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The Tempest: Act 1 Scene 1

Scene: A ship at Sea: an island.

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

[Enter a Master and a Boatswain]

Master

Boatswain!

Boatswain

Here, master: what cheer?

Master

Good, speak to the mariners: fall to't, yarely,

or we run ourselves aground: bestir, bestir.

[Exit]

[Enter Mariners]

Boatswain

Heigh, my hearts! cheerly, cheerly, my hearts!

yare, yare! Take in the topsail. Tend to the

master's whistle. Blow, till thou burst thy wind,

if room enough!

[Enter ALONSO, SEBASTIAN, ANTONIO, FERDINAND,

GONZALO, and others]

ALONSO

Good boatswain, have care. Where's the master?

Play the men.

Boatswain

I pray now, keep below.

ANTONIO

Where is the master, boatswain?

Boatswain

Do you not hear him? You mar our labour: keep your

cabins: you do assist the storm.

GONZALO

Nay, good, be patient.

Boatswain

When the sea is. Hence! What cares these roarers

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

GONZALO

Good, yet remember whom thou hast aboard.

Boatswain

None that I more love than myself. You are a

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 hearts! Out

of our way, I say.

[Exit]

GONZALO

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 little advantage. If he be not

born to be hanged, our case is miserable.

[Exeunt]

[Re-enter Boatswain]

Boatswain

Down with the topmast! yare! lower, lower! Bring

her to try with main-course.

[A cry within]

A plague upon this howling! they are louder than

the weather 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?

SEBASTIAN

A pox o' your throat, you bawling, blasphemous,

incharitable dog!

Boatswain

Work you then.

ANTONIO

Hang, cur! hang, you whoreson, insolent noisemaker!

We are less afraid to be drowned than thou art.

GONZALO

I'll warrant him for drowning; though the ship were

no stronger than a nutshell and as leaky as an

unstanched wench.

Boatswain

Lay her a-hold, a-hold! set her two courses off to

sea again; lay her off.

[Enter Mariners wet]

Mariners

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

Boatswain

What, must our mouths be cold?

GONZALO

The king and prince at prayers! let's assist them,

For our case is as theirs.

SEBASTIAN

I'm out of patience.

ANTONIO

We are merely cheated of our lives by drunkards:

This wide-chapp'd rascal--would thou mightst lie drowning

The washing of ten tides!

GONZALO

He'll be hang'd yet,

Though every drop of water swear against it

And gape at widest to glut him.

[A confused noise within: 'Mercy on us!'--

'We split, we split!'--'Farewell, my wife and

children!'--

'Farewell, brother!'--'We split, we split, we split!']

ANTONIO

Let's all sink with the king.

SEBASTIAN

Let's take leave of him.

[Exeunt ANTONIO and SEBASTIAN]

GONZALO

Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea for an

acre of barren ground, long heath, brown furze, any

thing. The wills above be done! but I would fain

die a dry death.

[Exeunt]