log out

The Tempest: Act II, Scene 2

The Tempest
Act II, Scene 2

Another part of the island.

Caliban is at work on his daily chores when Trinculo, the court jester, arrives. Caliban thinks Trinculo is one of Prospero's spirits. Stephano, the King’s drunken butler, arrives. Caliban takes the butler for a god and swears loyalty to him. The three decide to be sole owners of the island.
  1. Enter Caliban with a burden of wood.
  1. A noise of thunder heard.

Caliban

1 - 18
  1. All the infections that the sun sucks up
  2. From bogs, fens, flats, on Prosper fall, and make him
  3. By inch-meal a disease! His spirits hear me,
  4. And yet I needs must curse. But they’ll nor pinch,
  5. Fright me with urchin-shows, pitch me i’ th’ mire,
  6. Nor lead me, like a fire-brand, in the dark
  7. Out of my way, unless he bid ’em; but
  8. For every trifle are they set upon me,
  9. Sometime like apes that mow and chatter at me,
  10. And after bite me; then like hedgehogs which
  11. Lie tumbling in my barefoot way, and mount
  12. Their pricks at my footfall; sometime am I
  13. All wound with adders, who with cloven tongues
  14. Do hiss me into madness.
  15. Enter Trinculo.
  16. Lo, now lo,
  17. Here comes a spirit of his, and to torment me
  18. For bringing wood in slowly. I’ll fall flat,
  19. Perchance he will not mind me.

Trinculo

19 - 40
  1. Here’s neither bush nor shrub to bear off any weather at
  2. all. And another storm brewing, I hear it sing i’ th’ wind.
  3. Yond same black cloud, yond huge one, looks like a foul
  4. bumbard that would shed his liquor. If it should thunder as
  5. it did before, I know not where to hide my head. Yond same
  6. cloud cannot choose but fall by pailfuls. What have we here?
  7. A man or a fish? Dead or alive? A fish, he smells like a
  8. fish; a very ancient and fish-like smell; a kind of,
  9. not-of-the-newest poor-John. A strange fish! Were I in
  10. England now (as once I was) and had but this fish painted,
  11. not a holiday fool there but would give a piece of silver.
  12. There would this monster make a man; any strange beast there
  13. makes a man. When they will not give a doit to relieve a
  14. lame beggar, they will lay out ten to see a dead Indian.
  15. Legg’d like a man; and his fins like arms! Warm, o’ my
  16. troth! I do now let loose my opinion, hold it no longer:
  17. this is no fish, but an islander, that hath lately suffer’d
  18. by a thunderbolt.
  19. Thunder.
  20. Alas, the storm is come again! My best way is to creep under
  21. his gaberdine; there is no other shelter hereabout. Misery
  22. acquaints a man with strange bedfellows; I will here shroud
  23. till the dregs of the storm be past.
  1. Enter Stephano, singing, a bottle in his hand.

Stephano

41 - 54
  1. I shall no more to sea, to sea,
  2. Here shall I die ashore—”
  3. This is a very scurvy tune to sing at a man’s funeral.
  4. Well, here’s my comfort.
  5. Drinks.
  6. Sings.
  7. The master, the swabber, the boatswain, and I,
  8. The gunner and his mate,
  9. Lov’d Mall, Meg, and Marian, and Margery,
  10. But none of us car’d for Kate;
  11. For she had a tongue with a tang,
  12. Would cry to a sailor, Go hang!
  13. She lov’d not the savor of tar nor of pitch,
  14. Yet a tailor might scratch her where e’er she did itch.
  15. Then to sea, boys, and let her go hang!”
  16. This is a scurvy tune too; but here’s my comfort.
  1. Drinks.

Caliban

55
  1. Do not torment me! O!

Stephano

56 - 61
  1. What’s the matter? Have we devils here? Do you put tricks
  2. upon ’s with salvages and men of Inde? Ha? I have not scap’d
  3. drowning to be afeard now of your four legs; for it hath
  4. been said, As proper a man as ever went on four legs cannot
  5. make him give ground”; and it shall be said so again while
  6. Stephano breathes at’ nostrils.

Caliban

62
  1. The spirit torments me! O!

Stephano

63 - 68
  1. This is some monster of the isle with four legs, who hath
  2. got (as I take it) an ague. Where the devil should he learn
  3. our language? I will give him some relief, if it be but for
  4. that. If I can recover him, and keep him tame, and get to
  5. Naples with him, he’s a present for any emperor that ever
  6. trod on neat’s-leather.

Caliban

69
  1. Do not torment me, prithee. I’ll bring my wood home faster.

Stephano

70 - 74
  1. He’s in his fit now, and does not talk after the wisest. He
  2. shall taste of my bottle; if he have never drunk wine afore,
  3. it will go near to remove his fit. If I can recover him, and
  4. keep him tame, I will not take too much for him; he shall
  5. pay for him that hath him, and that soundly.

Caliban

75 - 76
  1. Thou dost me yet but little hurt; thou wilt anon, I know it
  2. by thy trembling. Now Prosper works upon thee.

Stephano

77 - 80
  1. Come on your ways. Open your mouth; here is that which will
  2. give language to you, cat. Open your mouth; this will shake
  3. your shaking, I can tell you, and that soundly. You cannot
  4. tell who’s your friend. Open your chaps again.
  1. Caliban drinks.

Trinculo

81 - 82
  1. I should know that voice; it should bebut he is drown’d;
  2. and these are devils. O, defend me!

Stephano

83 - 88
  1. Four legs and two voices; a most delicate monster! His
  2. forward voice now is to speak well of his friend; his
  3. backward voice is to utter foul speeches and to detract. If
  4. all the wine in my bottle will recover him, I will help his
  5. ague. Come.
  6. Caliban drinks again.
  7. Amen! I will pour some in thy other mouth.

