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

by William Shakespeare

  You fools! I and my fellows

  You fools! I and my fellow spiritsAre ministers of Fate: the elements,

  Are the officials of Fate: the materialOf whom your swords are temper'd, may as well

  That your swords are made of, could as easilyWound the loud winds, or with bemock'd-at stabs

  Wound the roaring winds, or with futile stabsKill the still-closing waters, as diminish

  Kill the continuously flowing waters, as you could harmOne dowle that's in my plume: my fellow-ministers

  One feather that’s in my tail: my fellow spiritsAre like invulnerable. If you could hurt,

  Are similarly invincible. If you could hurt us,Your swords are now too massy for your strengths

  You swords would be to heavy for you streghtAnd will not be uplifted. But remember—

  And you wouldn’t be able to life them. But remember—For that's my business to you--that you three

  For that’s what I’m here to tell you—that you threeFrom Milan did supplant good Prospero;

  Took Milan over from the good Prospero;Exposed unto the sea, which hath requit it,

  Sent out into the sea—which it has rewarded you for—Him and his innocent child: for which foul deed

  Both him and his innocent child: for which evil actThe powers, delaying, not forgetting, have

  The gods, while they delayed, did not forget, and haveIncensed the seas and shores, yea, all the creatures,

  Urged the seas and the shores, yes, all the creatures,Against your peace. Thee of thy son, Alonso,

  To prevent your happiness. Your son, Alonso,They have bereft; and do pronounce by me:

  They have taken from you; and have ordered me:Lingering perdition, worse than any death

  To give you a slow destruction, worse than any deathCan be at once, shall step by step attend

  That happens fast, I will step by step followYou and your ways; whose wraths to guard you from—

  You and your ways; to protect you from the wraths of these powers—Which here, in this most desolate isle, else falls

  Who here, on this most remote island, will otherwise fallUpon your heads--is nothing but heart-sorrow

  On you heads—the only thing you can do is regretAnd a clear life ensuing.

  And lead a better life afterwards

  He vanishes in thunder; then, to soft music enter the Shapes again, and dance, with mocks and mows, and carrying out the table

  “[He vanishes in thunder; then to soft music the Ghostly Shapes enter again, and dance, with scornful gestures and grimaces, and carry away the table.]”

  PROSPERO

  Bravely the figure of this harpy hast thou

  You have excellently performed the role of this harpy,Perform'd, my Ariel; a grace it had, devouring:

  My Ariel; it had a certain elegance as it made the food disappear:Of my instruction hast thou nothing bated

  You have left out nothing from my instructionsIn what thou hadst to say: so, with good life

  About what you had to say: and with good spiritsAnd observation strange, my meaner ministers

  And special attention, so too have my lower-ranked spiritsTheir several kinds have done. My high charms work

  Done their various roles. My superior magic is workingAnd these mine enemies are all knit up

  And my enemies here are all caught upIn their distractions; they now are in my power;

  In their madness; they are now in my power;And in these fits I leave them, while I visit

  And I will leave them in these fits, while I visitYoung Ferdinand, whom they suppose is drown'd,

  Young Ferdinand, whom they think is drowned,And his and mine loved darling.

  And my daughter that he and I both love.

  Exit above

  GONZALO

  I' the name of something holy, sir, why stand you

  In the name of all things holy, sir, why are youIn this strange stare?

  Standing here horror-struck?

  ALONSO

  O, it is monstrous, monstrous:

  Oh, it was monstrous, monstrous:Methought the billows spoke and told me of it;

  It seemed to me that the smoke spoke and told me of it;The winds did sing it to me, and the thunder,

  That the winds sang it to me, and the thunder,That deep and dreadful organ-pipe, pronounced

  Which sounds like a deep and dreadful pipe organ, all spokeThe name of Prosper: it did bass my trespass.

  The name of Prospero: it announced my crimes with a resonant voice.Therefore my son i' the ooze is bedded, and

  So my son is sunk in the sea, andI'll seek him deeper than e'er plummet sounded

  I’ll look for him deeper than the deepest measured depthsAnd with him there lie mudded.

  And lie with him buried in the mud.

  Exit

  SEBASTIAN

  But one fiend at a time,

  If it’s only by one demon at a time,I'll fight their legions o'er.

  I’ll still fight against their army.

  ANTONIO

  I'll be thy second.

  I’ll help you.

  Exeunt SEBASTIAN, and ANTONIO

  GONZALO

  All three of them are desperate: their great guilt,

  All three of them are desperate: their massive guilt,Like poison given to work a great time after,

  Like a poison that is given to work slowly over time,Now 'gins to bite the spirits. I do beseech you

  Now comes back to haunt them. I be you,That are of suppler joints, follow them swiftly

  Who are more able-bodied, to follow them quicklyAnd hinder them from what this ecstasy

  And stop them from whatever this insanityMay now provoke them to.

  May cause them to do.

  ADRIAN

  Follow, I pray you.

  Follow after me, please.

  Exeunt

  Before PROSPERO'S cell.

