William Shakespeare's The Tempest, tells the tale of an exiled Duke and his daughter marooned on the sandy, idyllic, mysterious shores of an island paradise in the Mediterranean sea.
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The Tempest

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Act III. Scene II.

Scene II.—Another Part of the Island.

Enter CALIBAN, with a bottle, STEPHANO, and
TRINCULO.

Ste. Tell not me:—when the butt is out, we
will drink water; not a drop before: therefore
bear up, and board 'em.—Servant-monster, drink
to me.
Trin. Servant-monster! the folly of this
island! They say there's but five upon this isle:
we are three of them; if th' other two be brained
like us, the state totters.
Ste. Drink,-servant-monster, when I bid thee:
thy eyes are almost set in thy head.
Trin. Where should they be set else? he
were a brave monster indeed, if they were set
in his tail.
Ste. My man-monster hath drowned his tongue
in sack: for my part, the sea cannot drown
me; I swam, ere I could recover the shore, five-
and-thirty leagues, off and on, by this light.
Thou shalt be my lieutenant, monster, or my
standard.
Trin. Your lieutenant, if you list; he's no
standard.
Ste. We'll not run. Monsieur monster.
Trin. Nor go neither: but you'll lie, like
dogs; and yet say nothing neither.
Ste. Moon-calf, speak once in thy life, if thou
beest a good moon-calf. .,
Cal. How does thy honour? Let me lick thy
shoe. I'll not serve him, he is not valiant.
Trin. Thou liest, most ignorant monster:
I am in case to justle a constable. Why, thou
deboshed fish thou, was there ever a man a
coward that hath drunk so much sack as I
to-day? Wilt thou tell a monstrous lie, being
but half a fish and half a monster?
Cal. Lo, how he mocks me! wilt thou let
him, my lord? .
Trin. 'Lord' quoth he!—that a monster
I should be such a natural!
Cal. Lo, lo, again! bite him to death, I
prithee.
Ste. Trinculo, keep a good tongue in your
I head: if you prove a mutineer, the next tree!
The poor monster's my subject, and he shall not
suffer indignity.
Cal. I thank my noble lord. Wilt thou be
pleas'd
To hearken once again the suit I made thee?
Ste. Marry, will I; kneel, and repeat it: I will
stand, and so shall Trinculo.

Enter ARIEL, invisible.
Cal. As I told thee before, I am subject to a
tyrant, a sorcerer, that by his cunning hath
cheated me of the island.
Ari. Thou liest.
Cal. Thou liest, thou jesting monkey thou;
I would my valiant master would destroy thee:
I do not lie.
Ste. Trinculo, if you trouble him any more in
his tale, by this hand, I will supplant some of
your teeth.
Trin. Why, I said nothing.
Ste. Mum then and no more.—[To CALIBAN.]
Proceed.
Cal. I say, by sorcery he got this isle;
From me he got it: if thy greatness will,
Revenge it on him,—for, I know, thou dar'st;
But this thing dare not,—
Ste. That's most certain.
Cal. Thou shalt be lord of it and I'll serve
thee.
Ste. How now shall this be compassed? Canst
thou' bring me to the party?
Cal. Yea, yea, my lord: I'll yield him thee
asleep,
Where thou may'st knock a nail into his head.
Ari. Thou liest; thou canst not.
Cal. What a pied ninny's this! Thou scurvy
patch!—
I do beseech thy greatness, give him blows,
And take his bottle from him: when that's gone
He shall drink nought but brine; for I'll not
show him
Where the quick freshes are.
Ste. Trinculo, run into no further danger: in-
terrupt the monster one word further, and, by
this hand, I'll turn my mercy out o' doors and
make a stock-fish of thee.
Trin. Why, what did I? I did nothing. I'll
go further off.
Ste. Didst thou not say belied?
Ari. Thou liest.
Ste. Do I so? take thou that. [Strikes TRIN.]
As you like this, give me the lie another time.
Trin. I did not give thee the lie:—Out
o' your wits and hearing too?—A pox o' your
bottle! this can sack and drinking do.—A mur-
rain on your monster, and the devil take your
fingers!
Cal. Ha, ha, ha!
Ste. Now, forward with your tale.—Prithee
stand further off.
Cal. Beat him enough: after a little time
I'll beat him too.
Ste. Stand further.—Come, proceed.
Cal. Why, as I told thee, 'tis a custom with
him
I' the afternoon to sleep: there thou may'st
brain him,
Having first seized his books; or with a log
Batter his skull, or paunch him with a stake,
Or cut his wezand with thy knife. Remember
First to possess his books; for without them
He's but a sot, as I am, nor hath not
One spirit to command: they all do hate him
As rootedly as I. Bum but his books;
He has brave utensils,—for so he calls them,—
Which, when he has a house, he'll deck withal:
And that most deeply to consider is
The beauty of his daughter; he himself
Calls her a nonpareil: I never saw a woman,
But only Sycorax my dam and she;
But she as far surpasseth Sycorax
As great'st does least.
Ste. Is it so brave a lass?
Col. Ay, lord; she will become thy bed, I
warrant,
And bring thee forth brave brood.
Ste. Monster, I will kill this man: his daugh-
ter and I will be king and queen,—save our
graces! and Trinculo and thyself shall be vice-
roys. Dost thou like the plot, Trinculo?
Trin. Excellent.
Ste. Give me thy hand: I am sorry I beat
thee; but, while thou livest, keep a good tongue
in thy head.
Cal. Within this half hour will he be asleep;
Wilt thou destroy him then?
Ste. Ay, on mine honour.
Ari. This will I tell my master.
Cal. Thou mak'st me merry: I am full of
pleasure.
Let us be jocund; will you troll the catch
You taught me but while-ere?
Ste. At thy request, monster, I will do reason,
any reason: Come on, Trinculo, let us sing.
[Sings.
Flout'em, and scout'em; and scout'em, and
flout'em;
Thought is free.
Cal. That's not the tune.
[ARIEL plays the tune on a Tabor and Pipe.
Ste. What is this same?
Trin. This is the tune of our catch, played by
the picture of Nobody.
Ste. If thou beest a man, show thyself in thy
likeness: if thou beest a devil, take't as thou
list.
Trin. O, forgive me my sins'
Ste. He that dies pays all debts: I defy
thee.—Mercy upon us!
Cal. Art thou afeard?
Ste. No, monster, not I.
Cal. Be not afeard: the isle is full of noises,
Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight, and
hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears; and sometime voices,
That, if I then had wak'd after long sleep,
Will make me sleep again: and then, in dreaming,
The clouds methought would open and show
riches
Ready to drop upon me; that, when I wak'd
I cried to dream again.
Ste. This will prove a brave kingdom to me,
where I shall have my music for nothing.
Cal. When Prospero is destroyed.
Ste. That shall be by and by: I remember
the story.
Trin. The sound is going away: let's follow
it, and after do our work.
Ste. Lead, monster; we'll follow.—I would I
could see this taborer! he lays it on. Wilt come?
Trin. I'll follow, Stephano. [Exeunt.
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