The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)

by William Shakespeare

  In an odd corner of the island and sitting,His arms in this sad knot.

  His arms in a dejected knot.

  PROSPERO

  Of the king's ship

  Of the king’s ship and itsThe mariners say how thou hast disposed

  Sailor, tell me how you managed themAnd all the rest o' the fleet.

  And all the rest of the fleet.

  ARIEL

  Safely in harbour

  Safely in the harborIs the king's ship; in the deep nook, where once

  Is the king’s ship; in a deep nook, where you onceThou call'dst me up at midnight to fetch dew

  Called me up at midnight to fetch dewFrom the still-vex'd Bermoothes, there she's hid:

  From the always stormy Bermuda, it’s there that the ship is hidden:The mariners all under hatches stow'd;

  The sailors are all stowed under the decks;Who, with a charm join'd to their suffer'd labour,

  Who, with a spell combined with their hard work,I have left asleep; and for the rest o' the fleet

  I have left asleep; and for the rest of the fleetWhich I dispersed, they all have met again

  Which I dispersed, they all have met up againAnd are upon the Mediterranean flote,

  And are floating on the Mediterranean,Bound sadly home for Naples,

  Sadly heading home for Naples,Supposing that they saw the king's ship wreck'd

  Thinking that they saw the king’s whip wreckdAnd his great person perish.

  And his royalty perish.

  PROSPERO

  Ariel, thy charge

  Ariel, you taskExactly is perform'd: but there's more work.

  Has been performed exactly: but there’s more work.What is the time o' the day?

  What time of day is it?

  ARIEL

  Past the mid season.

  Past noon.

  PROSPERO

  At least two glasses. The time 'twixt six and now

  At least two hourglasses. The time between now and sixMust by us both be spent most preciously.

  Must be spent most usefully for the both of us.

  ARIEL

  Is there more toil? Since thou dost give me pains,

  Is there more work? Since you are giving me more tasks,Let me remember thee what thou hast promised,

  Let me remind you what you have promised,Which is not yet perform'd me.

  Which has not yet been given to me.

  PROSPERO

  How now? moody?

  What’s this? Are you angry?What is't thou canst demand?

  What is it you can ask for?

  ARIEL

  My liberty.

  My freedom.

  PROSPERO

  Before the time be out? no more!

  Before the time is up? Certainly not!

  ARIEL

  I prithee,

  I ask you toRemember I have done thee worthy service;

  Remember that I have done excellent work for you;Told thee no lies, made thee no mistakings, served

  I have told you no lies, made you no mistakes, served youWithout or grudge or grumblings: thou didst promise

  Without complaining or grumbling: you did promiseTo bate me a full year.

  To lessen my term by a whole year.

  PROSPERO

  Dost thou forget

  Did you forgetFrom what a torment I did free thee?

  What a torment I freed you from?

  ARIEL

  No.

  No.

  PROSPERO

  Thou dost, and think'st it much to tread the ooze

  You have, and think that it’s too much to walk the bottomOf the salt deep,

  Of the sea,To run upon the sharp wind of the north,

  To run on the sharp north wind,To do me business in the veins o' the earth

  To do my tasks in the depths of the earthWhen it is baked with frost.

  When it is hardened with frost.

  ARIEL

  I do not, sir.

  I do not, sir.

  PROSPERO

  Thou liest, malignant thing! Hast thou forgot

  You are lying, you wicked thing! Have you forgottenThe foul witch Sycorax, who with age and envy

  The terrible witch Sycorax, who this age and maliceWas grown into a hoop? hast thou forgot her?

  Had grown into a hunchback? Have you forgotten her?

  ARIEL

  No, sir.

  No, sir.

  PROSPERO

  Thou hast. Where was she born? speak; tell me.

  You have. Where was she born? Speak up; tell me.

  ARIEL

  Sir, in Argier.

  Sir, in Algiers.

  PROSPERO

  O, was she so? I must

  Oh, was she? I mustOnce in a month recount what thou hast been,

  Once a month tell you what you have been,Which thou forget'st. This damn'd witch Sycorax,

  Which you forget. That damned witch Sycorax,For mischiefs manifold and sorceries terrible

  For many wicked deeds and terrible magicTo enter human hearing, from Argier,

  That came into human hearing,Thou know'st, was banish'd: for one thing she did

  You know, was banished from Algiers; for one thing she did, becoming pregnant,They would not take her life. Is not this true?

  They would not take her life. Isn’t that true?

  ARIEL

  Ay, sir.

  Yes, sir.