Trinculo

89
  1. Stephano!

Stephano

90 - 91
  1. Doth thy other mouth call me? Mercy, mercy! This is a devil,
  2. and no monster. I will leave him, I have no long spoon.

Trinculo

92 - 93
  1. Stephano! If thou beest Stephano, touch me, and speak to me;
  2. for I am Trinculobe not afeardthy good friend Trinculo.

Stephano

94 - 97
  1. If thou beest Trinculo, come forth. I’ll pull thee by the
  2. lesser legs. If any be Trinculo’s legs, these are they. Thou
  3. art very Trinculo indeed! How cam’st thou to be the siege of
  4. this moon-calf? Can he vent Trinculos?

Trinculo

98 - 102
  1. I took him to be kill’d with a thunder-stroke. But art thou
  2. not drown’d, Stephano? I hope now thou art not drown’d. Is
  3. the storm overblown? I hid me under the dead moon-calf’s
  4. gaberdine for fear of the storm. And art thou living,
  5. Stephano? O Stephano, two Neapolitans scap’d!

Stephano

103
  1. Prithee do not turn me about, my stomach is not constant.

Caliban

104 - 106
  1. Aside.
  2. These be fine things, and if they be not sprites.
  3. That’s a brave god, and bears celestial liquor.
  4. I will kneel to him.

Stephano

107 - 111
  1. How didst thou scape? How cam’st thou hither? Swear by this
  2. bottle how thou cam’st hitherI escap’d upon a butt of sack
  3. which the sailors heav’d o’erboardby this bottle, which I
  4. made of the bark of a tree with mine own hands since I was
  5. cast ashore.

Caliban

112 - 113
  1. I’ll swear upon that bottle to be thy true subject, for the
  2. liquor is not earthly.

Stephano

114
  1. Here; swear then how thou escap’dst.

Trinculo

115 - 116
  1. Sworn ashore, man, like a duck. I can swim like a duck, I’ll
  2. be sworn.

Stephano

117 - 119
  1. Here, kiss the book.
  2. Passing the bottle.
  3. Though thou canst swim like a duck, thou art made like a
  4. goose.

Trinculo

120
  1. O Stephano, hast any more of this?

Stephano

121 - 123
  1. The whole butt, man. My cellar is in a rock by th’ sea-side,
  2. where my wine is hid. How now, moon-calf? How does thine
  3. ague?

Caliban

124
  1. Hast thou not dropp’d from heaven?

Stephano

125 - 126
  1. Out o’ th’ moon, I do assure thee. I was the Man i’ th’
  2. Moon, when time was.

Caliban

127 - 128
  1. I have seen thee in her, and I do adore thee.
  2. My mistress show’d me thee, and thy dog, and thy bush.

Stephano

129 - 130
  1. Come, swear to that; kiss the book. I will furnish it anon
  2. with new contents. Swear.
  1. Caliban drinks.

Trinculo

131 - 133
  1. By this good light, this is a very shallow monster! I afeard
  2. of him? A very weak monster! The Man i’ th’ Moon? A most
  3. poor credulous monster! Well drawn, monster, in good sooth!

Caliban

134 - 135
  1. I’ll show thee every fertile inch o’ th’ island;
  2. And I will kiss thy foot. I prithee be my god.

Trinculo

136 - 137
  1. By this light, a most perfidious and drunken monster! When
  2. ’s god’s asleep, he’ll rob his bottle.

Caliban

138
  1. I’ll kiss thy foot. I’ll swear myself thy subject.

Stephano

139
  1. Come on then; down, and swear.

Trinculo

140 - 141
  1. I shall laugh myself to death at this puppy-headed monster.
  2. A most scurvy monster! I could find in my heart to beat him

Stephano

142
  1. Come, kiss.

Trinculo

143
  1. But that the poor monster’s in drink. An abominable monster!

Caliban

144 - 148
  1. I’ll show thee the best springs; I’ll pluck thee berries;
  2. I’ll fish for thee, and get thee wood enough.
  3. A plague upon the tyrant that I serve!
  4. I’ll bear him no more sticks, but follow thee,
  5. Thou wondrous man.

Trinculo

149 - 150
  1. A most ridiculous monster, to make a wonder of a poor
  2. drunkard!

Caliban

151 - 156
  1. I prithee let me bring thee where crabs grow;
  2. And I with my long nails will dig thee pig-nuts,
  3. Show thee a jay’s nest, and instruct thee how
  4. To snare the nimble marmazet. I’ll bring thee
  5. To clust’ring filberts, and sometimes I’ll get thee
  6. Young scamels from the rock. Wilt thou go with me?

Stephano

157 - 160
  1. I prithee now lead the way without any more talking.
  2. Trinculo, the King and all our company else being drown’d,
  3. we will inherit here. Here! Bear my bottle. Fellow Trinculo,
  4. we’ll fill him by and by again.

Caliban

161
  1. Sings drunkenly.
  2. Farewell, master; farewell, farewell!

Trinculo

162
  1. A howling monster; a drunken monster!

Caliban

163 - 169
  1. No more dams I’ll make for fish,
  2. Nor fetch in firing
  3. At requiring,
  4. Nor scrape trenchering, nor wash dish.
  5. ’Ban, ’Ban, Ca-Caliban
  6. Has a new master, get a new man.
  7. Freedom, high-day! High-day, freedom! Freedom, high-day, freedom!

Stephano

170
  1. O brave monster! Lead the way.
  1. Exeunt.
© 2021 Unotate.comcontactprivacy policyCreative Commons text from PlayShakespeare.comAll illustrations are public domain or Creative Commons