unless he bid 'em; but

For every trifle are they set upon me;

Sometime like apes that mow and chatter at me

And after bite me, then like hedgehogs which

Lie tumbling in my barefoot way and mount

Their pricks at my footfall; sometime am I

All wound with adders who with cloven tongues

Do hiss me into madness.

Enter TRINCULO

Lo, now, lo!

Here comes a spirit of his, and to torment me

For bringing wood in slowly. I'll fall flat;

Perchance he will not mind me.

TRINCULO

Here's neither bush nor shrub, to bear off

any weather at all, and another storm brewing;

I hear it sing i' the wind: yond same black

cloud, yond huge one, looks like a foul

bombard that would shed his liquor. If it

should thunder as it did before, I know not

where to hide my head: yond same cloud cannot

choose but fall by pailfuls. What have we

here? a man or a fish? dead or alive? A fish:

he smells like a fish; a very ancient and fish-

like smell; a kind of not of the newest Poor-

John. A strange fish! Were I in England now,

as once I was, and had but this fish painted,

not a holiday fool there but would give a piece

of silver: there would this monster make a

man; any strange beast there makes a man:

when they will not give a doit to relieve a lame

beggar, they will lazy out ten to see a dead

Indian. Legged like a man and his fins like

arms! Warm o' my troth! I do now let loose

my opinion; hold it no longer: this is no fish,

but an islander, that hath lately suffered by a

thunderbolt.

Thunder

Alas, the storm is come again! my best way is to

creep under his gaberdine; there is no other

shelter hereabouts: misery acquaints a man with

strange bed-fellows. I will here shroud till the

dregs of the storm be past.

Enter STEPHANO, singing: a bottle in his hand

STEPHANO

I shall no more to sea, to sea,

Here shall I die ashore--

This is a very scurvy tune to sing at a man's

funeral: well, here's my comfort.

Drinks

Sings

The master, the swabber, the boatswain and I,

The gunner and his mate

Loved Mall, Meg and Marian and Margery,

But none of us cared for Kate;

For she had a tongue with a tang,

Would cry to a sailor, Go hang!

She loved not the savour of tar nor of pitch,

Yet a tailor might scratch her where'er she did itch:

Then to sea, boys, and let her go hang!

This is a scurvy tune too: but here's my comfort.

Drinks

CALIBAN

Do not torment me: Oh!

STEPHANO

What's the matter? Have we devils here? Do you put

tricks upon's with savages and men of Ind, ha? I

have not scaped drowning to be afeard now of your

four legs; for it hath been said, As proper a man as

ever went on four legs cannot make him give ground;

and it shall be said so again while Stephano

breathes at's nostrils.

CALIBAN

The spirit torments me; Oh!

STEPHANO

This is some monster of the isle with four legs, who

hath got, as I take it, an ague. Where the devil

should he learn our language? I will give him some

relief, if it be but for that. if I can recover him

and keep him tame and get to Naples with him, he's a

present for any emperor that ever trod on neat's leather.

CALIBAN

Do not torment me, prithee; I'll bring my wood home faster.

STEPHANO

He's in his fit now and does not talk after the

wisest. He shall taste of my bottle: if he have

never drunk wine afore will go near to remove his

fit. If I can recover him and keep him tame, I will

not take too much for him; he shall pay for him that

hath him, and that soundly.

CALIBAN

Thou dost me yet but little hurt; thou wilt anon, I

know it by thy trembling: now Prosper works upon thee.

STEPHANO

Come on your ways; open your mouth; here is that

which will give language to you, cat: open your

mouth; this will shake your shaking, I can tell you,

and that soundly: you cannot tell who's your friend:

open your chaps again.

TRINCULO

I should know that voice: it should be--but he is

drowned; and these are devils: O defend me!

STEPHANO

Four legs and two voices: a most delicate monster!

His forward voice now is to speak well of his

friend; his backward voice is to utter foul speeches

and to detract. If all the wine in my bottle will

recover him, I will help his ague. Come. Amen! I

will pour some in thy other mouth.

TRINCULO

Stephano!

STEPHANO

Doth thy other mouth call me? Mercy, mercy! This is

a devil, and no monster: I will leave him; I have no

long spoon.