  PROSPERO

  This blue-eyed hag was hither brought with child

  That pregnant hag was brought here with childAnd here was left by the sailors. Thou, my slave,

  And was left here by the sailors. You, my servant,As thou report'st thyself, wast then her servant;

  As you had said yourself, were her servant then;And, for thou wast a spirit too delicate

  And, because you were a spirit too superb in natureTo act her earthy and abhorr'd commands,

  To act out her mundane and horrifying commands,Refusing her grand hests, she did confine thee,

  For refusing her grand orders, she did imprison you,By help of her more potent ministers

  With the help go her more powerful helpersAnd in her most unmitigable rage,

  And in a very ruthless rage,Into a cloven pine; within which rift

  In a pine tree that was split apart; trapped with that splitImprison'd thou didst painfully remain

  You painfully remainedA dozen years; within which space she died

  A dozen years; within that time she diedAnd left thee there; where thou didst vent thy groans

  And left you there; where you did express your groansAs fast as mill-wheels strike. Then was this island—

  As fast as a mill’s water wheel turns. At that time, this island—Save for the son that she did litter here,

  Except for the son that she birthed here,A freckled whelp hag-born--not honour'd with

  A freckled pup born from a witch—was not graced withA human shape.

  A human being.

  ARIEL

  Yes, Caliban her son.

  Yes, Caliban her son.

  PROSPERO

  Dull thing, I say so; he, that Caliban

  A sullen boy, if I say so; he, that CalibanWhom now I keep in service. Thou best know'st

  Who I now keep as a slave. You had best rememberWhat torment I did find thee in; thy groans

  The torment that I found you in; your groansDid make wolves howl and penetrate the breasts

  Made wolves howl and pieced the heartsOf ever angry bears: it was a torment

  Of always angry bears: it was the kind of tormentTo lay upon the damn'd, which Sycorax

  To sentence on the damned, which SycoraxCould not again undo: it was mine art,

  Couldn’t again undo: it was my magic,When I arrived and heard thee, that made gape

  When I arrived here and heard you, that openedThe pine and let thee out.

  The pine and let you out.

  ARIEL

  I thank thee, master.

  Thank you, master.


  PROSPERO

  If thou more murmur'st, I will rend an oak

  If you complain more, I will split open an oakAnd peg thee in his knotty entrails till

  And fasten you into it’s knotted insides untilThou hast howl'd away twelve winters.

  You have howled for twelve years.

  ARIEL

  Pardon, master;

  Forgive me, master;I will be correspondent to command

  I will comply to your commandAnd do my spiriting gently.

  And to my spirit activities tamely.

  PROSPERO

  Do so, and after two days

  Do that, and after two daysI will discharge thee.

  I will free you.

  ARIEL

  That's my noble master!

  That’s my noble master!What shall I do? say what; what shall I do?

  What will I do? Tell me; what will I do?

  PROSPERO

  Go make thyself like a nymph o' the sea: be subject

  Go make yourself like a nymph of the sea; be visibleTo no sight but thine and mine, invisible

  To no sight but yours and mine, invisibleTo every eyeball else. Go take this shape

  To every other eyeball. Go take this shapeAnd hither come in't: go, hence with diligence!

  And come here in it: go, away with care!

  Exit ARIEL

  Awake, dear heart, awake! thou hast slept well; Awake!

  Awake, dear heart, awake! You have slept well; awake!

  MIRANDA

  The strangeness of your story put

  The strangeness of your story madeHeaviness in me.

  Me sleepy.

  PROSPERO

  Shake it off. Come on;

  Shake it of. Come on;We'll visit Caliban my slave, who never

  We’ll visit Caliban, my slave, who neverYields us kind answer.

  Gives us a friendly answer.

  MIRANDA

  'Tis a villain, sir,

  He’s a scoundrel, sir,I do not love to look on.

  That I don’t like to look at.

  PROSPERO

  But, as 'tis,

  But, as it is,We cannot miss him: he does make our fire,

  We cannot do without him: he makes our fire,Fetch in our wood and serves in offices

  Brings in our wood, and serves in tasksThat profit us. What, ho! slave! Caliban!

  That helps us. Hello! Slave! Caliban!Thou earth, thou! speak.

  You piece of dirt, you! Speak up.

  CALIBAN

  [Within] There's wood enough within.

  [Inside] There’s enough wood inside.

  PROSPERO

  Come forth, I say! there's other business for thee:

  Come out, I say! There’s other work for you:Come, thou tortoise! when?

  Come out, you tortoise! When will you come out?

  Re-enter ARIEL like a water-nymph

  Fine apparition! My quaint Ariel,

  An excellent illusion! My clever Ariel,Hark in thine ear.

  Listen with your ears.

  ARIEL

  My lord it shall be done.

  My lord it will be done.

  Exit

  PROSPERO

  Thou poisonous slave, got by the devil himself

  You poisonous slave, father by the devil himselfUpon thy wicked dam, come forth!

  From your wicked mother, come out!

  Enter CALIBAN

  CALIBAN

  As wicked dew as e'er my mother brush'd

  May a dew as wicked as any my mother ever brushedWith raven's feather from unwholesome fen

  With a raven’s feather from a poisonous swampDrop on you both! a south-west blow on ye

  Drop on both of you! May a south-west wind blow on youAnd blister you all o'er!

  And burn you all over!