  Enter PROSPERO, FERDINAND, and MIRANDA

  PROSPERO

  If I have too austerely punish'd you,

  I have punished you too severely,Your compensation makes amends, for I

  Your repayment will make it better, for IHave given you here a third of mine own life,

  Have just given you a third of my own life,Or that for which I live; who once again

  Or rather, that which I live for; who once againI tender to thy hand: all thy vexations

  I hand over to you: all your hard laborWere but my trials of thy love and thou

  Was only a trial of your love and youHast strangely stood the test here, afore Heaven,

  Have passed the test unusually well, and, before the eyes of Heaven,I ratify this my rich gift. O Ferdinand,

  I give you the hand of my daughter. Oh, Ferdinand,Do not smile at me that I boast her off,

  Don’t smile at me that I brag about her,For thou shalt find she will outstrip all praise

  For you will find that she will surpass all praiseAnd make it halt behind her.

  And make it stop behind her in awe.

  FERDINAND

  I do believe it

  I believe it,Against an oracle.

  Even if a prophet were to say otherwise.

  PROSPERO

  Then, as my gift and thine own acquisition

  Then, as my gift and your very own treatureWorthily purchased take my daughter: but

  Achieved admirably, take my daugher’s hand: but If thou dost break her virgin-knot before

  If you take her virginity beforeAll sanctimonious ceremonies may

  Your wedding ceremony isWith full and holy rite be minister'd,

  Completely finished in the eyes of God,No sweet aspersion shall the heavens let fall

  The heavens won’t shower you with their blessingsTo make this contract grow: but barren hate,

  To make your marriage grow healthily: but instead, harsh hate,Sour-eyed disdain and discord shall bestrew

  Evil-eyed scorn and conflict will plant

  The union of your bed with weeds so loathly


  In your bed of sexual union, loathsome weeds instead of flowers,That you shall hate it both: therefore take heed,

  So that you will both hate it: so pay close attention toAs Hymen's lamps shall light you.

  The marriage god give his blessing.

  FERDINAND

  As I hope

  The same as I hopeFor quiet days, fair issue and long life,

  For peaceful days, beautiful children and long life,With such love as 'tis now, the murkiest den,

  With the love that we have now, I can tell you that not even the darkest pit,The most opportune place, the strong'st suggestion.

  The most opportune moment, the strongest suggestionOur worser genius can, shall never melt

  From the devil on my shoulder, will ever changeMine honour into lust, to take away

  My honor into lust, and take awayThe edge of that day's celebration

  The passion of our wedding dayWhen I shall think: or Phoebus' steeds are founder'd,

  When I will be thinking in anticipation of that night that the sun god’s chariot horses must be lameOr Night kept chain'd below.

  Or that Night has been chained below the horizon.

  PROSPERO

  Fairly spoke.

  That was well spoken.Sit then and talk with her; she is thine own.

  Sit then and talk with her; she is your fiancé now.What, Ariel! my industrious servant, Ariel!

  Hello Ariel! My hard working servant, Ariel!

  Enter ARIEL

  ARIEL

  What would my potent master? here I am.

  What is it, my powerful master? Here I am.

  PROSPERO

  Thou and thy meaner fellows your last service

  You and your lower-ranked fellow-spirits performed your last taskDid worthily perform; and I must use you

  Very admirably; and I must use youIn such another trick. Go bring the rabble,

  In another trick of the same kind. Go get the rest of the gang,O'er whom I give thee power, here to this place:

  Over whom I give you power, and bring them here:Incite them to quick motion; for I must

  Encourage them to move quickly; for I mustBestow upon the eyes of this young couple

  Present for this young couple’s viewingSome vanity of mine art: it is my promise,

  Some small display of my magic: I promised to do so,And they expect it from me.

  And they expect it from me.

  ARIEL

  Presently?

  Right now?

  PROSPERO

  Ay, with a twink.

  Yes, in just the wink of an eye.

  ARIEL

  Before you can say 'come' and 'go,'

  Before you can say ‘come’ and ‘go’,And breathe twice and cry 'so, so,'

  Breath twice and yell out ‘so, so,’Each one, tripping on his toe,

  Every one of us, tripping over our feet,Will be here with mop and mow.

  Will be here pouting and grimacing.Do you love me, master? no?

  You love me master, don’t you?

  PROSPERO

  Dearly my delicate Ariel. Do not approach

  I love you dearly, my excellent Ariel. Don’t comeTill thou dost hear me call.

  Until you hear me call.

  ARIEL

  Well, I conceive.

  Well, I understand.

  Exit

  PROSPERO

  Look thou be true; do not give dalliance

  Look you too, be true to one another; don’t give flirtingToo much the rein: the strongest oaths are straw

  Too much freedom: the strongest oaths easily go up in flamesTo the fire i' the blood: be more abstemious,

  In the fires of passion: be more self-disciplined,Or else, good night your vow!

  Or else, you can say good bye to your wedding vows!

  FERDINAND

  I warrant you sir;

  I promise you sir;The white cold virgin snow upon my heart

  The white modest virgin snow of your daughter’s love in my heartAbates the ardour of my liver.

  Dampens the passion in my loins.

  PROSPERO

  Well.

