Scene II

The Island. Before Prospero's cell.

[Enter Prospero and Miranda]

MIRAN:

If by your art, my dearest father, you have
Put the wild waters in this roar, allay them.
The sky, it seems, would pour down stinking pitch,
But that the sea, mounting to th’ welkin's cheek,
Dashes the fire out. O, I have suffered(5)
With those that I saw suffer! A brave vessel,
Who had, no doubt, some noble creature in her,
Dashed all to pieces! O, the cry did knock
Against my very heart! Poor souls, the perished.
Had I been any god of power, I would(10)
Have sunk the sea within the earth, or ere
It should the good ship so have swallowed and
The fraughting souls within her.

MIRAN:

If, my dearest father, you have put the wild waters
Into this fury by your magic, stop them.
It seems that the sky would pour down stinking, boiling tar,
Except that the sea, mounting to the cloud’s cheek,
Puts the fire out. Oh! I have suffered
With those that I saw suffer: a brave vessel,
Who, no doubt, had some noble creatures on her,
Dashed all to pieces. Oh! The cry knocked
Against my very heart. Poor souls, they perished.
If I had been any god of power, I would
Have sunk the sea on the earth, before
It would have swallowed the good ship and
The souls that were her cargo.

PROSP:

Be collected.
No more amazement. Tell your piteous heart(15)
There's no harm done.

PROSP:

Be assured:
No more amazement: tell your piteous heart
There's no harm done.

MIRAN:

O, woe the day!

MIRAN:

Oh! How sad the day!

PROSP:

No harm.
I have done nothing but in care of thee,
Of thee, my dear one, thee, my daughter, who(20)
Art ignorant of what thou art, naught knowing
Of whence I am, nor that I am more better
Than Prospero, master of a full poor cell,
And thy no greater father.

PROSP:

No harm done.
I have done nothing except to protect you,
Protect you, my dear one, you, my daughter, who
Doesn’t know what you are, not knowing
Where I come from or that I better
Than Prospero, master of a full, poor dwelling,
And your not so proud father.

MIRAN:

More to know(25)
Did never meddle with my thoughts.

MIRAN:

It never entered my mind
To know more.

PROSP:

’Tis time
I should inform thee farther. Lend thy hand,
And pluck my magic garment from me.—So: [Lays down his cloak]
Lie there, my art.—Wipe thou thine eyes; have comfort.(30)
The direful spectacle of the wreck, which touched
The very virtue of compassion in thee,
I have with such provision in mine art
So safely ordered that there is no soul—
No, not so much perdition as an hair(35)
Betid to any creature in the vessel
Which thou heard'st cry, which though saw'st sink. Sit
down;
For thou must now know farther.

PROSP:

It is time
I should tell you more. Give me your hand,
And take my magic cloak from me.—So:
Lie there my magic.—Wipe your eyes; have comfort.
The sad spectacle of the wreck, which touched
The very virtue of compassion in you,
I have ordered so safely with similar use of my magic
That there is no soul—
No, not so much damage as to one hair
Happened to any creature on the vessel
Which you heard cry, which you saw sink. Sit down;
Because you must now know more.

[Miranda sits]

MIRAN:

You have often(40)
Begun to tell me what I am, but stopped
And left me to a bootless inquisition,
Concluding ‘Stay, not yet.’

MIRAN:

You have often
Started to tell me who I am, but you stopped,
And left me to a useless questioning,
Concluding “Wait, not yet.”

PROSP:

The hour's now come;
The very minute bids thee ope thine ear,(45)
Obey, and be attentive. Canst thou remember
A time before we came unto this cell?
I do not think thou canst, for then thou wast not
Out three years old.

PROSP:

Now it’s time,
The very minute asks you to listen carefully;
Obey and listen. Can you remember
A time before we came to this dwelling?
I don’t think you can, because then you weren’t
Three years old yet.

MIRAN:

Certainly, sir, I can.(50)

MIRAN:

Certainly, sir, I can.

PROSP:

By what? By any other house or person?
Of anything the image tell me that
Hath kept with thy remembrance.

PROSP:

How? Have you remembered a house, or person
Or any image that, tell me,
Has stayed in your mind.

MIRAN:

’Tis far off,
And rather like a dream than an assurance(55)
That my remembrance warrants. Had I not
Four or five women once that tended me?

MIRAN:

It is faded,
And rather like a dream than a definite
Memory in my mind. Didn’t I once have
Four, or five, women once, that took care of me?

PROSP:

Thou hadst, and more, Miranda. But how is it
That this lives in thy mind? What seest thou else
In the dark backward and abyss of time?(60)
If thou rememb'rest aught ere thou cam'st here,
How thou cam'st here thou mayst.

PROSP:

You did, and more, Miranda. But how is it
That this memory lives in your mind? What else do
You see in the old, dark, bottomless pit of time?
If you remember anything before you came here,
How you came here, you may remember.

MIRAN:

But that I do not.

MIRAN:

But I don’t remember coming here.

PROSP:

Twelve year since, Miranda, twelve year since,
Thy father was the Duke of Milan, and(65)
A prince of power—

PROSP:

Twelve years ago, Miranda, twelve years ago,
Your father was the Duke of Milan, and
A powerful prince.

MIRAN:

Sir, are not you my father?

MIRAN:

Sir, aren’t you my father?

PROSP:

Thy mother was a piece of virtue, and
She said thou wast my daughter; and thy father
Was Duke of Milan, and his only heir(70)
And princess no worse issued.

PROSP:

Your mother was a piece of virtue, and
She said you were my daughter: and your father
Was Duke of Milan and his only heir
A princess — born no less.

