THE TEMPEST

THE TEMPEST

Me, poor man—my library

Was dukedom large enough.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

PROSPERO

the exiled duke of Milan and a sorcerer

MIRANDA

daughter of Prospero

ARIEL

a spirit who serves Prospero

CALIBAN

a monster who serves Prospero

ANTONIO

brother of Prospero and current duke of Milan

ALONSO

king of Naples

FERDINAND

prince of Naples

SEBASTIAN

brother of King Alonso

GONZALO

a lord who is loyal to Prospero

SCENE

AN ISLAND IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA

rospero, the duke of Milan, was a learned man who lived among his books. He left the running of his dukedom to his brother Antonio, in whom indeed he had complete trust. But that trust was betrayed, for Antonio wanted to wear the duke’s crown himself. To gain his ends, he would have killed his brother but for the love the people bore him. However, with the help of Prospero’s great enemy Alonso, king of Naples, he managed to get the dukedom with all its honor, power, and riches. For they took Prospero to sea, and when they were far away from land, forced him into a little boat with no tackle, mast, or sail. In their cruelty and hatred, they put his little daughter, Miranda (not yet three years old), into the boat with him. Then they sailed away, leaving them to their fate.

But one of the courtiers was true to his rightful master, Prospero. This worthy lord, whose name was Gonzalo, secretly placed in the boat some fresh water, provisions, and clothes, and what Prospero valued most of all, some of his precious books.

Prospero and his little one landed in safety on an island. Now, this island was enchanted. For years it had lain under the spell of an evil witch, Sycorax, who had imprisoned in the trunks of trees all the good spirits she found there. She died shortly before Prospero was cast on the shore; but the spirits, of whom Ariel was the chief, still remained in their prisons.

Prospero was a great magician, for he had devoted himself to the study of magic during the years he allowed his brother to manage the affairs of Milan. By his art he set free the imprisoned spirits. But he kept them obedient to his will, and they were more truly his loyal subjects than his courtiers in Milan had been, for he treated them kindly as long as they did his bidding, and he exercised his power over them wisely and well. One creature alone he found it necessary to treat with harshness; this was Caliban, the son of the wicked old witch, a hideous, deformed monster, horrible to look on and vicious in all his habits.

When Miranda had grown up into a maiden, sweet and fair to see, it happened that Antonio and Alonso, with Sebastian, his brother, and Ferdinand, his son, were at sea together with old Gonzalo. Their ship came near Prospero’s island. Prospero, knowing they were close, raised so great a storm that the sailors on board gave themselves up for lost. Prince Ferdinand leaped into the sea and was drowned—or so his grieving father thought. But Ariel brought him safe ashore. All the rest of the crew, although they were washed overboard, landed unhurt in different parts of the island. The good ship herself, which they all thought had been wrecked, lay at anchor in the harbor where Ariel had brought her. Such wonders could Prospero and his spirits perform.

While the tempest was raging, Prospero showed his daughter the brave ship laboring in the rough seas and told her that it was filled with living human beings like themselves. She, feeling sorry for them, begged him who had raised this storm to calm it. Her father bade her to have no fear, for he intended to save every one of them.

Then, for the first time, he told her the story of his life and hers. He explained that he had caused this storm to rise in order that his enemies, Antonio and Alonso, might be delivered into his hands.

When he had made an end of his story, he charmed her into sleep, for Ariel was at hand and he had work for him to do. Ariel, who longed for his freedom, grumbled to be kept in drudgery. Angry, Prospero reminded him of all the sufferings he had undergone when Sycorax ruled in the land and of the debt of gratitude he owed to the master who had made those sufferings end. Ariel ceased to complain and promised faithfully to do whatever Prospero might command.

“Do so,” said Prospero, “and in two days I will discharge thee.”

Then he bade Ariel take the form of a water nymph and sent him in search of the young prince. Ariel, invisible to Ferdinand, hovered near him, singing the while:

Come unto these yellow sands,

And then take hands,

Courtsied when you have and kiss’d—

The wild waves whist—

Foot it featly here and there,

And, sweet sprites, the burden bear.