TRINCULO

Stephano! If thou beest Stephano, touch me and

speak to me: for I am Trinculo--be not afeard--thy

good friend Trinculo.

STEPHANO

If thou beest Trinculo, come forth: I'll pull thee

by the lesser legs: if any be Trinculo's legs,

these are they. Thou art very Trinculo indeed! How

camest thou to be the siege of this moon-calf? can

he vent Trinculos?

TRINCULO

I took him to be killed with a thunder-stroke. But

art thou not drowned, Stephano? I hope now thou art

not drowned. Is the storm overblown? I hid me

under the dead moon-calf's gaberdine for fear of

the storm. And art thou living, Stephano? O

Stephano, two Neapolitans 'scaped!

STEPHANO

Prithee, do not turn me about; my stomach is not constant.

CALIBAN

[Aside] These be fine things, an if they be

not sprites.

That's a brave god and bears celestial liquor.

I will kneel to him.

STEPHANO

How didst thou 'scape? How camest thou hither?

swear by this bottle how thou camest hither. I

escaped upon a butt of sack which the sailors

heaved o'erboard, by this bottle; which I made of

the bark of a tree with mine own hands since I was

cast ashore.

CALIBAN

I'll swear upon that bottle to be thy true subject;

for the liquor is not earthly.

STEPHANO

Here; swear then how thou escapedst.

TRINCULO

Swum ashore. man, like a duck: I can swim like a

duck, I'll be sworn.

STEPHANO

Here, kiss the book. Though thou canst swim like a

duck, thou art made like a goose.

TRINCULO

O Stephano. hast any more of this?

STEPHANO

The whole butt, man: my cellar is in a rock by the

sea-side where my wine is hid. How now, moon-calf!

how does thine ague?

CALIBAN

Hast thou not dropp'd from heaven?

STEPHANO

Out o' the moon, I do assure thee: I was the man i'

the moon when time was.

CALIBAN

I have seen thee in her and I do adore thee:

My mistress show'd me thee and thy dog and thy bush.

STEPHANO

Come, swear to that; kiss the book: I will furnish

it anon with new contents swear.

TRINCULO

By this good light, this is a very shallow monster!

I afeard of him! A very weak monster! The man i'

the moon! A most poor credulous monster! Well

drawn, monster, in good sooth!

CALIBAN

I'll show thee every fertile inch o' th' island;

And I will kiss thy foot: I prithee, be my god.

TRINCULO

By this light, a most perfidious and drunken

monster! when 's god's asleep, he'll rob his bottle.

CALIBAN

I'll kiss thy foot; I'll swear myself thy subject.

STEPHANO

Come on then; down, and swear.

TRINCULO

I shall laugh myself to death at this puppy-headed

monster. A most scurvy monster! I could find in my

heart to beat him,--

STEPHANO

Come, kiss.

TRINCULO

But that the poor monster's in drink: an abominable monster!

CALIBAN

I'll show thee the best springs; I'll pluck thee berries;

I'll fish for thee and get thee wood enough.

A plague upon the tyrant that I serve!

I'll bear him no more sticks, but follow thee,

Thou wondrous man.

TRINCULO

A most ridiculous monster, to make a wonder of a

Poor drunkard!

CALIBAN

I prithee, let me bring thee where crabs grow;

And I with my long nails will dig thee pignuts;

Show thee a jay's nest and instruct thee how

To snare the nimble marmoset; I'll bring thee

To clustering filberts and sometimes I'll get thee

Young scamels from the rock. Wilt thou go with me?

STEPHANO

I prithee now, lead the way without any more

talking. Trinculo, the king and all our company

else being drowned, we will inherit here: here;

bear my bottle: fellow Trinculo, we'll fill him by

and by again.

CALIBAN

[Sings drunkenly]

Farewell master; farewell, farewell!

TRINCULO

A howling monster: a drunken monster!

CALIBAN

No more dams I'll make for fish

Nor fetch in firing

At requiring;

Nor scrape trencher, nor wash dish

'Ban, 'Ban, Cacaliban

Has a new master: get a new man.

Freedom, hey-day! hey-day, freedom! freedom,

hey-day, freedom!

STEPHANO

O brave monster! Lead the way.

Exeunt