MIRAN:

O, the heavens!
What foul play had we that we came from thence?
Or blessèd was't we did?

MIRAN:

O, the heavens!
What foul play did we have that we left there?
Or was it a blessing that we did?

PROSP:

Both, both, my girl.(75)
By foul play, as thou sayst, were we heaved thence,
But blessedly holp hither.

PROSP:

Both, both, my girl.
By foul play, as you say, we were lifted from there,
But blessedly helped here.

MIRAN:

O, my heart bleeds
To think o'th’ teen that I have turned you to,
Which is from my remembrance. Please you, farther.(80)

MIRAN:

Oh! My heart bleeds
To think of the harm that I have twisted you to,
That is from my memory. Please, go on.

PROSP:

My brother and thy uncle, called Antonio—
I pray thee mark me, that a brother should
Be so perfidious—he whom next thyself
Of all the world I loved, and to him put
The manage of my state; as at that time(85)
Through all the signories it was the first,
And Prospero the prime duke, being so reputed
In dignity, and for the liberal arts
Without a parallel; those being all my study,
The government I cast upon my brother,(90)
And to my state grew stranger, being transported
And rapt in secret studies. Thy false uncle—
Dost thou attend me?

PROSP:

My brother and your uncle, called Antonio—
Please, listen to me,—that a brother should
Be so guilty of breaking a trust!—he, whom I loved in
All the world, after you, and I let him
Manage of my city, since, at that time,
It was the first of all the cities,
And Prospero the best duke, being considered so
In dignity, and for the liberal arts,
Without equal: since these two items took up all my
time in study, I cast the government on my brother,
And I became a stranger to my city, being absorbed
And wrapped up in my secret studies. Your false uncle—
Are you listening to me?

MIRAN:

Sir, most heedfully.

MIRAN:

Sir, very carefully.

PROSP:

Being once perfected how to grant suits,(95)
How to deny them, who t'advance and who
To trash for over-topping, new created
The creatures that were mine, I say, or changed ’em,
Or else new formed ’em; having both the key
Of officer and office, set all hearts i'th’ state(100)
To what tune pleased his ear, that now he was
The ivy which had hid my princely trunk,
And sucked my verdure out on't. Thou attend'st not!

PROSP:

Once he had perfected how to grant requests,
How to deny them, who to promote, and who
To demote for overstepping themselves, he re-created
The creatures that were mine, I say, or changed them,
Or else re-formed them, having both the keys
Of personal power and the power of the office;
He changed all the people in the city to his way of thinking:
Now he was like ivy, hiding my princely tree trunk,
And sucking the life out of me.—You’re not listening.

MIRAN:

O good sir, I do.

MIRAN:

Oh, good sir, I am!

PROSP:

I pray thee mark me.(105)
I, thus neglecting worldly ends, all dedicated
To closeness and the bettering of my mind
With that which, but by being so retired,
O'er prized all popular rate, in my false brother
Awakened an evil nature; and my trust,(110)
Like a good parent, did beget of him
A falsehood, in its contrary as great
As my trust was, which had indeed no limit,
A confidence sans bound. He being thus lorded,
Not only with what my revenue yielded,(115)
But what my power might else exact, like one
Who having into truth, by telling of it,
Made such a sinner of his memory
To credit his own lie, he did believe
He was indeed the duke; out o'th’ substitution,(120)
And executing the outward face of royalty
With all prerogative; hence his ambition growing—
Dost thou hear?

PROSP:

Please, listen to me.
My neglecting worldly responsibilities like that,
Dedicating everything to seclusion and the bettering
Of my mind with that which, only by being so secluded,
Was worth more than all popular opinion, awoke in my
False brother an evil nature; and my trust,
Like a good parent, made him
Lie, a lie as great
As my trust was, which had no limit indeed,
A confidence without boundaries. Playing the lord like that,
Not only with what my money yielded,
But also whatever else my power might get him,—like one
Who having lied so often by telling it enough,
Made his memory such a sinner that it gave
Truth to his own lie,—he believed
He was indeed the Duke, making substitution for me,
And wearing the outward show of royalty,
With all rights and privileges.—Here his ambition growing— Are you listening?

MIRAN:

Your tale, sir, would cure deafness.

MIRAN:

Your tale, sir, would cure deafness.

PROSP:

To have no screen between this part he played(125)
And him he played it for; he needs will be
Absolute Milan. Me, poor man, my library
Was dukedom large enough: of temporal royalties
He thinks me now incapable; confederates—
So dry he was for sway—with the King of Naples(130)
To give him annual tribute, do him homage,
Subject his coronet to his crown, and bend
The dukedom, yet unbowed alas, poor Milan!—
To most ignoble stooping.

PROSP:

To have no separation between this part he played
And the man he played it for, he had to become the
Absolute Duke of Milan. For me, poor man—my library
Was dukedom large enough: now he believes that I am
Incapable of performing my political duties; he makes an alliance,—
He was so hungry for power,—with the King of Naples
To give Naples annual protection money, pledge allegiance,
Surrender his small crown to Naples’ crown, and bend
The dukedom, which had never bowed before—alas, poor Milan!—
To most dishonorable bowing.

MIRAN:

O the heavens!(135)

MIRAN:

Oh, the heavens!

PROSP:

Mark his condition and th’event; then tell me
If this might be a brother.

PROSP:

Listen to the situation and the event;
Then tell me if this might be a brother.

MIRAN:

I should sin
To think but nobly of my grandmother:
Good wombs have borne bad sons.(140)

MIRAN:

I should sin only
To think nobly of my grandmother:
Good women have had bad sons.