Ferdinand followed the magical singing. Then the song changed to a solemn tune, and the words brought grief to his heart and tears to his eyes, for thus they ran:

Full fathom five thy father lies.

Of his bones are coral made;

Those are pearls that were his eyes;

Nothing of him that doth fade

But doth suffer a sea-change

Into something rich and strange.

Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell.

Hark, now I hear them. Ding-dong, bell.

Ariel led the spellbound prince into the presence of Prospero and Miranda. Then, behold! All happened as Prospero desired. For Miranda, who had never, since she could first remember, seen any human being save her father, looked on the youthful prince with reverence in her eyes and love in her secret heart.

“I might call him,” she said, “a thing divine, for nothing natural I ever saw so noble!”

And Ferdinand, beholding her beauty with wonder and delight, exclaimed, “Most sure the goddess on whom these airs attend!”

Scarcely had they exchanged half a dozen sentences before he vowed to make her his queen if she were willing. Prospero, though secretly delighted, pretended to be angry.

“You come here as a spy,” he said to Ferdinand. “I will chain your neck and feet together, and you shall feed on fresh-water mussels, withered roots and husk, and have seawater to drink. Follow.”

“No,” said Ferdinand, and drew his sword. But at that instant Prospero charmed him so that he stood there like a statue, still as stone. In terror Miranda begged her father to have mercy on her lover. But he harshly refused her and made Ferdinand follow him to his dwelling. There he set the prince to work, making him move thousands of heavy logs of timber and pile them up. Ferdinand patiently obeyed, and thought his toil well repaid by the sympathy of the sweet Miranda.

She would have helped him in his hard work, but he would not let her. He could not keep from her the secret of his love. She, hearing it, rejoiced and promised to be his wife.

Then Prospero released him from his servitude, and glad at heart, he gave his consent to their marriage.

“Take her,” he said, “she is thine own.”

Meanwhile, in another part of the island, Antonio and Sebastian were plotting the murder of Alonso, the king of Naples. They thought Ferdinand was dead, so Sebastian would succeed to the throne on Alonso’s death. They would have carried out their wicked plan while their victim was asleep except Ariel woke Alonso just in time.

Many tricks did Ariel play on them. Once he set a banquet before them, and just as they were about to gorge themselves, he appeared to them amid thunder and lightning, and immediately the banquet disappeared. Then Ariel scolded them for their sins and vanished too.

Prospero by his enchantments drew everyone to the grove outside his rooms, where they waited, trembling and afraid. At last they bitterly repented all their sins.

Prospero decided to make one last use of his magic power. “And then,” said he, “I’ll break my staff and deeper than did ever plummet sound I’ll drown my book.”

So he made heavenly music to fill the air and appeared to them in his proper shape as the duke of Milan. Because they repented, he forgave them and told them the story of his life since they had cruelly abandoned him and his baby daughter to the mercy of wind and waves. Alonso, who seemed sorriest of them all, lamented the loss of his heir. But Prospero drew back a curtain and showed him Ferdinand and Miranda playing chess. Great was Alonso’s joy to greet his beloved son again. And when he heard that the fair maid with whom Ferdinand was playing was Prospero’s daughter and that the young folks had pledged to marry, he said, “Give me your hands. Let grief and sorrow still embrace his heart that doth not wish you joy.”

So all ended happily. The ship was safe in the harbor, and the next day they all set sail for Naples, where Ferdinand and Miranda were to be married. Ariel gave them calm seas and favorable winds, and many were the rejoicings at the wedding.

Prospero went back to his own dukedom, where he was welcomed with great joy by his faithful subjects. He practiced the arts of magic no more, but his life was happy. Not only had he regained his dukedom, but when his bitterest foes, who had done him deadly wrong, lay at his mercy, he took no vengeance on them, but nobly forgave them.

As for Ariel, Prospero made him free as air so that he could wander where he would and sing with a light heart his sweet song:

Where the bee sucks, there suck I:

In a cowslip’s bell I lie;

There I couch when owls do cry.

On the bat’s back I do fly

After summer merrily.

Merrily, merrily shall I live now

Under the blossom that hangs on the bough.