  PROSPERO

  For this, be sure, to-night thou shalt have cramps,

  Of this be sure, tonight you will have cramps,Side-stitches that shall pen thy breath up; urchins

  Side-stitches that will hold in your breath; goblinsShall, for that vast of night that they may work,

  Will, during that empty time of the night when they work,All exercise on thee; thou shalt be pinch'd

  All practice on you; you will be pinchedAs thick as honeycomb, each pinch more stinging

  As densely as the densest honeycomb, each pinch stinging moreThan bees that made 'em.

  Than the bees that made them.

  CALIBAN

  I must eat my dinner.

  I must eat my dinner.This island's mine, by Sycorax my mother,

  This island is mine, from Sycorax my mother,Which thou takest from me. When thou camest first,

  That you take from me. When you first came here,Thou strokedst me and madest much of me, wouldst give me

  You stroked me and made a fuss over me, you would give meWater with berries in't, and teach me how

  Water with berries in it, and teach me howTo name the bigger light, and how the less,

  To name the big light of sun, and how smaller lights of the moon and stars,That burn by day and night: and then I loved thee

  That burn by day and night: and then I loved youAnd show'd thee all the qualities o' the isle,

  And showed you all the features of the island,The fresh springs, brine-pits, barren place and fertile:

  The fresh springs, the salt-pits, the barren places and fertile places:Cursed be I that did so! All the charms

  It’s a cursed thing that I did so! May all the spellsOf Sycorax, toads, beetles, bats, light on you!

  Of Sycorax, toads, beetles, bats, land on you!For I am all the subjects that you have,

  Because I am the only subject you have,Which first was mine own king: and here you sty me

  I, who was first my own king: and here you coop me upIn this hard rock, whiles you do keep from me

  In this hard rock, while you keep me away fromThe rest o' the island.

  The rest of the island.

  PROSPERO

  Thou most lying slave,

  You terrible lyring slave,Whom stripes may move, not kindness! I have used thee,

  A whipping may move you but not kindness! I have used you,Filth as thou art, with human care, and lodged thee

  Filth that you are, with human care, and housed youIn mine own cell, till thou didst seek to violate

  In my own cell, until you tried to violateThe honour of my child.

  My daughter’s virginity.

  CALIBAN

  O ho, O ho! would't had been done!

  Oh-ho, oh-ho! It would have been done!Thou didst prevent me; I had peopled else

  You stopped me; I would have populated the wholeThis isle with Calibans.

  Island with Calibans.

  PROSPERO

  Abhorred slave,

  Disgusting slave,Which any print of goodness wilt not take,

  Who will not take any impression of goodness,Being capable of all ill! I pitied thee,

  Being only open to evil! I pitied you,Took pains to make thee speak, taught thee each hour

  Worked hard to make you speak, taught you every hourOne thing or other: when thou didst not, savage,

  One thing or another: when you did not, savage,Know thine own meaning, but wouldst gabble like

  Know what you were saying, but would instead babble likeA thing most brutish, I endow'd thy purposes

  A brutish creature, I enriched your goalsWith words that made them known. But thy vile race,

  With words that made them understandable. But you ugly creature,Though thou didst learn, had that in't which good natures

  Although you did learn, you had in you that which good naturesCould not abide to be with; therefore wast thou

  Could not stand to be with; thus you wereDeservedly confined into this rock,

  Justifiably confined to this rock,Who hadst deserved more than a prison.

  You who deserved more than a prison.

  CALIBAN

  You taught me language; and my profit on't />
  You taught me language; and what I gained from thatIs, I know how to curse. The red plague rid you

  Is that I know how to curse. May the red plague kill youFor learning me your language!

  For teaching me your language!

  PROSPERO

  Hag-seed, hence!

  Witch-child, come here!Fetch us in fuel; and be quick, thou'rt best,

  Bring us in some fuel; and be quick, you are betterTo answer other business. Shrug'st thou, malice?

  When you’re working on other tasks. Do you shrug, beast?If thou neglect'st or dost unwillingly

  If you are neglectful or are unwilling to doWhat I command, I'll rack thee with old cramps,

  What I command, I’ll trouble you with loads of cramps,Fill all thy bones with aches, make thee roar

  Fill all of your bones with ahces, make you roar with painThat beasts shall tremble at thy din.

  So that beasts will tremble at your noise.

  CALIBAN

  No, pray thee.

  No, please.

  [Aside] I must obey: his art is of such power,

  [Aside] I must obey him: his magic is of such power thatIt would control my dam's god, Setebos,

  it could overpower my mother’s god, Setebos,and make a vassal of him.

  And turn him into a servant.

  PROSPERO

  So, slave; hence!

  So, slave; go to work!

  Exit CALIBAN

  Re-enter ARIEL, invisible, playing and singing; FERDINAND following

  ARIEL'S song.Come unto these yellow sands,

  Come onto these yellow sands,And then take hands:

  And then join hands:Courtsied when you have and kiss'd

  Curtsy when you have and kissThe wild waves whist,

  The silent wild wave,Foot it featly here and there;

  Dance away nimbly here and there;And, sweet sprites, the burthen bear.

  And, sweet spirits, bear the burden.Hark, hark!

  Listen, listen!