  Good then.Now come, my Ariel! bring a corollary,

  Now come with me, my Ariel! Bring a companion,Rather than want a spirit: appear and pertly!

  Rather than be without a fellow-spirit: appear and quickly!No tongue! all eyes! be silent.

  Don’t speak! Just watch! Be Silent.

  Soft music

  Enter IRIS

  IRIS

  Ceres, most bounteous lady, thy rich leas

  Cerse, goddess of the harvest, most giving lady, your rich meadowsOf wheat, rye, barley, vetches, oats and pease;

  Of wheat, rye, barley, hay, oats and peas;Thy turfy mountains, where live nibbling sheep,

  Your grassy mountains, where sheep live nibbling,And flat meads thatch'd with stover, them to keep;

  And flat meadows covered with winter-straw, to feed your sheep;Thy banks with pioned and twilled brims,

  Your hills with trenched and tangled borders, Which spongy April at thy hest betrims,

  Which rainy April embellishes at your command,To make cold nymphs chaste crowns; and thy broom -groves,

  With flowers to make virgin nymphs’ innocent crowns; and your groves of yellow-flowered shrubs,Whose shadow the dismissed bachelor loves,

  Whose shade the rejected young man loves,Being lass-lorn: thy pole-clipt vineyard;

  Having been discarded by his sweetheart: your vineyard with poles covered in vines;And thy sea-marge, sterile and rocky-hard,

  And the coast of the sea, bleak and rocky,Where thou thyself dost air;--the queen o' the sky,

  Where you the goddess yourself enjoy the fresh air;--the godess of the sky,Whose watery arch and messenger am I,

  As I am the sky’s messenger and rainbow,Bids thee leave these, and with her sovereign grace,

  Asks you to leave your people, and together with the ruling goddess,Here on this grass-plot, in this very place,

  Come and have fun here on this field, in this very place:To come and sport: her peacocks fly amain:

  Her peacocks fly here at full speed:Approach, rich Ceres, her to entertain.

  Come here, rich Ceres, to welcome her.

  Enter CERES

  CERES

  Hail, many-colour'd messenger, that ne'er

  Hello, rainbow colored messenger, that has neverDost disobey the wife of Jupiter;

  Disobeyed the wife of Jove, the god of thunder;Who with thy saffron wings upon my flowers

  You, who with your golden wings Diffusest honey-drops, refreshing showers,

  Spread drops of honey over my flowers, refreshing showers,And with each end of thy blue bow dost crown

  And with each end of your rainbow you put the finishing touch onMy bosky acres and my unshrubb'd down,

  My bushy acres and my treeless hills,Rich scarf to my proud earth; why hath thy queen

  You are like a beautiful scarf to my wonderful earth; why has your queenSummon'd me hither, to this short-grass'd green?

  Summoned me here, to this neatly trimmed lawn?

  IRIS

  A contract of true love to celebrate;

  To celebrate a marriage of true love;And some donation freely to estate

  And to present some freely given giftsOn the blest lovers.

  To the blessed lovers.

  CERES

  Tell me, heavenly bow,

  Tell me, holy rainbow,If Venus or her son, as thou dost know,

  Do Venus, the goddess of love, or her son, as far as you know,Do now attend the queen? Since they did plot

  Come with the queen? Since they designedThe means that dusky Dis my daughter got,

  The plan for the dark god of the underworld to take my daughter, Her and her blind boy's scandal'd company

  I have rejected her and her blind son’s

  I have forsworn.

  Immoral company.

  IRIS

  Of her society

  Don’t
be afraidBe not afraid: I met her deity

  Of seeing those two: I saw that goddessCutting the clouds towards Paphos and her son

  Traveling through the clouds toward the city Paphos on Cyprus with her sonDove-drawn with her. Here thought they to have done

  In a dove-drawn chariot. Here they were, thinking they had putSome wanton charm upon this man and maid,

  Some obscene spell on the man and girl,Whose vows are, that no bed-right shall be paid

  Who have promised that there with be no sexual unionTill Hymen's torch be lighted: but vain;

  Until the marriage god has given his blessing: but the goddess and her son did so in vain;Mars's hot minion is returned again;

  Venus, the god Mars’s mistress, has come back again;Her waspish-headed son has broke his arrows,

  Her spiteful son has broken his love-arrows,Swears he will shoot no more but play with sparrows

  And swears he won’t shoot them any more but instead will play with sparrowsAnd be a boy right out.

  And by a normal little boy.

  CERES

  High'st queen of state,

  High queen of the gods,Great Juno, comes; I know her by her gait.

  The great Juno, comes forward; I know the sound of her walk.

  Enter JUNO

  JUNO

  How does my bounteous sister? Go with me

  How are you my bountiful sister? Come with meTo bless this twain, that they may prosperous be

  To bless these two, so that they may be successfulAnd honour'd in their issue.

  And honored with their family.

  They sing:

  JUNO

  Honour, riches, marriage-blessing,

  Honor, riches, marriage-blessing,Long continuance, and increasing,

  Long life, and more,Hourly joys be still upon you!

  Joys every hour for you forever!Juno sings her blessings upon you.

  Juno sings her blessing for you.

  CERES

  Earth's increase, foison plenty,